Steve Klepper Email & Phone Number

My practice is about 70% appellate and 30% insurance coverage. I’m ranked in Chambers USA for Appellate Practice (Band 1) and Insurance (Band 2).I handle civil and criminal appeals of all kinds. Many appellate practitioners are uncomfortable with emotionally charged cases, especially in family law. I embrace the emotional aspect of each case. Human connections are essential to advocating for clients and persuading judges. My appellate practice breaks down into six main categories:1. Traditional referrals: Clients or their trial counsel ask me to become involved at the appellate level. I will take the lead or serve as co-counsel, whatever best serves the client’s interests.2. Appellate consulting: Other law firms hire me as “off brief” consulting counsel. Consultation may include evaluating the chances of success on appeal, aiding in drafting, or serving as a moot court judge.3. Emergency motions: A motion for a stay of a trial court’s judgment, or for an injunction pending appeal, is sometimes critical to the client’s goals. 4. Amicus briefs: I file merits-stage and certiorari-stage amicus briefs on behalf of public interest organizations and trade groups.5. Appellate mediations6. Court appointments: I serve on the Criminal Justice Act appellate panels for the Fourth Circuit and the D.C. Circuit. Since 2001, I’ve represented insurers in coverage disputes, across a wide range of first-party and third-party coverages. Like appellate practice, insurance coverage requires precision in legal analysis and writing. For anyone interested in learning more about the world of insurance coverage—a topic that is woefully under-taught in law school—I’m happy to discuss how rewarding the practice is.Now let me tell you about some of my passions:• My family and my city: I live in Charles Village with my wife, two kids, two cats, and a dog. I work remotely the majority of the time to maximize my time with them. • Continuing legal education: I put in hundreds of hours on the Sixth Edition of Appellate Practice for the Maryland Lawyer, and I’m happy to talk to any group about appellate practice.• DEI: As the child of a convicted felon, I felt painfully out of place as a law student and young lawyer. I look for the person who feels out of place in a room full of lawyers and try to include them. I am a co-founder of the Cole-Davidson Appellate Inn of Court, which includes diversity in its core mission.

Listed skills include Insurance, Litigation, Toxic Tort, Appeals, and 2 others.