Kenneth E. White | Attorney

Kenneth (Kenny) White is a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated lawyer and the Firm's Senior Trial Attorney, who heads up the Firm's Insurance Defense Department, specializing in medical malpractice, general liability, toxic tort and class action litigation. He practices at all levels in Federal and State Court and is a member of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, lived overseas for some time, and moved to South Florida in 1986. He played NCAA soccer while in college and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree and Bachelor of Science degree from Samford University, graduating summa cum laude in 1983. S eventh in his college class, he was awarded the first annual Leslie S. Wright Award, named after the outgoing University Chancellor, and he was recognized as the most outstanding graduating senior. He earned his Juris Doctor degree with honors from Cumberland School of Law in 1986, was a staff member of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy (the only law review in the country devoted to trial practice), and served as its Articles Editor for two years. The National Law Journal noted his Student Note for that law review as an article "Worth Reading".

Following law school, Mr. White served as a federal law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama and assisted with the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals before moving to South Florida. In Florida, he became an associate with a large general practice firm, and became experienced in handling that Firm's appellate matters, including earning brief-writing credit on several appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. He also became experienced in numerous commercial litigation matters, including construction defect, insurance coverage, title insurance and general business/contract litigation. He moved on to practice at a medium-sized firm specializing in healthcare and professional malpractice defense in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he defended the North and South Broward Hospital Districts, Humana and Columbia/HCA in medical malpractice matters, as well as benefit/claims litigation for several HMOs. He was one of the first attorneys to utilize ERISA to defend HMOs in malpractice and other tort claims in Florida and ERISA claims in federal court.

In 1991, Mr. White helped form the firm of Cooney Haliczer, where he became a partner two years later. He continued his practice, adding multiple insurance coverage matters involving life, health, disability and workers compensation coverage issues, defended numerous construction-related claims and defended attorneys sued for malpractice, including several high profile cases in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He was also active in trying numerous medical malpractice and insurance related cases.

In 1996, he formed his own firm of Haliczer, Pettis & White, P.A., where he continued to specialize in professional malpractice defense, ERISA benefit litigation, arbitration of malpractice and coverage matters, and the defense of insurance companies in coverage litigation and general liability. He also represented the Broward County School Board, the fifth largest school district in the country, and the Broward County Sheriff's Office in negligence and constitutional tort litigation.

In 2002, Mr. White resigned from Haliczer, Pettis & White and joined his practice with Steve Ziegler at the Law Offices of Steven M. Ziegler, P.A. At the Firm, he continues to represent doctors, health plans and other health care providers in malpractice and administrative matters. He also represents health plans in benefit litigation, ERISA claims litigation, provider suits, general liability, and coverage litigation.

He has been involved in nationwide litigation over Fen‑Phen, Norplant, asbestos, and other major issues. His reported decisions include ERISA defense matters for HMOs, the effect of the public record on notice of property rights, agency claims against private and public entities, spoliation of evidence and insurance coverage. He has also lectured on professional malpractice issues throughout the southeast, and has published in several regional medical and legal publications.

Mr. White is the firm's senior trial attorney and has tried numerous matters before juries and judges at the administrative, state court and federal court levels. He is also involved in the Firm's appellate matters.

Mr. White is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court; the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals; the Third Circuit Court of Appeals; the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama; the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida; and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He is also a member of the Broward County and American (Member: Committee on Professional Liability; TIPS, Forum on Health Law; Health Law Section and Managed Care and Insurance Interest Group) Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar; The Florida Bar; and the Defense Research Institute. He has earned an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating an attorney can receive and is based on confidential surveys of peers and judges in the community.

Mr. White is a Board Member of the Fox Ridge HOA Board and was recently appointed to the American Journal of Trial Advocacy National Foundation. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of Partners in Education and is currently involved in youth sports in Parkland as a coach and sponsor. He is also the Assistant Cub Master for his son's Cub Scout Pack, active in Habitat for Humanity and on the Board of Adjustments for the City of Parkland. He is married with two children.