Paul Langer

Insurance coverage counsel for any loss

Paul Langer advises a broad range of corporate clients in insurance coverage disputes in federal and state courts throughout the United States. He has helped policyholders with every type of insurance coverage on the market and at every stage of their relationship with insurers, including:

• Pre-suit disputes
• Litigation, from trial through appeal
• Counseling, including analysis of coverage and providing advice regarding tendering of claims, negotiating with insurers in their handling of claims, monitoring policies and coverage, and assisting clients with policy renewals, coverage analysis and coverage audits.

Having faced insurer’s counsel in court and at the negotiating table for more than 35 years, Paul and his team have developed relationships of mutual respect that contribute to pragmatic and efficient resolution of disputes. Insurance company lawyers know he works to negotiate a resolution whenever possible but is ready to go to court when necessary.

Paul is a former member of the firm's governing Executive Committee, former chair of the Chicago office Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice and former managing partner of the Chicago office.

Advising on a full range of insurance products and issues:

• Commercial liability involving a broad range of claims and industries
• Catastrophic property losses and business interruption losses, including lost profits and related extra expenses related to fires and explosions, environmental, product liability, toxic tort, antitrust, intellectual property and construction defect claims
• Professional liability and errors and omissions, including claims involving lawyers, accountants and health care professionals
• Directors and officers liability, including wrongful act claims against the board of directors and senior officers of for-profit and not-for-profit entities
• Employment practices liability, including discrimination, sexual harassment, termination and unfair labor practices claims
• ERISA and fiduciary duty claims
• Financial losses owing to patent or trademark infringement
• Coverage disputes involving health care and managed care entities

• Represented a major city in $20 million coverage dispute involving malicious prosecution and wrongful conviction.
• Advised a major poultry processor in coverage dispute related to catastrophic damage to a processing facility.
• Represented a chemical company in $4 billion environmental and products coverage action.
• Advised an oil pipeline in $400 million environmental coverage action against numerous insurers.
• Represented a large Canadian brewery in insurance coverage for patent and trademark infringement.
• Advised a major railroad in $100 million environmental coverage action against insurers.
• National coverage counsel in coverage litigation involving the nationwide, mass failure of FRT plywood.
• National coverage counsel in declaratory judgment action involving the mass failure of Pb plumbing.