Overview
Sarah Gordon leads Steptoe's top-tier Insurance & Reinsurance practice and maintains a multifaceted litigation practice that encompasses insurance and reinsurance, employee benefits, and professional liability. She handles a wide variety of coverage disputes, reinsurance arbitrations, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) litigation, professional malpractice matters, and more. Clients appreciate her practical approach and ability to translate complex matters into concise, persuasive arguments.
In the insurance and reinsurance realm, Sarah represents clients in complex litigation before federal and state courts and arbitration panels. She represents insurance companies involved in a wide range of coverage disputes, including latent health coverage claims, long-tail environmental coverage claims, and claims against directors and officers. Most recently, she has been centrally involved on behalf of insurers in coverage disputes over COVID-19 claims, sports-related brain injury claims (concussions), other first party property claims, cyber coverage claims, and abuse claims. On the reinsurance side, Sarah's work routinely involves the duty of utmost good faith, the interpretation of treaty language, claims management, premium disputes, loss portfolio transfers, aggregation of risk, and underwriting practices. Sarah has extensive arbitration experience.
In addition, Sarah partners with clients on employee benefits matters, with a concentration on ERISA litigation and administrative investigations. She has litigated matters involving breach of fiduciary duty, failure to monitor, and other ERISA claims. On the investigative side, Sarah has represented venture capital operating companies, insurers, financial advisors, and pension plan sponsors before the Department of Labor.
Sarah's practice also includes high-stakes commercial litigation and professional malpractice matters. And, she maintains a robust pro bono practice, which includes, among other things, drafting Supreme Court amicus briefs and obtaining political asylum for refugees.
- Virginia
- District of Columbia
- US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
- US District Court, Western District of Michigan
- US District Court, District of Columbia
- US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- Pro Se Law Clerk, Hon. Leonie M. Brinkema, James C. Cacheris, T.S. Ellis III, Claude M. Hilton, and Gerald Bruce Lee, US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, 2006-2007
- J.D., American University, Washington College of Law, 2006, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, Executive Editor, Administrative Law Review
- B.S., University of Florida, 2003, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
Speaking Engagements
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"Opioids: Coverage, Claims and What the Courts Say," Practising Law Institute Property and Casualty Insurance Law 2022, October 27, 2022
- "Unconscious Biases: The Uninvited Arbitration Guests," ARIAS US Spring Conference, Palm Beach, FL, May 9, 2019
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"Rapid Fire Case Presentations Redux," ARIAS Spring Conference 2018, West Palm Beach, FL, May 11, 2018
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"The Top Ten Coverage Decisions of 2017: Their Impact and Implications for 2018 and Beyond," TIPS Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Midyear Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, February 22, 2018
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"Mock Litigation or Arbitration," 2015 Lex Mundi Insurance/Reinsurance Cross-Border Legal Summit, New York, NY, September 29, 2015
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"Ethics Discussion," ARIAS US Spring Conference, Palm Beach, FL, May 7, 2015
News & Publications
Press Releases
Steptoe Receives 25 Practice, 72 Individual Mentions in Chambers USA 2023
June 1, 2023
Press Releases
Steptoe Receives 27 Practice, 72 Individual Mentions in Chambers USA 2022
June 3, 2022
Press Releases
Law360 Names Sarah Gordon an Insurance MVP for Second Consecutive Year
September 28, 2021
Press Releases
Steptoe Receives 24 Practice, 71 Individual Mentions in Chambers USA 2021
May 20, 2021
Noteworthy
- Who's Who Legal, Insurance & Reinsurance (2024)
- Best Lawyers in America, Insurance Law (2022)
- Euromoney's Expert Guide to the World's Leading Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers (2021)
- National Law Journal, "Trailblazer in Insurance" (2021)
- Law360, "MVP," Insurance (2020-2021)
- Super Lawyers, Washington, DC, "Rising Star," Insurance (2016-2021)
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Legal 500 US, Insurance: Advice to Insurers (2020)
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Chambers USA, Insurance: Insurer, Nationwide Ranked (2021-2024); Dispute Resolution: Insurer (2024); Up and Coming (2020)
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Law360, "Rising Star," Insurance (2019)
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DCA Live, Emerging Women Leaders in Private Practice (2019)
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LGBT Bar, Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 (2018)
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Human Rights Campaign, McCleary Law Fellow (2005-2006)
Professional Affiliations
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American Bar Association
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Virginia State Bar
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National LGBT Bar Association
- Board of Directors, ARIAS US, Board Member (2019-present); President (present)
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Women's Resource Committee, ARIAS US (2017-present)
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National Women's Law Center Leadership Advisory Committee (2015-present)
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American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Excess Surplus Lines & Reinsurance, Vice Chair (2012-2017)
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American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Excess Surplus Lines & Reinsurance, Newsletter Editor and Vice Chair (2015-2016)
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American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Standing Committee on Diversity in the Profession (2013-2014)