Wiley Rein Repeats as a Law360 “Insurance Group of the Year”

Wiley Rein’s Insurance Practice for the second consecutive year was named an “Insurance Group of the Year” by Law360, which cited a slate of marquee victories for 2012 in honoring the team.  The firm was one of only five in the country recognized for standout insurance work by the publication.

Law360 hailed Wiley Rein’s depth in its 50-member Insurance Practice—comprised of some of the industry’s top talent—and its ability to draw on distinguished attorneys in other areas such as bankruptcy and intellectual property as key factors for its standout service.  “It is first and foremost a team philosophy, and what distinguishes us is how deep the group is and how consistent the quality of our attorneys is at every level,” partner Richard A. Simpson told Law360.

The group continued to build upon its reputation of providing top insurer-side counsel in high-profile federal, state and appellate matters across the country by scoring a number of significant wins last year.  Among its most notable victories in 2012, Law360 noted, were the successful representation of a directors and officers liability insurer in a $10 million D&O insurance coverage dispute with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and its federal appellate victory establishing the absence of coverage for claims arising out of a bribery scandal involving state court judges and a juvenile detention center in Pennsylvania.

Representing a leading insurance trade association, Wiley Rein’s Insurance team continues to serve as lead counsel for the Complex Insurance Claims Litigation Association (CICLA).  Wiley Rein files between 10 and 15 amicus curiae briefs annually for the trade group of property casualty insurers, which weighs in on significant insurance coverage appeals throughout the country.

Practice chair Daniel J. Standish told Law360 that Wiley Rein’s inter-disciplinary approach, which accentuates the firm’s strengths, is at the heart of the Insurance Group’s dynamic success.

“Our overarching philosophy is that we like to be considered the go-to insurance practice for complex, precedent-setting or otherwise high-exposure matters for our clients,” Mr. Standish said.  “One of the reasons we’re able to do this is that we are able to draw on a number of experts elsewhere in the firm.”

Wiley Rein’s team was one of a handful of groups selected by a team of Law360 editors who reviewed nearly 550 submissions.