J. Michael Pennekamp

Practice Areas

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Appellate

Aviation

Catastrophic Flood Events

Commercial Litigation

Federal Practice

Insurance

International

Maritime

Products Liability & Toxic Torts

Career

A South Florida native, J. Michael (Mike) Pennekamp’s is Chair of the firm’s Insurance Practice Group. His practice focuses on providing counsel to clients on virtually every aspect of the maritime and aviation industries and he presently serves as outside U.S. counsel to several international and domestic marine and airline passenger and cargo carriers and related companies assisting them with transactions, international and domestic regulatory compliance and administrative actions while maintaining a heavy litigation practice.

Mike’s litigation practice over the past 30 years has focused primarily on marine and aviation matters. Mike has litigated personal injury, wrongful death, commercial and other significant exposure matters as well as first and third party insurance coverage disputes and bad faith claims. Due to his extensive federal court litigation experience, Mike has represented a significant number of large domestic insurers in the defense of large loss litigation, mass tort litigation and litigation following natural disasters in Florida, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana and Texas.

Mike is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second and Eleventh Circuits and the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College and his Juris Doctor degree from Florida State University College of Law. Thereafter, he served as a Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Peter T. Fay of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Professional Memberships

The Florida Bar

Dade County Bar Association

Fort Lauderdale Mariner’s Club

Marine Industries of South Florida

Florida Yacht Broker’s Association

Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute

Maritime Law Association of the United States

U.S. Superyacht Association

Aviation Insurance Association

Greater Miami Aviation Association

Disaster Protocols Committee Member, Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS), University of Denver

Education

Industry Sector Expertise

Construction Litigation

Aviation Litigation and Transactions

Maritime Litigation and Transactions

General Insurance Defense Litigation