Kipp & Christian, P.C.

Best's Recommended Insurance Attorneys - General Defense

Michael F. Skolnick

Salt Lake City, UT

Admitted

• Utah, 1985

Memberships:

• American and Salt Lake County Bar Associations
• Utah State Bar
• American Inn of Court II

Education:

• The University of Texas at Austin, B.A., 1982
• The University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1985

Born: 1960

Shawn McGarry

Salt Lake City, UT

Admitted

• Utah, 1988
• U.S. District Court, District of Utah, 1988
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 1988

Memberships:

• American and Salt Lake County Bar Associations
• Utah State Bar

Education:

• The University of Utah, J.D., 1987

Born: 1961

Kirk G. Gibbs

Salt Lake City, UT

Admitted

• Utah, 1991
• U.S. District Court, District of Utah, 1991
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

Memberships:

• Utah State Bar
• Sutherland Inn of Court II
• Defense Research Institute

Education:

• The University of Utah, B.S., 1988
• The University of Utah, J.D., 1991

Born: 1964

Nan T. Bassett

Salt Lake City, UT

Admitted

• Utah, 2000
• U.S. District Court, District of Utah, 2000
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

Memberships:

• American Bar Association
• Utah State Bar
• American Inns of Court

Education:

• Utah State University, B.A.
• The University of Utah, J.D., 2000

Patrick C. Burt

Salt Lake City, UT

Admitted

• Arizona, 2004
• Utah, 2006
• U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, 2005
• U.S. District Court, District of Utah, 2006

Memberships:

• Federal and Salt Lake County Bar Associations
• Utah State Bar (Litigation Section, Executive Committee)
• Utah Defense Lawyers Association
• Defense Research Institute

Education:

• Utah State University, B.S., 2000
• Arizona State University College of Law, J.D., 2004

Language:

• Spanish

Born: 1976

Chelsey E. Phippen

Salt Lake City, UT

Practice Areas

• Medical Malpractice Defense
• Insurance Defense

Admitted

• Utah, 2010
• U.S. District Court, District of Utah, 2014

Memberships:

• American Inns of Court
• Defense Research Institute

Education:

• Utah State University, B.S., 2007
• Regent University School of Law, J.D., 2010

William G. Wilson

Salt Lake City, UT

Practice Areas

• Civil Litigation
• Appeals
• Commercial Law
• Insurance Defense

Admitted

• Utah, 2000
• U.S. District Court, District of Utah

Education:

• The University of New Mexico, B.A., 1991
• S.J. Quinney College of Law, The University of Utah, J.D., 2000
• The University of Alabama, M.L.S., 2012

Matthew S. Thomas

Salt Lake City, UT

Practice Areas

• Professional Malpractice
• Insurance Coverage Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Premises Liability
• General Civil Litigation

Admitted

• Utah, 2023
• U.S. District Court, District of Utah

Memberships:

• American amd Salt Lake County Bar Associations
• Utah State Bar (Litigation Section)

Publications:

• Author: "A. Call, Same Road, Straighter Lines: Rule 3.3 Rewritten," 38 Utah Bar Journal 5 (Sept/Oct 2025)
• "This Play Is Under Review: How State Name, Image, and Likeness Statutes Fail to Protect Student-Athletes from Unscrupulous Agents," 6 Bus. Entrepreneurship & Tax L. Rev. 202 (2022)

Education:

• The University of Utah, B.S., 2014
• University of Missouri School of Law, J.D., 2023

Michael J. Packham

Salt Lake City, UT

Practice Areas

• Medical Malpractice Defense
• Insurance Coverage Litigation

Admitted

• Utah, 2025
• U.S. District Court, District of Utah

Memberships:

• Utah State Bar (Litigation and Constitutional Law Sections)
• Central Utah, Davis County, Salt Lake County and Weber County Bar Associations

Education:

• Utah State University, B.S., 2018
• University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, J.D., 2024

Tre' D. Leonard

Salt Lake City, UT

Practice Areas

• Medical Malpractice Defense
• Workers' Compensation Defense
• Commercial Litigation
• General Civil Litigation

Admitted

• Utah, 2023

Memberships:

• American and Salt Lake County Bar Associations
• Utah State Bar (Litigation Section)

Education:

• Baldwin-Wallace College, B.S., 2017
• American University, Washington College of Law, J.D., 2023

Sadie S. Connors

Salt Lake City, UT

Practice Areas

• Professional Malpractice
• Insurance Coverage Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Premises Liability
• General Civil Litigation

Admitted

• Utah, 2025
• U.S. District Court, Central District of Utah

Memberships:

• Utah State Bar (Litigation Section)
• Salt Lake County Bar Association
• Women Lawyers

Education:

• The University of Utah, B.S., 2021
• University of Oregon School of Law, J.D., 2025