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Lee Craig’s practice encompasses coverage evaluation and litigation of all first-party insurance matters. In particular, he has deep experience in cases of alleged insurance fraud and arson for profit, as well as “bad faith” and other extra-contractual damages litigation.

Lee is a University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law graduate. He joined the firm as an associate in 1989. In due course, he became a partner, then, for a time, the managing partner, and finally a name partner.

Lee has tried cases to jury verdict or final judgment in all U. S. District Courts having jurisdiction in Florida and many Florida Circuit Courts. He has been lead counsel arguing appeals to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Eleventh and Fourth Circuits, the Florida Supreme Court, and several Florida District Courts of Appeal. He is peer-reviewed and rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell.

Lee has long been a committed and active member of the DRI, in which he served as a Committee Chair, a National Director, and a member of the Law Institute. He also belongs to the Federal Bar Association, the Florida Defense Lawyers Association, and the George Edgecomb Bar Association.

Admissions

  • Florida
  • Maryland

Education

  • University of Maryland
    Bachelor of Arts
  • University of Maryland
    Doctor of Jurispudence

Memberships

  • Defense Research Institute (DRI)
  • Federal Bar Association
  • The George Edgecomb Bar Assocation (GEBA)

Courts

  • United States District Court – Northern District of Florida
  • United States District Court – Middle District of Florida
  • United States District Court – Southern District of Florida
  • United States District Court – Maryland District Courts
  • United States Fourth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals
  • United States Supreme Court

Media

Lee Craig Honored with DRI Award

Partner Lee Craig was selected as the recipient of the 2019 Tom Segalla Excellence in Education Award presented by the DRI. This award recognized Lee for his contributions, exemplifying the highest educational standards of DRI and its mission to improve the skills of defense practitioners. Please join us in congratulating Lee Craig for this remarkable achievement....

Literature For Life

This article originally appeared in For the Defense 2017, a publication by DRI. Legal opinions may vary when based on subtle factual differences. All rights reserved. What does reading literature have to do with the mission of DRI for Life? Some might suggest reading that we read mostly as pleasurable respite or for entertainment. That certainly is true in the cases of, say, mystery stories or ...

Insurance Bad Faith And Extracontractual Liability – Caught In A Trap: Identifying And Defeating Bad Faith Threats In First-Party Matters

Lee Craig from Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig along with co-presenter Anne Kevlin  presented in Boston, MA at the Insurance Bad Faith and ExtraContractual Liability Conference. Their topic is "Caught in a Trap: Identifying and Defeating Bad Faith Threats in First-Party Matters". First-party bad faith is an entirely different animal from the kindred, but distinct, third-party species. Two veterans...

Dri Bad Faith Insurance Litigation Seminar

Lee Craig will be speaking at the DRI Bad Faith Insurance Litigation Seminar on June 18, 2015 in Chicago, IL.  Lee's topic is "Trends in Bad Faith Litigation."...

Canadian Defence Lawyers Annual Meeting

Lee Craig spoke at the Canadian Defense Lawyers Annual Meeting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Lee's topic was, "American Insurance Defense Practice."...

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2011 Dri Insurance Coverage & Claims Institute

Lee went to moderate a panel discussion at DRI's Insurance Coverage & Claims Institute program. Lee's panel discussion was entitled "Insurance Carriers and Their Coverage Counsel; An Examination Of The Complexities Of Their Inter-Relationship."...

Can It Be ‘Bad Faith’ For An Insurer To File A Declaratory Action?

This is one of a series of articles under the by line “Butler on Bad Faith” originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance Bad Faith, Vol. 16, #16, p. 21 (December 18, 2002). © Copyright Butler 2002. Introduction In recent months, insurance company clients of the author have faced allegations that the filing of a declaratory action, by an insurer, to determine or cut off cove...

Diminished Value In Auto Damage Claims

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report:  Insurance Bad Faith, Vol. 14, #22, p. 25 (March 21, 2001). © Copyright Butler 2001. We have seen, in recent years, a spate of actions for bad faith, and class actions, on the issue of so-called diminished value. These suits claim payment by the insurance company of t...

Is It Bad Faith To Settle Covered Claims Only

This is one of a series of articles under the by line “Butler on Bad Faith” originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report:  Insurance Bad Faith, Vol. 14, #8, p. 23 (August 22, 2000). © Copyright Butler 2000. The Question It is beyond dispute that the duty to defend, under liability insurance, is contractual, and is broader than the duty to indemnify. National Grange Mut. Ins. Co. v....

The Public Adjuster’s Perspective

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance Bad Faith, Vol. 14, #4, p. 35 (June 20, 2000). © Copyright Butler 2000. Mr. Lesser is a prominent public adjuster. His business office is located in Miami Beach, Florida. The views and opinions stated by Mr. Lesser in this interview are his own. Neither Mr. Cr...

Contractors’ Bonds: Who Can Sue The Surety For Bad Faith?

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance Bad Faith, Vol. 14, #2, p. 39 (May 19, 2000). © Copyright Butler 2000. I. Introduction A contractor's performance and payment bond creates rights and obligations among three parties ­ the principal, the obligee and the surety. The principal may be the genera...

