Michael K. Kiernan

Co-Chair of the firm and Managing Partner of the St. Petersburg office, Michael Kiernan devotes his practice to insurance coverage litigation, extra-contractual matters, and complex products liability, professional liability, construction defect, and premises liability cases. He has extensive trial experience and a long record of success defending both first and third-party claims. Mike has been counsel in numerous trials, including cases tried in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier and Citrus Counties.

Mike is an active member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), currently serves as Chair of the FDCC’s Extra Contractual Law Section, and Vice Chair of the Trial Tactics Law Section. He is a Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel, and he has also served two terms on the Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee. He has lectured extensively and written numerous articles on various topics, including emerging areas of property and liability insurance matters, extra-contractual matters as well as complex liability issues.

Mike was recognized by his peers as one of Florida’s Legal Elite, as sponsored by Florida Trend Magazine, has been named a Florida Super Lawyer, and has an A-V Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell.

A lifelong resident of St. Petersburg, Mike attended St. Leo College on a baseball scholarship before earning his law degree from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa. Mike is a member of Leadership St. Petersburg and was appointed to the City of St. Petersburg Development Review Commission, of which he is currently the Chair. He is also a retired Div. I NCAA baseball umpire, having served on the staff of the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

• Drake University, J.D.
• St. Leo College, B.A., Majoring in Political Science and History

• Florida
• Iowa

• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida

• St. Petersburg Bar Association
• Iowa State Bar Association
• The Florida Bar 
  • Member, Trial Lawyers Section
  • Appointed to the Civil Procedure Rules Committee (2003, 2009)
• Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC)
  • Extra Contractual Law Section, Chair (2020 – Present)
  • Trial Tactics Law Section, Vice Chair (2020 – Present)
  • Property Insurance Law Section, Chair
  • Admissions Committee, Member
• American College of Coverage Counsel
  • Fellow (2020 – Present)
• Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, (FDCC)
• Defense Research Institute
• Florida Defense Lawyers Association

• “Endless Variations on a Theme”, a presentation on jury selection and developing a theme for the trial, FDCC 2020 Winter Meeting, March 2020
• “This Used to Be So Easy! Taking on the Plaintiff’s Attempts to Kill the IME Process”, FDCC Transportation Law Section Meeting, June 2019
• “Creative Bad Faith Set Ups: Preventive Strategies and Techniques with Regard to Open Limits, Policy Limit Demands, and Time Limit Demand Letters.”, ACI Insurance Coverage & Extra-Contractual Disputes Conference, December 2016
• “State of the Market for High-Profile Bad Faith Cases and High-Dollar Verdicts Across the Country: Hotbed States Including Missouri, Washington, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia; Key Filing Trends and Rulings; Unfair Trade Practices, Fair Conduct and RICO Developments; and Latest Nuances in Statutory and Punitive Damages.”, ACI Extra-Contractual & Bad Faith Liability Conference, June 2016.
• “Riders on the Storm: The Increasing Role of Public Adjusters in Extreme Weather Events”; Co-Author/Presenter; FDCC Winter Meeting 2016
• “Thank God it Wasn’t My Case! Top Ten Craziest Coverage Decisions”-Co-Author/Presenter, FDCC Winter Meeting 2014
• “Appraisal in 2014: It Isn’t What it Used to Be, Or Is It?-WIND Conference 2014
• “What’s In A Name (d) Storm: What Sandy Has Taught Us About Flood, Storm Surge and FEMA” Co-Author; FDCC Annual Meeting 2013; FDCC Quarterly 2014