Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Bernie Bell has decades of experience as a trial lawyer in civil litigation, and he has concentrated his practice for the last 15 years on obtaining insurance recoveries (over $400 million in the aggregate) for corporate policyholders and their individual directors and officers. His practice covers the full range of insurance claims, from property damage and business interruption losses to claims arising from alleged directors' and officers', employment, environmental, fiduciary (ERISA), products, professional, and toxic tort liabilities. He uses his extensive experience with contested claims to assist clients in the placement of coverage.

Bernie also is an experienced environmental litigator. He spent five years as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, representing the U.S. in environmental enforcement lawsuits under Superfund (CERCLA), Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act. He has handled complex environmental matters in private practice, including Clean Air Act and Superfund litigation, and FIFRA pesticide data compensation arbitrations.

Bernie is a frequent author and speaker on insurance coverage issues and has chaired subcommittees of the American Bar Association relating to insurance litigation. He is ranked in the highest tier of national insurance litigators in the 2007 and 2008 editions of Benchmark: The Definitive Guide to America's Leading Litigators, an independent research publication of Legal Media Group and Institutional Investor. He has an AV peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Areas of Practice

• Insurance Liability & Recovery
• Trial Practice
• Insurance Coverage
• Environmental, Health & Safety

West Practice Categories

Bankruptcy Litigation, Business & Commercial Law, Class Actions, Clean Air Practice, Cleanup & Superfund, Complex Litigation, Environmental Law, Federal Appellate Practice, Federal Claims Court, Federal Trial Practice, Hazardous Waste, Insurance Law, International Law, International Trade Litigation, Litigation & Appeals, Military & Veterans Appeals, Multidistrict Litigation, Patent Litigation, Permits, Regulatory Compliance & Auditing, Solid Waste, State Appellate Practice, State Trial Practice, Tax Litigation, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, US Supreme Court, Water Pollution, Wetlands & Wild Lands

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia
• New York, First Department

Education

• Fordham University

Published Works

• 401(k) 'Excessive Fees' Lawsuits: Fiduciary Liability Policies Likely To Cover Plan Fiduciaries, Policy Perspective, 2007
• Understanding Commercial Property Insurance, New Appleman Insurance Law Practice Guide, Chapter 31, 2007
• Can D&O Insurance Protect Outside Directors Against 'Personal Wealth' Settlement Demands?, Policyholder Advisory, 2005
• The Art of the Joint Resolution: Negotiate Technical, Financial and Legal Questions Together, Legal Times Special Report on Dispute Resolution, 1997
• Proving Continuous Environmental Property Damage Throughout Successive Policy Periods in Jurisdictions Employing a 'Damage-in-Fact' Trigger, Environmental Claims Journal, Vol. 9, No. 4, 1997

Address

51 Louisiana Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001-2113

Phones

1.202.879.3727 (Business Phone)

Faxes

1.202.626.1700 (Business Fax)

Emails

Contact Us (Business Email)

Websites

http://www.jonesday.com