Routinely instructed by a range of P&C, life, specialty, and emerging insurers as well as key reinsurance players, the team at Dentons remains a go-to for clients embroiled in disputes over a truly expansive array of coverage, bad faith litigation, enforcement actions, and other insurance-based disputes, and gained significant experience advising various clients on COVID-19 exposures, environmental cleanup and chemical matters, and opioid crisis-related disputes. NY-based litigator and practice co-lead Sandra Hauser is particularly well-versed in life insurance annuities and class actions, and other co-head Keith Moskowitz, who is based in Chicago, has a broad practice and is a go-to for major catastrophic exposures, including environmental liabilities, sex abuse, and war risks. The third and final practice leader is Shari Klevens, who serves as the firm’s bad faith expert and has been highly engaged insurer-side in COVID-19 coverage matters, notably serving as Zurich North America’s lead trial counsel for a slew of pandemic-related property loss coverage claims. Newly-appointed New Jersey partner Erika Lopes-McLeman concentrates on class actions, coverage litigation and counseling, and insurance defense work.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The Dentons team has deep industry knowledge and the ability to deploy that expertise in almost any jurisdiction while being sensitive to business realities.’
‘The team has deep subject matter expertise.’
‘Dentons has a good team with solid nationwide support. They definitely take full advantage of their business model.’
‘Keith Moskowitz is as good as it gets. Smart, detailed, hard-working, conscientious, and experienced with superior interpersonal skills. Furthermore, his early career experience working for an insurance company gives him unique insight into how to most effectively work with his clients. Lastly, he is a first-rate trial attorney.’
‘Dentons has a worldwide platform that seamlessly delivers excellent legal advice and results.’
‘Shawn Kelly is many steps ahead of adversaries and counsel representing other insurers. He can fight as hard and intelligently as anyone but always looks for leverage to achieve a cost-effective solution.’
Key clients
- AIG
- American Security Insurance Company and American Bankers Insurance Company, affiliates of Assurant, Inc.
- Arrowood Indemnity Co.
- Aspen Insurance
- Atlantic Specialty Insurance Company
- AXA XL
- Berkshire Hathaway Companies (National Indemnity Co., National Fire & Marine Ins. Co., MedPro and Virginia Surety Co.)
- Blackboard Insurance Company
- Brighthouse Financial
- Chubb
Work highlights
Represented American Home Assurance Company, an AIG company, in an insurance bad faith lawsuit brought by a policyholder who alleged that American Home acted in bad faith when it denied his 2005 insurance claim, which was made under a homeowner’s policy issued through AIG’s Private Client Group.
Represented First American in a cyber security enforcement proceeding brought by the New York Department of Financial Services, in which Department claimed $120M in penalties for alleged violations of its cyber security regulations.
Represented Metlife in two high-exposure Long Term Care class actions against MetLife this year in which plaintiffs alleged fraud and fraudulent concealment and violations of state consumer statutes related to MLIC’s premium rates for long-term care insurance including Inflation Benefit riders on the policies.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Keith Moskowitz
Practice head
Keith Moskowitz; Sandra Hauser; Shari Klevens
Other key lawyers
Erika Lopes-McLeman