Profile

Education

  • Brooklyn Law School, JD, 2002
  • Binghamton University, BA, 1995

Jeff is a partner in the New York and Basking Ridge offices and is a member of Kennedys’ Insurance and Claims practice group, with an emphasis on insurance coverage, Bermuda form and litigation/arbitration. Jeff is a 20+ year insurance industry veteran who has extensive experience both in house and as outside counsel managing large complex exposures for insurance carriers across multiple lines of business. As a litigator and insurance coverage practitioner, Jeff has extensive experience advising carrier clients on large complex insurance coverage issues and partnering with his clients to develop strategies for resolution through negotiation or litigation and arbitration, including US, London and Bermuda arbitration. Jeff has handled issues relating to many lines of business including primary and excess casualty, D&O/E&O and commercial property. 

What makes Jeff unique is that he has spent 12 years as an insurance company insider, holding executive positions at a global insurance provider, as well as a Senior Counsel position with a specialty insurance company. He knows the insurance business from the inside and how best to service insurance carrier clients through partnership, collaboration and frequent and clear communication. He understands that insurance is a business, and that high exposure business depends on productive relationships with clients, brokers and producers. Jeff has built his reputation navigating and maintaining these relationships while managing difficult high exposure claims.

Prior to Kennedys, Jeff served as Senior Vice President and Head of Claims for a large Bermuda carrier, and oversaw all claims activities, including inventories of high severity excess liability, professional lines, property, political risk and other commercial claims with an emphasis on Bermuda form and “D&O” coverage. In this position Jeff managed major litigation and arbitrations in Bermuda and London, most of which involved nine-figure exposures. 

Jeff was also Senior Vice President and Claim Officer for the North American Casualty Claims division of a major P&C insurer where he was responsible for overseeing thousands of the most complex and high exposure claims in North America. Jeff led a group of over 70 claim managers and professionals handling excess, complex, medical risk and long-term exposure casualty claims throughout all of North America, as well as regional primary casualty claims. 

Jeff's experience beyond claims and coverage consists of various other legal matters impacting insurance carriers, including providing legal advice to executive management on numerous issues group-wide, including review of all compliance and regulatory issues. Jeff also provided counsel to Underwriting and Products teams to develop preferred policy language for new and existing products across casualty, property and management liability lines of business, as well as general contract drafting and review across all company departments.

Jeff is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), Defense Research Institute (DRI), Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM), Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS), and frequently speaks at industry events on a variety of topics. 

Qualifications and admissions

  • New York
  • New Jersey
  • US District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York
  • US District Court, New Jersey

Work highlights

  • Two successful London arbitrations involving claims arising out of the Deepwater Horizon incident
  • Victory in London arbitration involving bankruptcy claim on D&O policy
  • Successful London arbitration involving nine-figure exposure on products liability claim
  • Two successful London arbitrations involving coverage for pharmaceutical products liability claims
  • Award of no coverage in London arbitration on D&O policy involving insider trading claims

Presentations and publications

  • "Recognizing risk transfer opportunities," In-House Client Training (October 2023)
  • "Insurance 101," In-House Client Training (January 2023)
  • "All Risks Property Insurance," In-House Client Training (January 2023)
  • "Bermuda market arbitrations: recent developments," presented at Bermuda Hot Topics Conference (October 2022)
  • "Bad Faith: Some Things Change, Some Stay The Same," IADC Annual Meeting (2021)
  • "Resolving Issues Arising Out of Settlement of Multiple Claims That Exceed Policy Limits," CLM Annual Meeting (2021)
  • "Absence of Malice: Issues Surrounding Coverage B and Personal and Advertising Injury," CLM Annual Meeting (2021)