Vanessa Durante
Special Counsel | Houston,
United States
Vanessa.Durante@kennedyslaw.com
+1 832 753 8079
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Profile
Education
- New York University School of Law, JD
- Cornell University, BA
Vanessa is special counsel in the Houston office. She is board certified in insurance law and advises carriers on coverage issues including loss allocation, long-tail liabilities, priority of coverage, and bad faith claims arising under CGL, D&O, pollution, professional liability/E&O, WC/EL, EPL, and commercial property policies. Vanessa provides coverage advice regarding underlying third-party liability risks and litigates coverage disputes involving primary, excess, and umbrella insurance in state and federal courts throughout the US.
Qualifications and admissions
- Texas
- US District Court for the Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas
Market recognition
- Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch - Insurance Law (2022-2025)
Work highlights
- Won summary judgment for an insurer in suit brought by oil company seeking to recover as an additional insured the $30 million SIR paid under its own tower of coverage to settle underlying claims arising from refinery fire (affirmed on appeal)
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of insurance carrier in declaratory judgment action filed by another insurer regarding priority of coverage and duty to defend
- Won summary judgment for insurance carrier on breach of contract claim filed by policyholder seeking indemnity for its contractual defense and indemnity obligations owed to a third party
- Board certified in insurance law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2023
Presentations and publications
- “Not following the leader: Challenging underlying carriers’ coverage determinations,” presented at the 2025 ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar (March 2025)
- Author, “Not following the leader: Challenging underlying carriers’ coverage determinations,” white paper (March 2025)
- Author, “Annual Survey of Insurance Law,” SMU Law Review (64 SMU L.Rev. 341, 2011)
- “Settling history and predicting the future,” presented for the ABA Litigation Section, Insurance Coverage Committee 2023 CLE Seminar
Insurance and reinsurance