Our people

Jay focuses his practice on representing policyholders in disputes with insurance companies involving all types of insurance coverage.  Jay has extensive litigation experience in multi-million dollar property insurance coverage cases, including suits involving policy construction and application, cause and origin, valuation, and business interruption issues.  He has assisted clients in successfully resolving eight and nine figure Hurricane Katrina cases without litigation, and successfully representing other policyholders in litigating Katrina cases.  He has also litigated significant professional liability and general liability coverage cases.  In the Directors and Officers liability area, Jay actively works with clients to resolve all types of disputes, including application of exclusions and allocation issues.  Jay has also arbitrated cases before the American Arbitration Association and in private binding arbitration.  Most of his litigated cases involve allegations of bad faith and he is well-versed in that area, as well.

Jay is an experienced appellate lawyer with almost twenty-five years of experience in briefing and arguing appeals in state and federal court. In addition to insurance coverage cases, Jay has argued cases involving indemnity agreements, case dispositive procedural issues, tort liability and criminal law.

Jay also counsels policyholders in non-litigation contexts.  He analyzes coverage after a loss has occurred or claim has been made to assist policyholders in presenting the claim to the insurance carrier. He assists policyholders in responding to inquiries and in pointing out errors in the carrier’s coverage position in order to avoid litigating insurance claims, including, inter alia stat, first-party, professional liability, EPL, D & O, and general liability claims.  Jay also counsels clients and evaluates coverage in connection with policy renewals, primarily in property, D&O and professional liability insurance.

Jay is an editor and contributing author of the Property Insurance Litigator's Handbook, which was published by the American Bar Association in 2007.  He frequently speaks on insurance coverage and has spoken at dozens of programs sponsored by, inter alia, the ABA, American Conference Institute, PLI, Mealey’s, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Urban Land Institute, and other organizations.  He also provides continuing education programs for lawyers and other professionals through Reed Smith University and other organizations.  He was the 2007-2008 Chair of the TTIPS Property Insurance Law Committee.

Publications

• Co-author, "Balancing the Model Roles and Zealous Advocacy: Don't Step Over That Line", American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Session Spring 2010
• Co-author, "Recent Developments in Property Insurance Law", Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal, Spring 2008
• L. Murphy, A. Downs and J. Levin, "Property Insurance Litigator’s Handbook", American Bar Association, 2007
• A. Ketchen, K. Suga, J. Levin, L. Berk, W. Schreiner and L. Murphy, "Recent Developments in Property Insurance Law." 42 TTIPS Law Journal 673 (2007)
• J. Levin, L. Berk, W. Schreiner, Jr., and L. Murphy, "Recent Developments in Property Insurance Law." 41 TTIPS Law Journal 685 (2006)
• J. Levin, "Is Defective Workmanship an Occurrence?" 5 Insurance Coverage Law Bulletin October 2006 and November 2006
• J. Levin and N. Amster, "Recent Developments in Property Insurance Law." 39 TTIPS Law Journal 719 (2004)
• "The Importance of an Opening in an Appellate Argument: A Case Study." Certworthy, Winter 2000 (DRI Appellate Advocacy Committee Newsletter)
• J. Levin and M. Siegel, "The Scope of Discovery in Bad Faith Actions: How Far Can You Go?" The Legal Intelligencer Litigation Quarterly, 8/28/00

Speeches / Presentations

• 5/21/10 and 6/4/10 - Pennsylvania Bar Institute: "Litigation Issues and Strategy in D&O Liability Insurance Coverage" (Philadelphia and Mechanicsburg, PA)
• 4/29/10-5/1/10 - TIPS Property Insurance Law Committee: "Eithical Issues Involved In Firm and Client Mergers" (San Francisco)
• 5/16/09 - Property Insurance Law Committee of TTIPS: Over-Zealous Advocacy: How You Can Hurt Your Case Without Crossing the Line (Austin, TX)
• 8/12/08 and 8/22/08 - Pennsylvania Bar Institute Claims Made and Professional Liability Coverage Program: "Current Issues In Legal Malpractice Insurance" (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, PA)
• 7/8/08 - Mealey's Teleconference on the Top 5 Issues Facing the Insurance Industry: "Recoupment of Defense Costs" and "Trigger of Business Interruption Coverage"
• 4/22/08 - TTIPS Property Insurance Law Committee Teleseminar: "What is Covered? Property Insurance Policy Insuring Agreements"
• Litigation Section Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Mid-Year Meeting: "Handling Experts: How to Properly Disclose Experts Without Losing Your License and Being Sued for Malpractice" (Tucson, AZ)
• 6/7/07 – International IT Law Summit: IT/IP Insurance: "What You Don't Know Will Hurt You"
• 5/31/07 – Reed Smith University: "Employment Practices Liability Coverage" (Philadelphia, PA)
• 4/21/07 – ABA TTIPS Property Insurance Law Committee Mid-Year Meeting: “When Must a Property Insurer Pay a Claim” (Amelia Island, FL)
• 3/3/07 – ABA Litigation Section Meeting, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Mid-Year: “Must an Excess Insurer Prove Prejudice Before Denying Coverage Based on Breach of a Policy Condition” (Tucson, AZ)
• 2/20/07 – National Constitution Center Audio Conference: “Insurance Issues Every Lawyer Needs to Know”
• 1/30/07 – Urban Land Institute: "Insurance Issues for Condominium Development" (San Francisco, CA)

Experience

Legal Education

Undergraduate Education

Professional Admissions / Qualifications

• Pennsylvania
• New Jersey
• New York
• District of Columbia

Court Admissions

• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals - Second Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals - Third Circuit
• U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court - Middle District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court - Western District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court - District of New Jersey
• U.S. District Court - Southern District of New York
• U.S. District Court - Eastern District of New York
• U.S. District Court - District of Columbia
• U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Michigan

Professional Affiliations

• Jay is a past chair of the ABA TTIPS Property Insurance Law Committee.
• He is an active member of the ABA Section of Litigation Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee.
• Jay is also a member of the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations.