Recent News:
HOUSTON, September 18, 2023 – Two Cozen O’Connor attorneys were named 2023 Texas Super Lawyers. Joseph A. Ziemianski and Stephen P. Pate were recognized for Insurance Coverage.
Stephen Pate focuses his litigation practice on property insurance matters, Directors and Officers insurance matters, business interruption issues, CGL insurance matters, builders risk matters, commercial general liability insurance disputes, fraud, and various other extracontractual litigation matters. Over a 30 year career in coverage work, he has tried more than 45 first-party extracontractual cases to verdict. Prior to joining the firm, Stephen had been partner in the Houston office of an international law firm since 1994.
A Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel, in May 2017 Stephen was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Regents and was re-elected to a second three-year term in 2020. ACCC was established in 2012 and is composed of preeminent lawyers representing both insurers and policyholders involved in coverage and extracontractual matters. Since 2006 he has also been recognized by Chambers and Partners USA in Insurance-Texas. The Texas Supreme Court Historical Society presented Stephen with the 2021 President's Award, which honors the members who has made outstanding service contributions to the Society. Stephen is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Law Institute, the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, and Law360's Editorial Advisory Boards: Insurance.
Stephen received his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Vanderbilt University. Stephen earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. While in law school, he was research editor for the Vanderbilt Journal and he is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Stephen provides very effective counsel with deep understanding of complex issues.
News
September 19, 2023
HOUSTON, September 18, 2023 – Two Cozen O’Connor attorneys were named 2023 Texas Super Lawyers. Joseph A. Ziemianski and Stephen P. Pate were recognized for Insurance Coverage.
August 17, 2023
Best Lawyers selected 232 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
July 28, 2023
These lists recognize lawyers “mastering,” “leading,” “revolutionizing,” and “dominating” their fields in their respective states and nationwide.
June 05, 2023
Of the 88 lawyers ranked, 17 lawyers have been recognized nationally, and eighteen were recognized in Band 1. Eight of the firm's practice areas have been recognized nationally, and nine were ranked Band 1.
May 11, 2023
CHICAGO, May 11, 2023 — Stephen P. Pate, member of the Global Insurance Department, has been named secretary-treasurer of the prestigious American College of Coverage Counsel (ACCC) at the 2023 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.
August 22, 2022
210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
June 02, 2022
Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 86 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2022 edition.
March 24, 2022
Alycen Moss and Stephen Pate were quoted in a Law360 article discussing the new wave of COVID-19 coverage lawsuits that have hit state and federal courts.
August 19, 2021
Best Lawyers selected 210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
May 26, 2021
Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 82 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2021 edition; of those, 15 lawyers have been recognized nationally.
October 22, 2020
Stephen Pate, member of the firm’s Global Insurance Department, has been named an advocate in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
September 24, 2020
Cozen O’Connor attorneys David L. Barron, Stephen P. Pate, A. Martin Wickliff, Jr., and Joseph A. Ziemianski were named 2020 Texas Super Lawyers.
August 20, 2020
Best Lawyers selected 200 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC).
May 14, 2020
Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 63 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2020 edition.
September 19, 2019
Cozen O’Connor attorneys Stephen P. Pate, A. Martin Wickliff, Jr., and Joseph A. Ziemianski were named 2019 Texas Super Lawyers
August 28, 2019
Best Lawyers selected 138 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 21 of the firm’s national offices for inclusion in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
August 05, 2019
Stephen Pate received the prestigious Andrew C. Hecker Award from the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), which is presented annually to the federation member who authors the year's most outstanding article in a federation publication.
May 23, 2019
Stephen Pate has been appointed by the State Bar of Texas as a member of the State Bar of Texas Pattern Jury Charges—Business, Consumer, Insurance & Employment Committee. As a member, Stephen will represent the State Bar and lawyers across the state of Texas.
April 30, 2019
Stephen Pate, a member of Cozen O'Connor's Global Insurance Department, has been named one of Law360’s 2019 Editorial Advisory Board members.
April 25, 2019
Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the USA, has ranked 57 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the Guide’s 2019 edition.
January 01, 2019
Stephen Pate, a member in the firm's Global Insurance Department, was quoted in Law360's article, "Insurance Cases To Watch In 2019."
December 14, 2018
Stephen Pate, a member in the firm Global Insurance Department, was quoted in Law360's feature "The Biggest Property & Casualty Insurance Decisions of 2018."
November 29, 2018
Stephen Pate, a member in the firm's Global Insurance Practice, was quoted in Law360's article, "There's A Storm Brewing For Some Texas Contractors."
October 22, 2018
Stephen Pate, of Cozen O'Connor's Global Insurance department, was quoted in Law360 discussing a split Illinois Supreme Court recently held that the two-year statute of limitations for negligence claims against insurance agents.
October 18, 2018
Stephen Pate, of Cozen O'Connor's Global Insurance department, interviewed with ZBM 9 News of the Bermuda Broadcasting Company about the impact of that the legalization of cannabis has on the insurance industry.
October 15, 2018
Stephen Pate, of Cozen O'Connor's Global Insurance department, was quoted in the Law360 article, Ohio Top Court Nixes Easy Path On Building Defect Coverage.
Publications
May 10, 2023
Stephen P. Pate co-authored the article, “Should I Stay or Should I Go? Recent Developments and Special Situations Impacting Removal in Insurance Cases” for the Defense Research Institute’s (DRI) May issue of For The Defense.
April 21, 2022
Alycen Moss and Stephen Pate wrote the article, "Ten from '21 — The top ten property insurance decisions from 2021," published by Westlaw Today.
September 02, 2020
Joseph A. Ziemianski, Melissa Brill, Alycen A. Moss, Stephen P. Pate, and Paul C. Ferland discuss what insurers can expect based on prior hurricanes.
April 22, 2020
Karl A. Schulz and Stephen P. Pate discuss three recent cases decided by the Texas Suprme Court that revived policyholder suits that were in limbo when Barbara Technologies and Ortiz were decided.
April 20, 2020
Stephen Pate contributed an article to Texas Bar Blog titled, "Law in a Time of Pandemic: How Texas Courts and Lawyers Responded to the Pandemic of 1918-1920." In this article, Stephen discusses the coronavirus pandemic and how courts responded in a similar way during the 'Spanish Flu' pandemic in 1918-1920.
March 16, 2020
Joe Ziemianski, Melissa Brill, Alycen Moss, Stephen Pate, and Paul Ferland discuss how courts have analyzed and applied first-party property policies for these types of non-physical losses, potential coverage under a civil authority provision, and pollution/contamination exclusions.
July 17, 2019
Donnie M. Apodaca, II, Stephen Pate, and Alicia G. Curran discuss two recent the Supreme Court of Texas’s decisions and considerations for insurers before they invoke appraisal and pay the appraisal awards.
May 29, 2019
Stephen Pate discusses why there is a controversy and how Texas—and some other states—are likely to deal with the ALI’s Restatement of the Law on Liability Insurance.
Events & Seminars
Past Events
December 07, 2022
- Webinar
March 03, 2020
- Scottsdale, AZ
October 23, 2019
- Webinar
June 12, 2019
- Southampton, Bermuda
February 27, 2019
- Webinar
January 31, 2019
- Orlando, Florida