Mr. Poelma joined Doyen Sebesta in the June 2007 as an associate.  Beginning as a second year law student, Mr. Poelma became involved in assisting the development of complex litigation matters encompassing commercial disputes, personal injury, premises liability, maritime/admiralty, and subrogation.  Mr. Poelma’s early involvement in complex litigation prepared him for handling a large docket from the day of licensure. 

As an associate attorney, Mr. Poelma’s areas of practice have consisted mainly of commercial litigation, insurance defense, subrogation, and insurance coverage issues.  Mr. Poelma’s insurance defense docket has broadened his exposure to vastly different areas of the law including professional and medical liability, product liability, maritime/admiralty issues involving both property damage and personal injuries, complex issues involving oil and gas exploration and production both on land and offshore, as well as contractual interpretation and indemnity issues.  Due to the variety of issues Mr. Poelma has handled from a litigation standpoint, Mr. Poelma is adept in both federal and state court practice.

As a direct result of working hand-in-hand with both domestic and foreign insurance carriers, Mr. Poelma has a detailed understanding of the differences in the various markets.  This knowledge and experience has allowed Mr. Poelma to establish excellent working relationships with both adjusters and carriers with assorted backgrounds and goals.

Mr. Poelma’s accounting experience and background has provided a beneficial understanding of damage related issues when consulting with experts on both property damage issues and business interruption models from both the plaintiff and defense perspective.  Based on the significant cases in which Mr. Poelma has been involved this experience has proven a valuable asset in presenting the client’s case from the optimal perspective.

Mr. Poelma is currently expanding his practice into areas of real estate development and management in both commercial and residential sectors. 

Representative Cases

Cause No. 03-L 0109812; Citgo Petroleum Corporation, et al. v. McDermott International Companies, Inc., et. al.; Circuit Court of Cook County Illinois.  Subrogation case in which Babcock and Wilcox, a subsidiary of McDermott International, manufactured a pipefitting for a Citgo Petroleum plant in Illinois which ruptured due to insufficient alloys resulting in a significant fire at the plant.  Issues regarding contractual assumption of liabilities from Citgo’s predecessors were key issues with regard to Illinois’s 51% bar to recovery.  Mr. Poelma’s involvement on trial team included the preparation of witnesses for trial, the preparation of pre-trial motions and responses (including assumption of liability issues), the preparation and management of over 600 trial exhibits, and assisting in preparation of the trial strategy and structure for a 4 week trial.  The jury awarded a verdict in excess of $385 million.  The case settled prior to appeal.

Arbitration

AAA No. 70-114-00742-04; Harold Cody, et. al, v. Lone Star Pad Service, Inc., et al.  Commercial litigation involving fraudulent business practices by a multi-state franchisor.  As third-year law student, prepared case and co-chaired 3-day hearing.  Award for Plaintiff.