Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Brenton Ver Ploeg, born in Cody, Wyoming, received his B.S. from Northwestern University in 1969 and his J.D. from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1973, where he was a Note and Comment editor of Hastings Law Journal. He is admitted to the Bars of Florida, California and the District of Columbia and to practice in Florida's Middle and Southern Districts of the U.S. District Courts, the 5th and 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He was with Shutts & Bowen for over twenty years and is a seasoned trial attorney with extensive commercial and insurance litigation experience, including the representation of over twenty disability insurers in both individual and group cases.  A well-known lecturer and author on insurance bad faith claims handling, unfair insurance practices, and extracontractual damages, he concentrates on complex civil matters, emphasizing representation of policy holders in all varieties of insurance coverage and bad faith disputes including ERISA and appellate practice. He also serves as corporate counsel to two not-for-profit organizations dedicated to educating the public about science and the scientific method.

Areas of Practice

• Insurance Law
• Bad Faith
• Litigation & Appeals
• Complex Litigation
• Federal Appellate Practice
• State Appellate Practice
• Federal Trial Practice
• State Trial Practice
• Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) -- Employee
• Health & Health Care Law
• Disability
• Ethics & Professional Responsibility
• Legal Malpractice
• Science & Technology Law
• Y2K Litigation
• Y2K Insurance

West Practice Categories

Insurance Law, Bad Faith Insurance, Litigation & Appeals, Complex Litigation, Federal Appellate Practice, State Appellate Practice, Federal Trial Practice, State Trial Practice, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) -- Employee, Health & Health Care Law, Disability, Ethics & Professional Responsibility, Legal Malpractice, Science & Technology Law, Y2K Litigation, Y2K Insurance

Bar Admissions

• California, 1973
• Florida, 1974
• District of Columbia, 1981

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Dade County Defense Bar Association (Past Member, Board of Directors)
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America (Member)
• American Bar Association (Member)
• Florida Bar (Member, Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, 11th Judicial Court)
• California State Bar (Member)
• District of Columbia Bar (Member)

Past Employment Positions

• Shutts & Bowen, Partner, 1978 - 1995
• Shutts & Bowen, Hiring Partner, 1978 - 1983
• Shutts & Bowen, Risk Management Claims Counsel, 1984 - 1995
• Shutts & Bowen, Executive Committee Member, 1992 - 1995
• United States Army, Republic of Vietnam, 1968 - 1969

Education

• University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California, 1973
  J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
  
  Law Review: Note and Comment Editor, Hastings Law Journal
• Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, 1967
  B.S., Bachelor of Science
  Honors: School of Speech

Published Works

• Avoiding the Byte of the Millenium Bug: Insurance Coverage for Y2K
• Insurance Bad Faith Battlegrounds: Not So Quiet on the Southeastern Front
• How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Punitive Damages
• Junk Science

Address

100 S.E. Second Street
Thirtieth Floor
Miami, FL 33131-2158

Phones

(305) 577-3996

Faxes

(305) 577-3558

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.vpl-law.com