Insurance Defense & Coverage
We defend insurers and the people and businesses they insure, and we litigate the coverage questions beneath those claims. That includes bad faith and other exposure that reaches past the policy limits. We understand how a claim is evaluated, where it is likely to turn, and what a defensible record looks like. We build toward that from the start.
How we approach these matters
An insurance matter gets evaluated the moment it comes in. Two things drive the evaluation: what the policy covers, and how likely the party we defend is to be found liable. We assess what the claim is worth, where it is likely to turn, and what a defensible record needs to look like, then move to shape that record early. Reporting stays thorough and on time, and recommendations are ones the client can act on.
What we handle
General liability defense
Premises liability
Bodily injury and property damage claims
Construction defect defense
Professional liability defense
Coverage analysis and coverage disputes
Declaratory relief actions
Bad faith defense
Construction Defect
Construction defect litigation is a significant part of this practice. These cases are large and document-intensive, and they pull in many parties at once, with claims and cross-claims running in several directions. We defend builders and developers, general contractors, subcontractors, and the carriers that insure them, in both residential and commercial matters. Because so much of our work sits in coverage, we also handle the tender, additional-insured, and allocation questions that decide who ultimately pays.
Our approach
We build the factual and technical record early, coordinate the experts these cases turn on, and keep a complex, multi-party matter organized and moving toward a resolution proportionate to the exposure.
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We defend the parties on the construction and insurance side: builders and developers, general contractors, subcontractors, and the carriers that insure them. That includes the coverage questions these cases raise, such as tender, additional-insured status, and how costs are allocated among the parties responsible.
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Coverage analysis is the assessment of whether, and how far, a policy responds to a claim. It weighs the policy language, the facts of the claim, and any exclusions or limits that apply. We provide coverage analysis and, where a dispute arises, litigate the coverage question.
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Bad faith refers to an insurer’s alleged failure to handle a claim fairly, which can create exposure beyond the policy limits. We defend bad faith claims and advise on that extra-contractual exposure, building the record that supports the defense.