Top Rated Insurance Coverage Attorney in Houston, TX

Honors/Awards:

• Rated "AV" by Martindale-Hubbell
• Chambers USA, Leading Lawyers – Insurance, 2006 - 2016
• Best Lawyers in America – Insurance Law Specialty (2008 Edition)

Bar/Professional Activity:

• State Bar of Texas, 1981
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• American Bar Association (Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section; Litigation Section), Member
• Maritime Law Association of the United States, Member
• Texas Federal Courts
• University of Texas School of Law, Insurance Law Institute, Program Planning Committee, 1999 - 2004
• Houston Bar Association (Construction Law Section; Consumer Law Section), Member
• Texas State District Courts
• Council, Insurance Law Section, State Bar of Texas
• State Bar of Texas (Insurance Law; Consumer Law), Member
• Supreme Court of Texas

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

• Texas Annotated Insurance Code (Lexis-Nexis, 2007 ed., 2008 in progress), Contributing Editor
• “No Prejudice, No Harm: The Supreme Court Takes on Conditions Precedent and Allocation of Settlement Among Carriers,” State Bar of Texas webcast, 2008
• “Notice, Prejudice, Conditions Precedent and Consent to Settle Issues,” South Texas College of Law, 2008
• “Hot Topics in Insurance Law: What Every Business Lawyer Should Know,” Advanced Business Law, State Bar of Texas, 2007
• “Lamar Homes: The New Supreme Court Decision,” (panel), State Bar of Texas webcast, 2007  
• “Current Issues in Liability Coverage,” (panel), South Texas College of Law, 2007
• “Insurance and Ethical Issues Arising from Frank’s Casing,” Admiralty and Maritime Law Conf., University of Texas, 2006
• “Frank’s Casing and Reimbursement,” South Texas College of Law, 2006  
• “Coverage Disputes After Frank’s Casing: New Problems and Issues,” Ins. Law for Attys. Repr. Insurers, Univ. of Houston Law Foundation, 2005  
• “Sea-Change: Excess Underwriters v. Frank’s Casing, Inc.,” (panel), State Bar of Texas audiocast, 2005  
• “Recent Developments in Insurance Coverage Litigation,” (contributor), 40 Tort Trial & Ins. Prac. L.J. 521, 2005
• "Oil Field Anti-Indemnity Provisions," (co-author for 2004 update), Contractual Trans., Section IV, International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) publication
• "Duty to Defend: The Eight Corners Rule," Ins. Law for Attys. Repr. Insurers, Univ. of Houston Law Foundation, 2004
• “Fifth Circuit Developments on Duty to Defend: Northfield Ins. V. Barrows,” (author), Dallas Bar Association, Tort and Insurance Section, 2004 
• "Recent Developments in Texas Insurance," (author), Advanced Civil Trial Practice, State Bar of Texas, 2004
• "Insurability of Punitive Damages: Policyholders' Perspective," Texas Insurance Law Symp., South Texas College of Law, 2004
• "Impact of Offers of Settlement Under H.B.-4 on Stowers Issues," (author), Ins. Law for Attys. Repr. Insurers, Univ. of Houston Law Foundation, 2003
• "Duty to Indemnify," (author, work in progress), Insurance Law Institute, University of Texas, 2003  
•  "Insurance for Trial Attorneys," (author, work in progress), Advanced Civil Trial Practice, State Bar of Texas, 2003  
• "Duty to Defend: The Eight Corners Rule," (author), Advanced Insurance Seminar, University of Houston Law Foundation, 2003  
• "Insurance Red Flags: Post-9/11, Corporate Governance, etc.", Representing Corporations in a Changed Legal Environment, University of Houston Law Foundation, 2002  
• "The Enron Collapse: A Case Study of Insurance Implications Beyond D&O Coverage," Insurance Law Institute, Univ. of Texas, 2002  
• "Discovery in the Bad Faith Case: Policyholder Perspective," Texas Insurance Bad Faith Litigation, Professional Education Systems Institute, 2002
• "Choice of Law Issues in Insurance Disputes," Texas Insurance Law Symposium, South Texas College of Law, 2002
• "Additional Insured and Indemnification Issues in the Oil Patch and Offshore," Insurance Law Institute, University of Texas, 2001
• "Fundamentals of Marine Insurance," (co-author), Admiralty & Maritime Conference, University of Texas, 2000  
• "Holding the Insurer's Feet to the Fire: How to Get the Coverage You Deserve," (co-author), Preventing & Responding to the Maritime Emergency Seminar, South Texas College of Law, 2000
• "Claims-Made Policies: Current Issues," Insurance Law Institute, University of Texas, 2000  
• "Declaratory Judgment Actions," Insurance Law Institute, University of Texas, 1999
• "Strategic Pretrial Choices in Coverage Cases," Insurance Law Institute, University of Texas, 1998

Representative Clients:

• Houston Casualty Company
• Walter Oil & Gas
• American Plant Food
• Sulzer Orthopedic
• Individual securities trader / principal of Houston Trader Group partnership
• Perigee Consulting
• Chevron Pipeline
• Oceaneering
• Temple-Inland Forest Products
• Brighton Homes
• Lloyd’s of London, various London Insurance Companies, various Norwegian insurance companies
• R & B Falcon Drilling (Transocean)
• Waste Management, Inc.
• Baylor College of Medicine

Educational Background:

• M.A., Boston College Theology Dept. (Concentration in biomedical ethics)., Honors at oral examination, 1978
• Mediation Certificate, University of Houston., A.A. White Dispute Resolution Institute, 1999
• B.A., Yale University., cum laude, honors in major (philosophy), 1976