Accomplished insurance litigators Deirdre G. Johnson and Paul W. Kalish have joined the Squire Patton Boggs Litigation Practice as partners in the Washington DC office. Ms. Johnson previously led Crowell & Moring’s Professional Liability/Financial Lines Practice and Mr. Kalish previously was Co-Chair of its Insurance and Reinsurance Group.
Ms. Johnson and Mr. Kalish focus their practices on insurance coverage and reinsurance disputes. They have decades of experience handling disputes domestically, as well as in Bermuda, the UK and other European markets, in lawsuits and arbitration proceedings arising out of a broad range of claims and all types of insurance and reinsurance agreements. In recent years, they have represented clients in major insurance and reinsurance arbitrations, given strategic advice to captives and their managers, provided insurance counseling and dispute resolution guidance in warranty coverage and professional liability matters, and represented clients in underlying litigation, including amicus briefs for a key insurance industry trade group, among an array of other matters.
Ms. Johnson commented, “Squire Patton Boggs’ insurance and reinsurance capabilities have been on the rise and the firm is an established leader in complex cross-border litigation. This will be a great opportunity to build upon these strengths and put the firm’s extensive global platform to work for our clients.”
Mr. Kalish added, “Joining a firm that spans virtually as many jurisdictions as our global clients do presents a compelling way to grow our practice and better support the expanding needs of our clients.”
John Burlingame, global Co-Chair of the Squire Patton Boggs Litigation Practice, noted, “Over a number of years, we have built a strong reputation for insurance and reinsurance disputes and related litigation and arbitration. The addition of Deirdre and Paul gives us greater depth to support the complex issues our insurance clients will continue to face.”
Ms. Johnson is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Tennessee. She is currently ranked for insurance in Chambers USA and Who’s Who Legal, as well as in Super Lawyers as a Top Rated Insurance Coverage Attorney and other ratings organizations. She is Chair of the AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Society (ARIAS•U.S.).
Mr. Kalish is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law and Duke University. He has been ranked in Chambers USA, The Legal 500, Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers and other ratings organizations. Since 2000, he has served as counsel for the Coalition for Litigation Justice, a group formed by property and casualty insurers to address abuses in the mass tort litigation environment.
The firm continues to ramp up its global litigation capabilities through a number of strategic litigation and disputes hires. Over the last year, the firm has hired Susan Goodman and David Starkoff in Sydney; Brian Gillett in Dallas; Richard Amoroso in Phoenix; and announced the combination with litigation boutique Yarbrough Law Group in Dallas. In addition, it continues to build on its already strong insurance credentials, particularly with the addition last February of a four-lawyer regulatory and compliance team in Columbus, led by former Ohio Insurance Commissioner Mary Jo Hudson, with Patricia Hatler, former Chief Legal and Governance Officer for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.