Jamie Combee Novaes

Jamie Novaes is an experienced trial attorney whose practice focuses on insurance bad faith, personal injury, wrongful death, and complex civil litigation. Before joining Swope, Rodante, Newsome & Steinberg, Ms. Novaes spent more than 12 years representing insurance companies in coverage, liability, and bad faith disputes. That experience gives her a valuable perspective when representing injured people and policyholders: she understands how insurers evaluate claims, assess exposure, develop litigation strategy, and make decisions about whether and when to resolve significant cases.

A Tampa native, Ms. Novaes graduated cum laude from the University of South Florida before earning her law degree, also cum laude, from Stetson University College of Law. At Stetson, she graduated in the top seven percent of her class, served as an editor and co-founder of the Stetson Journal of Advocacy and the Law, and participated on both the Moot Court Board and Mock Trial Board. She was also a member of the team that won the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Championship.

During law school, Ms. Novaes served as a law clerk with the Federal Public Defender Program in Chicago, where she researched, edited, and wrote a successful appellate brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. After graduating from Stetson, she joined a top insurance defense firm, where she became a partner and developed extensive experience handling complex insurance coverage, liability, extra-contractual exposure, and bad faith matters.

Over the course of her defense practice, Ms. Novaes managed cases from pre-suit investigation through trial and appeal. Her work included evaluating high-value claims, analyzing damages and liability exposure, advising insurers on Florida bad faith and coverage issues, conducting hundreds of depositions, arguing dispositive and evidentiary motions, preparing cases for trial, and handling appellate briefing in state and federal courts.

Ms. Novaes joined Swope, Rodante, Newsome & Steinberg to put that experience to work for injured people and policyholders. Her years representing insurers provide insight into how claims are investigated, valued, defended, and resolved, allowing her to anticipate the issues and strategies that can shape significant personal injury, wrongful death, and insurance bad faith cases.

Ms. Novaes has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star and by Best Lawyers as one of its Ones to Watch in America. She is admitted to The Florida Bar and the U.S. District Courts for the Middle, Southern, and Northern Districts of Florida.

Professional Distinctions

Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2022–2024
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, 2022–2025

Publications

“Insurer Doesn’t ‘Waive’ Goodbye to Coverage Defenses by Making a Payment,” Legal 500, blog.
“Challenging Consent Judgments as Unreasonable or Tainted by Bad Faith,” Mealey’s Litigation Report: Insurance Bad Faith

Presentations

“In or Out? Emerging Evidentiary Issues in Bad Faith,” Butler Symposium, 2026
FDLA Trial Academy, Chair, 2024
“Liability Mitosis: Creating Multiple Accidents or Occurrences Out of One,” FLCC, 2023
“Multiple Claimants & Insufficient Policy Limits,” PLRB, 2023
“Property Case Law Update,” LEA, 2023
“Litigating Tile Roof Claims,” FLCC, 2022
“Defusing the Fuse: Bad Faith Across Jurisdictions,” Butler Symposium, 2022
“Safari Guide for Panel Counsel,” SEWL, 2022