Areas of Practice
- Environmental Coverage Litigation & Counseling
- Insurance & Reinsurance
- Litigation
- Reinsurance Litigation, Arbitration, & Counseling
Education
- University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1986
- College of Charleston, B.A., magna cum laude, political science, 1983
Bar & Court Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Supreme Court of Texas
- US District Court for the District of Columbia
- US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
- US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Mary ("Molly") Woodson Poag
Of Counsel
1330 Connecticut Avenue, NWWashington DC 20036
TEL: 202.429.8091
FAX: 202.429.3902
Molly Poag is of counsel in the Washington firm of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where she is a member of the Litigation Department. Her practice focuses primarily on complex litigation and arbitration, with an emphasis on insurance coverage litigation.
Molly began her practice in 1986 at Hughes & Luce in Dallas, Texas, working in both the corporate and litigation sections of the firm. She began working at Steptoe & Johnson LLP in 1988, where she worked in both an advisory capacity to corporate clients (outside of litigation) and as litigation counsel.
In February 1993, Molly joined the Clinton Administration as a consultant to Secretary Bruce Babbitt at the Department of the Interior. Her responsibilities at Interior included overseeing the Office of Regulatory Affairs and working on several special projects, including the Forest Plan, Endangered Species Act issues and various parks issues. Molly also completed a sixmonth detail to the White House, working first in the Office of Regulatory Affairs and then in the Vice President's Office, where her work focused on the Vice President's regulatory reform efforts. Following her government experience, Molly returned to Steptoe in November 1996.
Molly’s practice includes trial and appellate work and various forms of alternative dispute resolution. Much of her work has involved representation of insurance carriers in coverage matters involving environmental liability, pharmaceutical products liability, and asbestos liability. Her work outside of the coverage area has included representing former Prisoners of War in an effort to hold Iraq responsible for their torture and deter the torture of future POWs. This representation has included playing a leading role in litigation efforts and participating in press events, including a 2003 60 Minutes piece focusing on this important cause.
