Steve Kennedy is a shareholder and trial attorney in the Jackson, Mississippi, office of Baker Donelson. He has significant experience in defending catastrophic damages suits against motor carriers and product liability suits against major automobile manufacturers. Steve serves as national and regional counsel for several large trucking companies, and also serves as national counsel for a major tire distributor in negligence, breach of warranty and employment matters.
Steve serves as the Firm's primary representative to the Mississippi Trucking Association, and is the Mississippi contact for the Firm's 24 Hour Motor Carrier Emergency Response Team. In this role, Steve is available to trucking company clients twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to assist with accident investigation, accident reconstruction needs and driver management.
Steve's current trial practice also includes representation of a major insurance client in coverage and bad faith litigation, as well as representing architects and design professionals against claims of construction negligence. He is also involved in the defense of various other product liability and personal injury cases involving claims over defective ATVs, kitchen equipment and elevators.
- National/regional counsel for several large trucking companies.
- National counsel for major tire distributor.
- Trial counsel for three design professionals in multiple cases resulting from collapse of U.S. 90 Bay St. Louis Bridge.
- Twelve trials to verdict.
- Pro bono representation of indigent clients in divorce, child custody and personal injury matters.
- Speaker – "Status of Anti-Indemnification Legislation in Commercial Motor Transport Contracts," Mississippi Trucking Association's Annual Convention, Sandestin, Florida (June 12, 2011)
- Speaker – "Status of Indemnification Legislation for Motor Carrier Contracts," Transportation Lawyers Association Annual Meeting (2011)
- Speaker – "Emergency Accident Response and Document Retention," Mississippi Trucking Association annual meeting (2010)
- Speaker – "Trial Strategies for the Catastrophic Injury Case," Transportation Lawyers Association Annual Meeting (2009)
- Speaker – "Driver Sleep Deprivation," DRI Product Liability Conference (2007)
- Speaker – "Products Liability Litigation – Handling Automobile Defects Cases"; sponsored by NBI; May 25, 2006, Jackson, MS
- Author – "How a Bill Does Not Become a Law," Mississippi College Law Review (Fall 2001)
- Member – American (Automotive Product Liability Subcommittee), Mississippi, and Capital Area Bar Associations
- Member – Transportation Lawyers Association
- Member – Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association
- Member – Defense Research Institute
- Member – Trucking Industry Defense Association
- Member – International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)
- Federal Judicial Clerk – Honorable Tom S. Lee, United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi (2000-2001)
- American Jurisprudence Awards: Constitutional Law, Trial Practice and Commercial Paper
- Articles Editor – Mississippi College Law Review
- Law Review Recipient – Earl T. Thomas Outstanding Casenote Award
- Mississippi College, B.A., 1997, summa cum laude
- Mississippi College School of Law, J.D., 2000, magna cum laude