Biography Photo of Kevin M Doherty

Kevin M. Doherty

Kevin focuses his practices in the areas of captive insurance and insurance regulation and is the head of Dickinson Wright’s Captive Insurance practice. He is the founder and serves as the Immediate Past President of the Tennessee Captive Insurance Association, Inc., and helped to rewrite the captive insurance law in Tennessee in 2011. Since that time, Tennessee has formed more than 1,000 captives and related cells, and it has become one of the leading domestic domiciles for captives. Kevin also practices music and entertainment law and represents recording artists, songwriters, and record and music publishing companies in connection with music agreements. 

Dickinson Wright was named “Law Firm of the Year” in the 2020, 2021, and 2023 editions of the Captive International U.S. Awards in recognition of the firm’s Captive Insurance practice. The firm was also named “Law Firm of the Year” in 2020 by Captive Review. In addition, Kevin has been named “Lawyer of the Year” for 2020, 2021, and 2023 by Captive International U.S. Awards, and he has been listed in Best Lawyers in America® since 2007 for Insurance Law.

Education & Credentials

Education

Vanderbilt University

J.D., 1985
  • Patrick Wilson Scholar

Princeton University

A.B., 1982
  • President of the Student Body
  • Distinguished Military Graduate (Army ROTC Scholarship recipient)

Bar Admission

  • Northern District of Georgia2024
  • Tennessee1999
  • Georgia1990
  • New York1986

Acknowledgements

  • US Captive Review Awards
    • Captive Service Professional of the Year, 2024
  • Captive International U.S Awards
    • "Lawyer of the Year", 2020, 2021, 2023
  • Captive Review
  • Captive International U.S Awards
  • Best Lawyers in America® 2007-2025
    • Administrative and Regulatory Law, 2022-2025
    • Entertainment Law - Music, 2013-2025
    • Insurance Law, 2007-2025

Prominent Assignments

  • Drafted and filed a merits stage Amicus Brief, supported by nearly two dozen captive insurance organizations, with the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of CIC Services, LLC, a Knoxville, TN-based captive insurance manager, in its lawsuit challenging the validity of IRS Notice 2016-66. In May 2021, the Supreme Court decided in favor of CIC Services in a 9-0 vote, noting that the Anti-Injunction Act does not prevent taxpayers from challenging certain IRS notices in court even when there are tax penalties associated with violating those notices.

Professional Involvement

  • Tennessee Captive Insurance Association, Inc. (TCIA), Chairman and President (2011 – present)
  • International Center for Captive Insurance Education (ICCIE) – Instructor (2014 – present)
  • Self-Insurance Institute of America, Inc. (SIIA) – Chair (2008 - 09) and member (2015 - present) of Alternative Risk Transfer / Captive Insurance Committee
  • Georgia Captive Insurance Association, Inc. (GCIA), Founder, President and Board member (1998 – present)

Community Involvement

  • Operation Song, Board member (2018 – present)
  • Our Place Nashville, Board member (2017 – present)
  • Rotary Club of Nashville (downtown), member (2001 – present)
  • Catholic Charities of Tennessee, Inc., Board member (2010 – 2016)
  • Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Middle Tennessee, Board member (2001 – 2012) and Chair (2007-2008)

Publications/Presentations

  • Co-Author, “Suspicious Minds: Protecting Tennessee Artists from Generative AI,” Dickinson Wright Client Alert, June 2024
  • Speaker, "Captives - Yesterday and Tomorrow," Tennessee Captive Insurance Association, Inc., 11th Annual Conference, November 2022
  • Speaker, "Understanding US Workers Compensation and Other Unique US Risks," European Captive Forum, November 2022 
  • Panelist, "U.S. Regulatory Realm and Hot Topics in Tax (Federal and State)," Captive & Insurance Business Transfer Conference, August 2022
  • Panelist, “Internal Revenue Service v. CIC Insurance Services” and “Industry Advocacy,” North Carolina Captive Insurance Association Annual Conference, August-September 2021
  • "Business Interruption Insurance, Captives, and Coronavirus," Dickinson Wright Webinar, April 2020
  • “Federal Legislative and Regulatory Update,” Tennessee Captive Insurance Association, Inc. (TCIA) Annual Conference, November 17, 2017, Nashville, Tennessee
  • “Self-Procurement Taxes,” TCIA Summer Spotlight, June 8, 2016, Franklin, Tennessee
  • “Captive Insurance Companies – Intersection of Risk and Treasury,” Association of Financial Planners (AFP) Annual Conference, October 25, 2016, Orlando, Florida
  • “State of the Captive Market,” American Conference Institute (ACI) 4th Annual Advance Forum on Captive Insurance, May 2, 2016, New York
  • International Center for Captive Insurance Education (ICCIE), Instructor on Ethics and Alternative Risk Financing Mechanisms, 2014 - present
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