Adams and Reese started as a litigation firm. Since its inception, our lawyers have been trained to defend insured and uninsured claims for clients. Whether or not a matter is insured, our first priority is to deliver the high-quality legal defense upon which our firm’s reputation has been built. When defending clients in insured matters, our lawyers appreciate the unique obligations imposed on them by the tripartite relationship existing among the insurer, insured and the firm.
We value and deliver early, objective evaluations of the liability and potential damage exposure. We communicate with both the insureds and the insurers to collaboratively determine either the best resolution or defense strategy. We make it a point to understand the significance of each case in the overall scheme of the client’s business and to understand and do all we can to achieve their desired outcome in litigation. And our attorneys understand and comply with the insurers’ expectations for staffing, budgeting, billing and reporting.
With years of experience and well-regarded skills sets, our lawyers cover a lot of ground in our defense work. Here are a few examples of the types of matters we handle:
- When a vacation club and its management team were sued by multiple states’ Attorneys General, we vigorously defended their interests and ultimately used our negotiation skills to broker a settlement that was acceptable to all parties.
- We were asked to help the leaders of a Dutch engineering company who were faced with a race discrimination claim covered by its employment practices liability policy. When resolution was not possible, we took an aggressive litigation strategy. It worked, and we achieved the outcome we wanted.
- Technology has changed the landscape of litigation and the nature of claims arising under commercial, management and professional liability policies. The attorneys on our team understand this and have the knowledge and background to serve clients in high-tech and cyber-related matters. We are ahead of the curve on this trend. Consequently, we have been chosen to serve on litigation panels to defend these emerging claims.
- When manufacturers and retailers of products have been sued in local and nationwide litigation involving claims of product defects and label and warning claims, our team has provided them a zealous defense and adeptly negotiated favorable resolutions on their behalf.
Summary
We are approved to serve as panel counsel to many of the major national and international insurance companies and to defend claims arising under management, professional, commercial, cyber, marine, school leader and public entity policies. Our reputation with the courts and communities where we practice distinguishes us. While many insurance defense firms are small, we are one of the larger partnerships in our region and people know and respect our brand.
Defining Strengths
Our team includes seasoned litigators with years of experience litigating disputes and skillfully negotiating settlements. With lawyers in offices across the South and Southeast, we are able to mobilize quickly with people who know the local and state communities and courts, understand how to develop both a defense and a resolution strategy, and know their way around the courtroom to provide top-flight legal service.
Our core practice includes:
- Defense of Management Liability Claims: We defend directors, officers, and entities when claims arise under Director and Officer Liability, Employment Practices Liability and Fiduciary Liability policies. Our experience ranges from defending against breach of fiduciary duty, unfair trade practice, fraud and racketeering act claims to defending employment-related claims for discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination. Our Fiduciary Liability experience is broad and includes defense of ERISA claims as well as denial of benefits and other claims involving life, health and disability insurance.
- Defense of Professional Liability Claims: We defend negligence and errors and omissions claims brought against all variety of professionals including lawyers, doctors, accountants, financial advisors and institutions, real estate and insurance agents and brokers, architects and engineers and other miscellaneous professionals.
- Defense of Commercial General Liability Claims: We defend both Advertising and Personal Injury claims and Bodily Injury claims arising under CLG polices. Our broad experience ranges from litigating business torts claims such as business disparagement and false advertising claims to representing clients in product and premises liability, trucking and transportation and environmental and toxic tort litigation.
- Handling First- and Third-Party Cyber Exposures: Throughout our firm, we have lawyers skilled at advising on cyber security and data and privacy issues and at providing trusted guidance in the aftermath of a data breach. Our lawyers also litigate third-party claims arising out of those breaches.
- Defense of Marine Personal Injury and Property Damage Claims: We handle disputes over claims that come up in vessel allision and collision cases and other maritime-related matters.
