Michael C. Steindorf
Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
Related services and key industries
Biography
Mike Steindorf is a senior first chair trial lawyer who has tried many jury cases to verdict and achieved countless successful settlements. Mike is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). He handles complex business and commercial litigation and also defends significant injury, death and property damage claims.
Mike represents clients in the insurance, financial services, banking, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, transportation and energy industries as well as many others. He has significant energy industry experience including the defense of claims related to fracking, environmental contamination, pipeline explosions, oil field injury, energy related products liability, catastrophic events and toxic tort. He also has significant experience in indemnity matters related to the energy industry. He has also handled numerous lawsuits involving business claims between competing ownership interests.
Mike handles lawsuits involving the prosecution and defense of business fraud claims. He has been supervising trial partner on cases involving breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, shareholder derivative litigation, and professional liability claims.
Mike is frequently called upon to handle contentious insurance disputes by insurance companies in the US and Europe. He has defended insurance carriers in bad faith and coverage litigation and their assureds in business and tort cases in a wide variety of industries. He has represented clients in the insurance, financial services, banking, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, transportation and energy industries as well as many others.
Professional experience
Collapse allJD, Baylor Law School, 1980
BA, Texas A&M University, 1978
At Texas A&M, Mike was the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion of the Corps of Cadets and was also a member of the Ross Volunteers Honor Company. He was admitted to practice law in Texas in 1980. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts in Texas and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
- Texas State Bar
- Defended major U.S. construction company in 14 years of Texas litigation related to multi-fatality wrongful death lawsuit arising from the 1999 collapse of the Texas A&M University Bonfire. All claims against client were favorably settled in 2014.
- Favorable settlement reached while representing Lloyds Underwriters, which were victimized by defendants' use of fraudulent computer software.
- Co-counsel for Lloyds Underwriters in five week reinsurance arbitration trial
- Defended major gas producer in defense of water contamination claims associated with fracking
- Defended major gas producer in connection with fraud claims following sale of foreign pipeline
- Defended a major energy company in litigation following a catastrophic pipeline explosion which resulted in multiple fatalities
- Defended a gas transmission company in connection with a multiple fatality wrongful death case resulting from a catastrophic vehicle accident
- Defended a major Texas well servicing company in connection with claims relating to drill pipe failure and the resulting loss of a deep gas well in West Texas
- Defended an environmental company in connection with property damage caused by the collapse of 500 foot brick chimney at an electrical plant in Texas
- Defended a gas transmission company in connection with toxic tort claims following a Hydrogen Sulfide emission at an East Texas gas plant
- Defended a local marina in connection with a high profile boating accident alleged to have occurred on the premises
- Defended Taiwanese businessman and Chinese sporting equipment manufacturer in breach of contract claim arising out of alleged breach of asset purchase agreement with Texas resident; defeated claim against individual defendant based on lack of jurisdiction and achieved favorable settlement of remaining claim against Chinese company which paid nothing
- Defended non-profit arts organization sued in breach of contract matter by Broadway affiliate of major entertainment industry company; obtained dismissal of Plaintiff's case, and significant recovery on client's counter claim by way of settlement following summary judgment
- Defended Fortune 200 communications technology company in a fraud lawsuit arising out of a divestiture transaction; defense verdict followed a five-week jury trial and Mr. Steindorf obtained a verdict on his client's counter claim
- Defended a major aluminum company in a breach of contract suit regarding a distributorship agreement; defense verdict followed a four-week jury trial
- Defended a national bank in a commercial fraud matter; defense verdict followed a five-week jury trial
- Defended a national provider of clinical laboratory services in a breach of contract case brought by a physicians' group
- Defended a national food company in connection with claims brought by Texas Attorney General's office regarding cholesterol reduction advertising
- Represented regional hospital in the prosecution of claims against construction manager relating to defects and delays associated with a major expansion
- Defended a major airline in a breach of contract claim brought by one of its regional carriers regarding a code sharing agreement
- Defended shareholder derivative claims brought against a Dallas company in entertainment industry
- Texas Top Rated Lawyer, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, 2013 – 2014
- Texas Super Lawyer, business litigation, Thomson Reuters, 2005 – 2012
- The Best Lawyers in America - Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyers, 2008 – 2025
- In re Deepwater Horizon (Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals) September, 2013
- "Q&A With Fulbright & Jaworski's Michael Steindorf," Law 360, August 30, 2011
- American Board of Trial Advocates, Member
- American Bar Association
- State Bar of Texas
- Standing Committee on Racial Diversity in the Profession (2008 - 2011)
- Annual Meeting Committee (2009)
- Dallas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Texas Bar Foundation
- ARIAS-US (AIDA-US Reinsurance and Arbitration Society)