The firm’s insurance recovery practice was previously honored as a Practice Group of the Year by Law360 in 2017 and often wins national and global kudos for the practice and its lawyers from other high-profile publications.
“I could not be prouder of our lawyers for once more earning this prestigious and well-deserved recognition from Law360,” said David Halbreich, Reed Smith’s Insurance Recovery Practice Leader. “We achieved many impressive, precedent-setting wins in very challenging matters that materially benefitted clients and substantively advanced the practice of policyholder law.”
From securing coverage for the defense and settlement of Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino’s claims in the wake of one of the largest mass shootings in history, to serving as global counsel to a large U.S.-based investment management fund involved in resolving claims arising in Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Maria and Irma, Reed Smith’s practice prevailed in some of the most contentious insurance disputes resolved in 2020. Other of its headline-grabbing successes include wins in district court in the first cases in which an insurer tried to rely on the California anti-SLAPP statute to shield itself from bad faith liability; a significant recovery in a matter involving damage to a turret on an offshore floating production storage and offloading vessel owned by Kosmos Energy in Ghana; and confirmation of a $44 million arbitration award for Phillips 66 in two lawsuits involving product liability claims associated with a gasoline additive.
Practice group members prevailed in disputes worldwide, including those arising from catastrophic accidents, natural disasters, the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, food product contamination, computer failures and loss of data on electronic media, and collapses of bridges, storage tanks and other structures. The Insurance Recovery Group has also been at the forefront of litigating novel coverage issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
With one of the largest policyholder practices in the world, numbering some 80 full-time attorneys, Reed Smith exclusively represents policyholders in negotiations with and in litigation against all major domestic and international insurers. It also acts against Bermuda market insurers in international arbitration disputes.
“No other global law firm handles a greater variety of more thorny insurance recovery matters worldwide than Reed Smith,” said Sandy Thomas, the firm’s Global Managing Partner. “The Insurance Recovery Practice’s year-after-year success rate in intricate, one-of-a-kind coverage disputes is among the world’s very best. We are delighted Law360 consistently recognizes its stellar results.”
In addition to representing policyholders in complex litigation, members of the Reed Smith insurance recovery practice act as an independent expert witness. Members of the group also author leading treatises on insurance coverage law and are involved in litigation that advances the law in favor of policyholder rights. In addition, members of the practice regularly author amicus briefs on a pro bono basis for organizations that help shape insurance law across the U.S.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. Our belief is that by delivering smarter and more creative legal services, we not only enrich our clients’ experiences with us, but also support them in achieving their business goals.
Our long-standing relationships, international outlook and collaborative structure, make us the go-to partner for the speedy resolution of complex disputes, transactions and regulatory matters.
For further information, please visit reedsmith.com.
