Where it all comes together: my professional activities, education, and teaching commitments.

Owner and principal of a consulting firm focused on legal and business issues connected with intersections between the insurance and financial services industries and the state and federal legal and regulatory system. My firm is available for engagement as an expert analyst, consultant, and/or witness. It also evaluates cases, issues, and claims. Finally, I am a well-known as a colorful speaker on, and writer about, legal and insurance issues.  

Senior partner and co-leader of the firm’s insurance practice.

In addition to providing insurance-related representation in litigation and non-litigation matters, I am tasked by the firm with building out a significant Philadelphia area office, to complement the firm’s existing offices in Scranton and Harrisburg. 

Highlights of my engagements since arriving at Myers Brier have included:

• I was engaged by the American Council of Life Insurers ("ACLI"), as its counsel when the ACLI, as amicus curia, submitted a brief on a certified question from a federal court in Arizona to the Supreme Court of Arizona.  I was the principal draftsman of the brief. 
• I have continued to represent life insurance and annuity companies on a spectrum of issues, both in litigation and outside the adversarial context. 
• I have advised Myers Brier clients outside the insurance industry on  
  
  • insurance issues and insurance recoveries under directors and officers liability policies;  
  • legal professional liability policies,  
  • life insurance and disability policies,  
  • possible coverage under certificates of insurance issued in connection contractual requirements, and  
  • conversion of federal employee group life insurance policies.   
• Most recently, I served as special counsel to a well-known personal injury attorney in managing a defendant’s available insurance coverage and in connection with alleged medical liens, all to the benefit of a catastrophically injured plaintiff.   

Partner, civil litigator, trial lawyer, and national practice leader. I was ranked by Chambers in 2016 and 2017 for insurance litigation, and described by Chambers in 2017 as “the dean of the life insurance bar.” Also recognized by BTI in 2013 and 2015 as a “Client Service All-Star.”

My insurance industry practice experience included insurance; reinsurance; broker and agency issues; direct commercial litigation; workers compensation; and insolvency and rehabilitation proceedings. Served both property/casualty and life, health, and accident carriers. Developed national profile for experience in issues involving brokers, agents, and BGAs.

Substantial experience litigating and trying other types of complex commercial litigation.

Handled more than 50 pieces of retail securities litigation—before state courts, federal courts, FINRA, NASD, AAA, and NYSE.

Trial experience also includes products liability, securities, unfair competition, occupational injury, and other mass tort cases. For example, I tried an occupational injury mass tort case in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County that was, at the time, the longest trial in Pennsylvania history. And my client was the only party to leave the courtroom without owing money to the plaintiffs.

While leading the practice, I maintained individual or team leader responsibility for numerous trials in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. I have spent in the aggregate approaching two years trying cases in court. I tried cases or appeared in court in state and/or federal courts in the following states: Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.

From 2012 to 2017, I was the leader of the firm’s national insurance practice, comprised of approximately 75 lawyers in 9 offices. Prior thereto, from 2001 to 2012, I was the leader of the firm’s rapidly growing national life insurance practice.

Practice management duties included strategic planning, practice visibility and growth, client satisfaction, budgeting and financial performance, and personnel management (particularly including (a) oversight of trial preparation and strategy for all cases tried by lawyers in the practice, and (b) mentoring and development of junior lawyers.)

From 2001 to 2017, the practices I originated and managed grew by an average rate of over 10% per year, leading all other firm practices in average annual growth during that time. Both the national insurance practice and the life insurance practice were also recognized within the firm for strong mentoring and retention of quality lawyers.

The practice was known under my management for client-driven, innovative service. Service initiatives I developed included a fixed-fee second opinion service for serious cases, money-back guarantees on certain results, and the creation of a client income opportunity out of a complex of environmental claims.

Unlike so many “experts,” I know more than the substance of the issues: I know how to present the substance effectively, so that it persuades a jury. I prepared expert witnesses to testify and frequently cross-examined experts offered by opposing parties. In one case, I even testified myself.  Another feature of my extensive experience as a trial lawyer was preparation and guidance of the crucial witness or witnesses, such as senior executives, eyewitnesses, witnesses whose testimony had weaknesses, and witnesses whose testimony was technical in nature.

Litigator and trial lawyer, with early practice concentrated in defense of national securities broker-dealers, defense of claims against property and casualty insurers, and other civil litigation. As a senior associate, I began to develop experience in environmental coverage litigation, leading by the late 1980s to development of a burgeoning practice in that area.

Insurance practice group leader from 1997 until move to Drinker Biddle in 2001.

National counsel for a property/casualty carrier. Provided coverage counsel on various lines and exposure, including business interruption coverage. Acted as defense counsel for difficult and/or high exposure liability claims.