Three Reasons Why Loss Reserves Ought Not Be Admissible In A Bad Faith Case

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance Bad Faith, Vol. 13, #24, p. 25 (April 18, 2000). © Copyright Butler 2000. I. Introduction In the trial of a bad faith case, plaintiff often tries to put into evidence the reserves the insurance company set for the claim. This article contends that evidence ou...

Issue Revisited: Who Can Sue The Surety For Bad Faith Under A Construction Bond?

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance Bad Faith, Vol. 18, #21, p. 25 (March 1, 2005). © Copyright Butler 2005.   In this journal, in May 2000, the author discussed the then recent decision in Ginn Construction Co. v. Reliance Insurance Co., 51 F. Supp. 2d 1347 (S.D. Fla. 1999). He argued tha...

Perfunctory Defense

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance Bad Faith, Vol. 13, #20, p. 25 (February 15, 2000). © Copyright Butler 2000.  per-func-to-ry   per-fúngk'te­re   adj.   Done or acting routinely andwith little interest or care. The American Heritage Dictionary, NewSecond College Edition (1983). ...

Malicious Defense

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance Bad Faith, Vol. 13, #16, p. 25 (December 21, 1999). © Copyright Butler 1999. Background The tort of malicious prosecution is well established in the law. It began as a remedy for defendants who had been damaged by unjustifiable criminal proceedings. Gradually...

Why A First Party Insurer Is Not A Fiduciary

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance Bad Faith, Vol. 13, #14, p. 21 (November 16, 1999). © Copyright Butler 1999. Courts, commentators, lawyers and others have applied the word "fiduciary" to insurance companies and insurance claims in a loose manner. The result has been bad law and confusion o...

Advice Of Counsel: Insurance Companies’ First And Last Line Of Defense / Mealey’s Litigation Reports: Bad Faith

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Bad Faith, Vol. 13, #6, p. 41 (July 20, 1999). Copyright Butler 1999. I.  The Advice Of Counsel Defense A.  What Is It? The dynamic nature of bad faith law throughout the country practically mandates that insurers have ongoing legal advice to protect the interests of...

Standard Of Care In First Party Bad Faith Actions: Is “Fairly Debatable” Fair?

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Bad Faith, Vol. 13, #5, p. 21 (July 1, 1999). Copyright Butler 1999. I.   Introduction Since the early 1970s, when first-party bad faith actions came into being,(1) a considerable body of law has developed on the standard of care for insurers to avoid liability. In c...

Statute Of Limitations In A Bad Faith Action: Which One Applies And When Does It Accrue?

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Bad Faith, Vol. 12, #22 (March 16, 1999). Copyright Butler 1999. I.  Introduction Determining which statute of limitations governs a cause of action against an insurer for bad faith is complicated. It depends on whether the action is a first or third party action. It d...

Federal Preemption Of Extracontractual Claims Under Flood Insurance Policies

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Bad Faith, Vol. 12, #16, p.18 (Dec. 15, 1998). Copyright Butler 1998. Please also see the Supplement to this article published in January, 1999 following the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversal of its decision on rehearing in Van Holt v. Liberty Mutual Fire In...

Supplement To Federal Preemption Of Extracontractual Claims Under Flood Insurance Policies

This is a supplement to the December 1998 article published in Mealey's Litigation Reports: Bad Faith on "Federal Preemption of Extracontractual Claims Under Flood Insurance Policies" following the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversal of its decision on rehearing in Van Holt v. Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. This supplement was originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Bad F...

The Expanding Scope Of Discovery In Bad Faith Cases

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Bad Faith, Vol. 12, #14, p. 24 (Nov. 17, 1998). Copyright Butler 1998. Introduction Bad faith litigation is complex and the stakes are high. In such cases, the discoveryprocess has become critical as litigants struggle for advantage. The litigation often raisesissues ...

Does A Liability Insurer Have A Duty To Initiate Settlement Negotiations?

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report:  Bad Faith, Vol. 12, #10, p. 22 (Sept. 15, 1998) (Part I), and Vol. 12, #11, p. 21 (Oct. 20, 1998) (Part II).  Copyright Butler 1998. Introduction Liability insurance policies typically provide the insurer with complete control over thedefense and settlement of third...

Choice Of Law In Bad Faith Cases

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Bad Faith, Vol. 12, #8, p. 16 (Aug. 18, 1998). Copyright Butler 1998. Introduction The substantive law of bad faith is not uniform from state to state. Some states treat bad faith as a breach of contract;(1) some as a tort.(2) In some states, punitive damages are avai...

Recovery Of Damages For Emotional Distress In Tort, Contract And Statutory Bad Faith Actions

This is one of a series of articles under the by line "Butler on Bad Faith" originally published in Mealey's Litigation Report: Bad Faith, Vol. 12, #6, p. 22 (July 21, 1998). Copyright Butler 1998. Emotional distress damages may be the most significant aspect of any bad faith action in jurisdictions that allow them. This article outlines the several theories that justify the recovery of such dama...

Lee Craig