Having served insurance companies and reinsurers for nearly a century, Sugarman Rogers has substantial expertise in analyzing, litigating, and resolving insurance law matters. We provide a broad range of services to our insurance and reinsurance clients, and have developed close, long-term relationships with many local and national carriers.

We handle the full spectrum of issues our insurance industry clients may face, including coverage, claims handling, insurance practices, emerging risks and regulatory compliance, and contract disputes. And we have achieved successful results for insurers and reinsurers in litigation, arbitration, and other dispute-resolution proceedings with their insureds, with claimants, or with other insurers. Moreover, our experience in related areas of litigation – including commercial, professional liability, environmental, real estate, tort and employment cases—gives us a distinct advantage in handling these matters and advising our insurance and reinsurance clients.

Our clients place their trust in us to protect their interests in matters throughout New England, the Mid-Atlantic states, and other jurisdictions across the country. We serve as the regional coverage counsel for the eastern half of the United States for a major insurer of attorneys, and as New England regional counsel for a national carrier for extra-contractual claims under professional liability and CGL policies. In addition, we have been primary coverage counsel for over twenty years for the largest homeowners carrier in Massachusetts.

Reflecting our deep experience in this field, members of our practice group are regularly recognized by The Best Lawyers in America and Massachusetts Super Lawyers in the area of Insurance Law. Our Chair, Regina Roman, has also been singled out by Best Lawyers as Boston’s “Insurance Lawyer of the Year.”

Insurance Coverage Advice and Litigation

For decades, we have advised carriers on coverage obligations and have represented insurers in mediation, litigation or appeal of coverage disputes. Our experience encompasses a broad range of policies and insurance lines, including CGL policies, professional liability policies, homeowners and personal lines, D&O policies, excess and umbrella coverage, E&O coverage, environmental coverage, title insurance and employment practices liability policies. In addition to serving as coverage counsel, we frequently act as monitoring counsel in complex cases where coverage may be an issue, and assist in negotiating creative resolutions of high-exposure claims.

“Bad Faith” and Extra-Contractual Claims

We are frequently retained to defend carriers in complex “bad faith” and extra-contractual litigation arising out of claims-handling and settlement decisions. These are high profile and hard-fought cases that, by their nature, challenge our clients’ business practices and their reputations. As insurance counsel and experienced trial lawyers, we understand the stakes, and we have the necessary expertise to resolve these claims favorably.

Emerging Risks, Policy Drafting and Business Advice

Our insurance clients also seek our advice on emerging risks and privacy issues, and we provide assistance with a range of additional services, including reviewing, revising, and drafting insurance policies and endorsements; analyzing risks that may result from the introduction of new insurance product lines; assessing statutory and regulatory requirements that affect our clients and assisting in implementation of compliance procedures;  and advising on potential risk-control issues related to claims-handling and underwriting practices.

While the bulk of our insurance work is for carriers, we also advise small and large businesses and professionals on their insurance needs and coverages. To that end, our attorneys have served as personal counsel for businesses and individuals in a variety of insurance-related disputes.

Reinsurance

Another major component of our insurance law practice is advising and representing cedents and reinsurers in arbitration and litigation involving both conventional and cutting-edge issues confronting the reinsurance industry. We have successfully handled reinsurance disputes involving catastrophic property and business-interruption losses, asbestos product and non-product and other mass tort liabilities, and environmental damage claims. Sugarman Rogers is one of the founding member-firms of the Massachusetts Reinsurance Bar Association (MReBA) and has been active in the leadership of that organization since 2009.