Sarah Gordon

Practice Areas

Insurance & Reinsurance | Professional Liability | Employee Benefits & ERISA | Commercial Trials & Litigation

Career

Sarah Gordon leads Steptoe's top-tier Insurance & Reinsurance practice and maintains a multifaceted litigation practice that encompasses insurance and reinsurance, employee benefits, and professional liability. She handles a wide variety of coverage disputes, reinsurance arbitrations, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) litigation, professional malpractice matters, and more. Clients appreciate her practical approach and ability to translate complex matters into concise, persuasive arguments.

In the insurance and reinsurance realm, Sarah represents clients in complex litigation before federal and state courts and arbitration panels. She represents insurance companies involved in a wide range of coverage disputes, including latent health coverage claims, long-tail environmental coverage claims, and claims against directors and officers. Most recently, she has been centrally involved on behalf of insurers in coverage disputes over COVID-19 claims, sports-related brain injury claims (concussions), other first party property claims, cyber coverage claims, and abuse claims. On the reinsurance side, Sarah's work routinely involves the duty of utmost good faith, the interpretation of treaty language, claims management, premium disputes, loss portfolio transfers, aggregation of risk, and underwriting practices. Sarah has extensive arbitration experience.

In addition, Sarah partners with clients on employee benefits matters, with a concentration on ERISA litigation and administrative investigations. She has litigated matters involving breach of fiduciary duty, failure to monitor, and other ERISA claims. On the investigative side, Sarah has represented venture capital operating companies, insurers, financial advisors, and pension plan sponsors before the Department of Labor.

Sarah's practice also includes high-stakes commercial litigation and professional malpractice matters. And, she maintains a robust pro bono practice, which includes, among other things, drafting Supreme Court amicus briefs and obtaining political asylum for refugees.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association

Virginia State Bar

National LGBT Bar Association

Board of Directors, ARIAS US, Board Member (2019-present); Chair (present)

Women's Resource Committee, ARIAS US (2017-present)

National Women's Law Center Leadership Advisory Committee (2015-present)

American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Excess Surplus Lines & Reinsurance, Vice Chair (2012-2017)

American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Excess Surplus Lines & Reinsurance, Newsletter Editor and Vice Chair (2015-2016)

American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, Standing Committee on Diversity in the Profession (2013-2014)

Languages Spoken

American Sign Language