Emilia A. Quesada

Emilia A. Quesada is a founding partner and Chair of the firm’s Insurance Practice Group focusing her practice in the areas of complex commercial litigation with specialized knowledge in insurance disputes including life insurance, disability insurance, health insurance, and ERISA claims, as well as pharmaceutical litigation, financial service industry matters, banking litigation, products liability matters, litigation involving design professionals such as architects and engineers, general commercial litigation and class action defense. Ms. Quesada has represented numerous Fortune 500 companies throughout her career including healthcare organizations related to managed care litigation, provider and consumer claims, HMO, PPO, Medicaid and Medicare claims, emergency services litigation, as well as in and out of network claims; life and disability insurance companies related to agent and independent contractor issues, interpleader actions, structured settlement disputes, STOLI matters, short and long term disability issues, long term care insurance claims, reinsurance matters, vicarious liability issues and bad faith litigation; and other insurers covering supplemental, accidental and other insurance products in the defense of first party claims. Additional representative matters include the defense of pharmaceutical companies, financial institutions, banking entities, oil and gas companies, products companies, design professionals and other companies in the defense of general commercial claims, business disputes, business torts, negligence and fraud claims, consumer claims including FDUTPA, FCRA and TCPA claims, officer/director liability claims, products liability matters and other civil claims in state and federal courts throughout Florida and Georgia, as well as before arbitration tribunals throughout the country. Ms. Quesada is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, the highest rating possible, and an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association (Commercial, Consumer and Healthcare rosters). Prior to forming SMGQ, Ms. Quesada was a partner at a national law firm and senior associate at Hunton & Williams LLP (n/k/a Hunton Andrews Kurth). Ms. Quesada commenced her legal career in private practice at Steel Hector & Davis LLP (n/k/a Squire Patton Boggs) after completing a federal clerkship as an Honors Attorney through the Attorney General Honors Program for the U.S. Department of Justice in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was selected from over 2,500 applicants for one of eight positions. Ms. Quesada is admitted to practice in Florida, including the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida; in Georgia, including the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia; in New York; and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

AWARDS, PUBLICATIONS & CLE Presentations • Best Lawyer in Insurance Litigation, The Best Lawyers in America • Top Lawyer in Litigation, South Florida Legal Guide • Super Lawyer in Insurance Coverage, Florida Super Lawyers • Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America • Minority Powerbroker Q&A Feature, Law 360 • Go-To Law Firm for the Top 500 Companies in Litigation, American Lawyer magazine (selected by Prudential) • “The Do’s & Don’ts of E-Discovery,” Xerox Corporation CLE, Chair • “Law & Order: Special Investigative Units,” NAMWOLF CLE • “Best Practices in Attorney-Client Privilege Issues in the Digital and Global Age,” NAMWOLF CLE • “Key Issues to Consider When Litigating Life, Health and Disability Actions to Maximize Recoveries,” NAMWOLF CLE • “Preventing a Runaway Arbitration,” NAMWOLF CLE • “Discovery in ERISA Cases? How Florida Federal Courts Are Changing the ERISA Landscape One Case at a Time,” Florida Bar Journal (February 2016) • “Comment: Summarizing Prior Witness Testimony,” Florida State University Law Review (Fall 1996)

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES • Commission on Women in the Profession of the American Bar Association, Former Commissioner (appointed by ABA president) • NAMWOLF, Law Firm Member (Insurance PAC (former Chair) and Pharma/Biotech PAC) • Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council (FSMSDC), Certified Minority-Owned Law Firm • Defense Research Institute (Life, Health, Disability & ERISA Committee and Commercial Litigation Committee) • Corporate Counsel Women of Color • Cuban American Bar Association • Hispanic National Bar Association

BAR ADMISSIONS • Florida • Georgia • New York

EDUCATION • J.D., Florida State University (1996) (cum laude) • B.S., Florida International University (1992) (cum laude)

FOREIGN LANGUAGES • Fluent in Spanish