Previous Law Firm Name

• Previously a Partner with Clausen Miller, P.C.

Law Firm Overview

After working as a partner in a national insurance firm, David Roe now provides aggressive, focused representation in insurance coverage, general liability, automobile insurance, rental car insurance and professional liability coverage issues to insurance companies, business and individuals. As author of Illinois Automobile Insurance Law published by Thomson/West, David wrote the book on insurance coverage in Illinois.

From detailed coverage opinions to declaratory actions, David represents clients in Chicago, Illinois, and other states in insurance matters including general liability, car insurance and complex toxic tort litigation involving duty to defend, high limit insurance coverage, allocation and priority of payment issues, ranging from under $1 million to over $600 million.

Clients have included insurance companies, businesses in insurance disputes, attorneys seeking coverage under professional liability policies, individuals with homeowner insurance, automobile insurance, rental car insurance issues, and others facing insurance coverage issues.

When a business is faced with an insurance coverage dispute or an attorney is faced with a coverage question that extends beyond their area of experience, an effective option is to call on outside coverage counsel with extensive experience to handle difficult or high limit cases on an as-needed basis.

David assists risk managers and corporate counsel by providing experience with insurance law questions while providing the benefit of counsel on-call only when needed. This offers the avenue to obtain an answer quickly and efficiently while reducing legal expenses.

Companies and attorneys have access to an insurance law attorney for discrete issues without the need to maintain a full time insurance coverage attorney within their organization.

Insurance Coverage Disputes can include:

• Insurance coverage disputes under commercial general liability policies, homeowner insurance, car insurance, property insurance, and rental car insurance.
  
• Attorney professional liability coverage issues including late notice, known claims, denial of coverage and other claims made policy coverage issues.
  
• Coverage issues arising from pollution exclusions, toxic tort, mold, flood, construction defects and similar general liability issues.
  
• Questions such as the recovery limits in automobile insurance policies, Uninsured or Underinsured (UM, UIM) Limits and allocation or coordination of insurance coverage.
  
• Claims for medical benefits under ERISA benefit plans, health care coverage and employer sponsored plans.

Assisting Attorneys and Corporate Counsel

• Business representation includes assisting plaintiff counsel who want to temporarily work with an attorney experience with difficult and high limit insurance disputes, declaratory actions or litigating policy limits.
  
• Serving as outside counsel for business risk managers, providing insurance coverage opinions to corporate counsel and litigating for or in conjunction with in-house counsel.
  
• Serving businesses, risk managers and in-house counsel with coverage disputes including duty to defend, advertising injury, property damage, personal injury, toxic tort coverage, mold litigation, rail transfer facilities, manufactured gas plants, pollution bodily injury and property damage claims and construction defect claims.

Contact David at (312) 399-8313

Areas of Practice

• Insurance Coverage Law 70%
• Contract and Commercial Law 15%
• Consumer Law 15%

Published Works

• Illinois Automobile Insurance Law, Vol. 23 Illinois Practice Series, , 506 Pages Hardcover, December, 2007
• Illinois Civil Jury Instructions Companion Handbook, Thomson/West, 2008
• Survey of Law: Insurance, Southern Illinois University Law Journal, From 2002 to 2008
• Monies Collected As Compensation To The Public At Large Are Covered "Damages", CM Report of Recent Decisions, Vol. 2, Pg 33, 2006
• The Policy, Insurance Coverage Review, Illinois State Bar Association, Insurance Updates, 1998 - 2008
• Targeted Tenders Under Institute of London, 1999, 2nd Ed. 2005
• Michigan Supreme Court Defines "Waste," As Used In The Pollution Exclusion Clause Of A Liability Policy, CM Report of Recent Decisions, Vol. 3, Pg 31, 2005
• Insurer Not Entitled To Reimbursement Of Defense Costs Incurred While Defending Non-Covered Claims, CM Report Of Recent Decisions, Vol. 2, Pg 40., 2005
• Pollution Exclusion Covers Bacteria Contaminated Food, CM Report of Recent Decisions, Vol. 2, Pg 32, 2005
• "Pizza Exclusion" Barring Coverage For Delivery Man Invalid In Maryland, CM Report Of Recent Decisions, Vol. 2, Pg 35, 2005

Classes and Seminars

• Targeted Tenders Under John Burns and Institute of London, www.ApexCLE.com, Chicago, IL, 2007
• Insurance Law: Everything You Want To Know--And Should Ask, Illinois State Bar Association, 2006
• Insurance Coverage for the Acts of Minors under a Homeowner Insurance Policy, PLRB/LIRB National Claims Conference & Insurance Services Expo, 2005
• Uninsured/Underinsured Insurance Coverage, Illinois State Bar Association, 2004
• Bad Faith and the Claims File, NY CLE, 2004
• Drafting Reservation of Rights Letters, NY CLE, 2003
• Insurance Coverage Law Update, Illinois State Bar Association, 2002

Representative Clients

• B.G.K. Security Services, Inc. - Chicago Loop Fire Ins. Coverage Suit
• AIG Insurance Companies
• Multiple Corporations with general liability insurance issues
• National Union, Lexington, Allstate and others
• Individuals with insurance claims or problems

Representative Cases

• Clarendon Ins v. B.G.K. Security - Chicago Loop Fire Insurance Coverage, No. 1-07-2994 (1st Dist. 2008) (Illinois Appellate Court 2008)
• Assurance v. General Casualty Insurance Co., No. 1-99-1502 (1st Dist. 2001) (Illinois Appellate Court 2001)
• Farm Bureau Insurance Co. v. Alamo Rent-A-Car, No. 1-99-1502 (1st Dist. 2001) (Illinois Appellate Court 2001)
• Illinois Farmers Insurance Co. v. Allstate Insurance Co., No. 3-99-0282 (3rd Dist. 2000) (Illinois Appellate Court 2000)
• Northern Insurance Co. v. City of Chicago, No. 1-99-3334 (1st Dist. 2001) (Illinois Appellate Court 2001)
• W.E. O'Neil v. Aetna, Institute of London Targeted Tender, No. 1-99-3748 (1st Dist. 2001) (Illinois Appellate Court 2001)
• Dayton Hudson v. Auto-Owners - ERISA Medical Coordination, 953 F.Supp. 177 (W.D. Mich 1995) (Federal Court Western District of Michigan 1995)

West Practice Categories

Bad Faith Insurance, Business & Commercial Law, Consumer Protection, Contracts, Business Organizations, Insurance Law