“It is extremely gratifying to be recognized by Law360 for our coverage practice,” said David Halbreich, practice group leader of Reed Smith's Insurance Recovery Group. “We have fantastic lawyers working to maximize coverage for our policyholder clients around the country and the world. This year we also were able to help out many people in need on a pro bono basis as a result of the hurricanes and wildfires.”
Law360 selected Practice Groups of the Year to highlight the top practices in 35 areas of legal focus. Reed Smith’s Insurance Recovery Practice is one of only five named in the “insurance” category. The Reed Smith team was selected by a panel of Law360 editors who reviewed 747 submissions across numerous practice areas.
Reed Smith’s Insurance Recovery Practice is the premier policyholder-focused coverage practice in the United States, handling among the most complex and high-dollar coverage matters anywhere. Among the more notable insurance litigation matters Reed Smith has handled recently:
- Represented American Capital LTD/Scientific Protein Laboratories LLC in the largest insurance coverage verdict thus far this century, obtaining an $87 million judgment and prevailing on issues of first impression impacting the private equity industry.
- Represented Mine Safety Appliances (MSA) in obtaining the largest-ever insurance bad-faith verdict in Pennsylvania history – $11 million in compensatory damages and another nearly $47 million in bad-faith damages – and winning a second non-jury verdict regarding the damages, resulting in the award to MSA of $30 million more in punitive damages, plus nearly $17 million in attorneys’ fees, court costs, and pre-judgment interest.
- As lead counsel for LifePoint Health, Inc., including two hospitals and their parent companies, prevailed against Steadfast Insurance in a case involving interpretation of its policies. The case sets an important guidepost for the health care industry on the issue of batching, a frequently recurring insurance coverage dispute whenever multiple claims arise from a common alleged cause.
- Represented Teleflex, Inc., in a precedent-setting case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, affirming an approximately $6 million for Teleflex against National Union for failure to pay an underlying settlement of a covered liability claim. The ruling extended California state court case law into the federal courts, and establishes an important check on excess insurers that seek to block a reasonable settlement and force the primary insurer and policyholder to go through trial.
In addition to work for paying clients, Reed Smith’s Insurance Recovery Practice made important contributions in 2017 both in shaping the law and helping those who cannot afford lawyers. In the two weeks following Hurricane Harvey, the group’s lawyers were mobilized to Houston to provide pro bono emergency disaster relief assistance. The team developed an essential set of public resources including a “Hurricane Harvey Disaster Resources Relief Guide” and a “Know Your FEMA Rights” booklet, which were prepared with the Texas Young Lawyers Association. Reed Smith sent insurance recovery lawyers to several client facilities on a pro bono basis to provide disaster relief seminars directly to impacted employees. The team repeated these efforts after Irma, Maria and the California wildfires.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm, dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. Its long-standing relationships, international outlook and collaborative structure make it a go-to partner for speedy resolution of complex disputes, transactions, and regulatory matters.
For further information, please visit reedsmith.com.
