Profile

Education

  • Villanova University, JD/MBA, 1992
  • Boston University, BA, 1988

Sally Clements is special counsel in the Seattle office. She focuses her practice on the representation of insurers and reinsurers in litigated and non-litigated matters under a variety of policies. She draws on her MBA and corporate background to provide sophisticated advice to Kennedys’ clients in the resolution of complex coverage disputes.

Sally is experienced in analyzing, mediating and litigating high exposure, complex coverage claims on behalf of domestic and international insurers and reinsurers. She focuses on coverage disputes involving CGL, D&O, E&O and specialty policies concerning underlying financial lines, products liability, abuse, cyber, environmental and asbestos claims.

Sally advises insurers on the availability of coverage, preparing coverage letters and monitoring complex claims. She has particular expertise in modelling loss allocations and preparing policy exposure analyses and projections of indemnity and defense costs for the resolution of litigated and non-litigated coverage claims.

Memberships

  • Professional Liability Defense Federation
  • Professional Liability Underwriting Society, Washington Chapter Committee Member
  • Washington Defense Trial Lawyers
  • Greater Seattle Insurance Professionals (Vice President, 2020-2021)

Qualifications and admissions

  • New Jersey
  • Texas
  • Washington
  • US District Court, New Jersey
  • US District Court, Western District of Washington

Work highlights

  • Obtained summary judgment in federal court for insurer in contribution action against tenant’s insurer under GL policy interpreting “ownership, maintenance or use” wording of additional insured endorsement
  • Represented a domestic insurer in a coverage dispute concerning underlying private company D&O suits implicating the insured versus insured exclusion
  • Negotiated favorable settlement for insurers in multi-party New Jersey asbestos coverage suits under Carter Wallace, all sums and pro-rata methodologies
  • Represented a global D&O insurer of a California public utility in mediation involving “related claims” issues and implication of single versus multiple insurance towers
  • Advised a domestic insurer on mortgage servicer and property preservation agent accounts involving contractual indemnity and additional insured claims in connection with REO properties for underlying deceptive trade practices, fraud, trespass and negligence claims

Presentations and publications

  • “Washington and Oregon claims handling, tribal issues in environmental remediation and PFAS claims and coverage issues,” In-House Client Training (2021 to 2023)
  • “Insurance Caselaw Overview,” presented to the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers (2023)
  • “Trends, Cases, and Hot Topics in Professional Liability Insurance Coverage,” presented for the Professional Liability Defense Federation Annual Meeting (2023)
  • “Hot Topics in D&O and E&O Coverage Claims – 2022,” presented at the Professional Liability Defense Federation Annual Meeting (2022)