Shareholder Kansas Gooden and partner C.J. Gomes will be presenting at the FDLA's 26th Annual Florida Liability Claims Conference. The FLCC draws insurance defense attorneys and claims professionals from around the state and offers our members excellent networking opportunities and timely educational programming presented by experienced attorneys and leading experts.

Kansas Gooden will be presenting "Confessions of Judgment in UM Cases." Plaintiffs are pushing a new theory to trigger fees in UM cases - confessions of judgment. Learn the current state of the law, how to spot the setup, and how to address it.

Ms. Gooden will also be serving as a panelist at the All-Member Forum speaking about tort reform. The panel will be addressing the new law, recent rulings, and legal strategy on how to handle each provision.

C.J. Gomes will be presenting "Who’s on First? Analyzing the Order of Uninsured Motorist Coverage When Multiple Polices Apply." More than one policy affords UM coverage? This presentation will dive into various issues and considerations when conducting a “priority of coverage” analysis in the context of UM claims.

The 2023 FDLA Florida Liability Claims Conference will be held at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club in Lake Buena Vista, Florida on June 14-16, 2023. Find more information here.

About Kansas R. Gooden:

Kansas Gooden is Board Certified in Appellate Practice by The Florida Bar and is AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. She serves as the firm’s Appellate Practice Group Leader. Kansas is an expert in handling all types of civil appellate proceedings, including extraordinary writs and plenary appeals, in state and federal courts.

Ms. Gooden is active in the Florida Bar’s Appellate Section. Over the past decade, she has served on the Executive Council and has chaired the CLE Committee. As chair, Ms. Gooden is responsible for creating and organizing the CLE programing for the section.

Ms. Gooden is on the board of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association as the President and serves as the chair of the organization’s Amicus Committee. On behalf of the organization, she authors and co-authors amicus briefs in important cases impacting tort, litigation, and insurance issues. She also serves on the board of directors of the Third District Court of Appeal Historical Society.

Ms. Gooden is a frequent speaker on appellate topics, including preservation of error, for both attorneys and adjusters. She is licensed in Florida (2008).

About C.J. Gomes:

C.J. Gomes is a Partner practicing in the Jacksonville office. Her practice focuses primarily on insurance defense, including pre-suit advisement and consultation on claims handling and complex coverage issues, insurer bad faith/extra-contractual liability, and appeals.

C.J. offers her clients a full range of insurance coverage services, including prosecuting or defending declaratory judgment lawsuits, providing coverage opinions, obtaining, and advising on, examinations under oath, and preparing reservation of rights and claim denial letters.  She advises insurers on a variety of coverage issues and investigations involving auto, property, umbrella, commercial general liability, homeowners, disability, employment practices liability, and professional malpractice policies.  C.J. routinely consults and advises clients on pre-suit claims handling issues or concerns, including claims involving alleged bad faith/extra-contractual liability, civil remedy notices, multiple claimants/inadequate limits, and settlement negotiations involving unique conditions.