Insurance Recovery
Business insurance policies are complex contracts. The insurance coverage industry is constantly changing and the laws governing business insurance are difficult to navigate. Additionally, many insurance companies now face financial challenges, which increases the number of disputed insurance claims and leads to more insolvencies and rehabilitations for insurers. Many businesses are unaware of the vulnerabilities they have as a result.
Lathrop & Gage is one of the largest firms in the United States representing policyholders. Our attorneys are uniquely qualified to provide policyholders with the necessary guidance and legal counsel to handle insurance disputes.
The Lathrop & Gage Insurance Recovery practice group has worked with the following industries:
- Agribusiness
- Cable/telecommunications
- Education
- Hospitality and Entertainment
- Healthcare
- Insurance brokers
- Manufacturing
- Railroad
- Real estate
- Trucking
- Utilities
- Waste management
- Wood treaters
Commercial Claims
The Lathrop & Gage Insurance Recovery practice group handles a wide variety of commercial claims. We assist clients with matters ranging from disputing a denial of coverage for late notice under an employment practices liability policy to challenging an auto liability carrier about a client’s right to choose counsel. Whatever your legal need, our lawyers can assist with claim resolution – through informal negotiation, mediation, arbitration or litigation, coverage opinions and strategy, insurance procurement / due diligence, insurance archeology (we have performed archeology work for a vast majority of our coverage clients and have a particular interest in tracking down elusive London coverage), and notification of claims. Our environmental, product liability and tort insurance recovery practice is focused on attaining settlements, not engaging in protracted litigation. Unlike many other firms, we have achieved impressive insurance recovery settlements without litigation.
The first step in preventing difficult claims is procuring the best possible coverage. Our insurance coverage attorneys work with brokers, risk managers, and other insurance professionals to ensure our clients obtain the best possible coverage. We regularly handle broker contracts, policy negotiations, policy review and risk management consulting.
Our insurance coverage attorneys have extensive experience assisting clients with insurance due diligence in acquisitions and advising clients on insurance contract provisions in a variety of transactions.
Insolvencies and Lloyd’s of London Practice
A number of our attorneys devote their practice almost exclusively to insolvencies and have handled virtually every type of interest and claim in insolvency proceedings across the country. Also, Lathrop & Gage has successfully obtained significant recoveries from both solvent and insolvent London market companies. Our lawyers’ experiences and expertise with presenting and negotiating claims in London and the relationship we have developed have proven invaluable in serving our clients.
Wrongful Conviction
Lathrop & Gage attorneys have recovered millions of dollars for individuals who were wrongfully convicted of crimes. Working in concert with the nation’s leading civil rights firm, Neufeld Scheck & Brustin, LLP, and the Innocence Project, we aggressively pursue settlements from the insurers of municipalities and government entities.
Representative Experience:
- Located policies and prepared a notification matrix for a $1 billion client who needed assistance in properly notifying its carriers of toxic tort claims.
- Negotiated a multimillion-dollar settlement for a client who did not realize it had coverage that resulted in a settlement after Lathrop & Gage conducted an insurance archeology review.
- Negotiated claims with several London Market and domestic insolvent/runoff carriers and collected sizeable settlements for our clients.
- Advised a client with due diligence involving the purchase of a large company with toxic tort claims. The legal team helped the client determine if coverage existed for the claims, and the information assisted the client with determining whether to complete the transaction.
- Provided guidance on how and when to give notice to maximize coverage for a large, publicly held client for a notice for a potential future multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuit.
