Admissions

  • Illinois
  • Michigan

Education

  • The John Marshall Law School, JD (cum laude), 1996
  • University of Kentucky, with honors, 1992

A partner in our Chicago office, Eric is an insurance specialist with over 20 years’ experience representing clients in the London, Bermuda, and US markets. His practice focuses heavily on coverage matters, such as directors’ and officers’ liability, professional liability, cyber liability, employment liability, managed care/healthcare, general liability (including the Bermuda Form),construction and reinsurance.

Eric has considerable experience in handling high-profile claims involving multi-million-dollar shareholder class actions, derivative actions, product liability and pharmaceutical claims, as well as claims arising from natural disasters.

Internationally, he is sought by clients seeking experienced representation for their complex litigation and arbitrations involving various types of policies and/or claims in the US, Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Australia.

Eric is also frequently asked to speak on various insurance-related topics and to contribute in the drafting of a range of insurance policies and endorsements.

Eric is a member of the American Bar Association: Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, and the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS). He received his law degree from The John Marshall Law School, cum laude, in 1996, where he served as Editor-in-chief of The John Marshall Law Review.

Eric contributed to the writing of Kennedys' ‘Rewriting the risk: Addressing the challenge of climate change’ report, which was published in July 2022.

Market recognition

  • Global Leader for Professional Liability, Who’s Who Legal Professional Negligence (2021-2023)

Work highlights

  • Instructed in relation to multiple significant directors and officers matters, including In re Mutual Funds Investment Litigation, mortgage-backed securities litigation, Libor-related litigation, as well as individual securities and ERISA class actions involving large US and non-US companies and service providers.
  • Instructed in relation to multiple significant professional liability matters involving law firms, accountants, and consultants.
  • Instructed in relation to significant, multi-million dollar individual and class action employment practices liability claims involving large US and non-US companies and financial institutions.
  • Instructed in relation to multiple construction defect claims involving litigation pending in Nevada and California arising from building and conversion of condominium projects.
  • Instructed in relation to a multi-billion claims against multiple companies in relation to various California and other wildfires in the western US.
  • Instructed in relation to filing anti-suit proceedings in Bermuda and London with respect to enforcement of London and Bermuda arbitration provisions.
  • Prevailed in a London arbitration with respect to a multi-million claim involving the insured’s manufacture and sale of building products.
  • Acting for insurers in relation to personal injuries arising from a manufacturer’s sale of guardrail end terminal systems pending in multiple state and federal jurisdictions.

Presentations and publications

Presentations

  • “Rewriting the risk: addressing the challenge of the evolving climate litigation space,” Kennedys Webinar (February 2023)
  • “An Overview of US Derivative Actions,” presented at Kennedys Hot Topics Conference (October 2022)
  • "EPL and Wage & Hour Basics and Coverage,” In House Client Training (October 2022)
  • “CSR and ESG in the Boardroom,” In House Client Training (July and October 2022)
  • “Bermuda Form Basics and Claims Handling,” In-House Client Training (November 2021)
  • “Bankruptcy and its Impact on the Claims Process,” In-House Client Training (June 2021)
  • “Social Accountability in the Boardroom,” presented at Kennedys Hot Topics Conference (October 2019)
  • “Directors and Officers Liability Insurance 101 and Current Claims Trends,” In-House Client Training (October 2019)
  • “Watch You’re A-Side: Growing Concerns About Shareholder Derivative Actions,” In-House Client Training (October 2019)
  • “The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Financial Lines: Limitless Opportunities or Risky Propositions?” In-House Client Training (June 2019)
  • “Wildfire Liability Claims,” presented for AIRROC London Education Day (June 2019)
  • “The Opioids Crises: How We Got Here and Where We Are Now,” presented at Capstone LLC (April 9, 2019)
  • “Just Getting Started – How Changing Social Norms and New Legislation in the #MeToo Era Will Impact Employment Liability Claims,” presented at the CLIM 2019 Annual Conference (March 14, 2019)
  • “Wildfire Liability Claims,” presented to Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association (June 7, 2018)
  • “‘Frankenatomy’ of Cyber Aggregation,” presented at the Bermuda Healthcare Forum (April 24, 2018)
  • “What is Keeping General Liability Claims Handlers Up at Night?  A Discussion of Concerning Legacy, Present and Future Claim Trends,”  presented at the 7th Annual Bermuda Insurance Market Conference (October 13, 2017)
  • “Bermuda Form Basics and Claims Handling:  Pharma, Energy and Beyond,” presented at the Bermuda Insurance Institute (April 2017)
  • “The Latest on Cyber Oversight Needed at the Board Level and Trends in Cyberbreach-Related D&O Cases (Public and Private),” presented at the American Conference Institute’s 20th Forum on D&O Liability (July 27, 2016)
  • “Up, Down or Sideways? The Recent Direction of Securities Class Actions and What Plaintiffs’ Firms May Be Considering to Compensate,” presented in-house to clients (October 1, 2015)
  • “Shareholder Derivative Litigation, Including M&A Litigation Brought Derivatively, and the Increasing Importance of Side A,” presented at the American Conference Institute’s 19th Forum on D&O Liability (September 18, 2015)
  • “The Duty to Cooperate, The Right to Associate and Anti-Suit Injunctions,” presented in-house to clients (September 15, 2015)
  • “Is Your Bermuda Insured a Target for Cyber-Liability Related Claims?” presented in-house to clients (October 15, 2014)
  • “Deciphering the U.S. Securities Laws: Key Issues and Concepts for Insurers,” presented in-house to Bermudan and London market clients (July 30, July 16, and July 7, 2014)
  • “The Bermuda Form – the Basics,” co-presented at the Bermuda Insurance Institute (March 27, 2014)
  • “Information Overload: Issues Relating to Cyber Liability,” co-presented at the 5th Annual XLIB Claims & Litigation Management Workshop (December 4-5, 2013)

Publications

  • “The SEC’s Proposed Rule on Climate-Related Disclosures: Potential Concerns for General Liability Carriers,” published in Law360 (February 2023)
  • Co-author, “Rewriting the risk: addressing the challenge of climate change,” published for Kennedys (July 2022)
  • Quoted in, “Litigation is on the Rise: Have You Got D&O Cover?” Insider Engage (March 2022)
  • Co-author, “Causing climate change…a new tort? A cross-jurisdictional review,” published for Kennedys (February 2022)
  • Co-author, “How The First Federal Appellate Decision Assessing COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims May Impact Similar Cases Going Forward,” published for Kennedys (September 8, 2021)
  • Co-author, “Storm Clouds Ahead: The US Supreme Court sidesteps issues relevant to ESG and climate change, while international and other pressures on corporate and D&O disclosures continue to mount,” published in the PLUS app (July 2021)
  • “Reputation – In An Environment of Increasing Leadership Accountabilities,” presented at AIRMIC seminar and for individual clients (February and May 2021)
  • Co-author, “Why D&I Matters to D&O: Exposures from diversity-driven lawsuits,” published by Insurance Day (February 2021)
  • Co-author, “Financial Institutions Feeling Direct Pressure to Address Climate Change Concerns,” published in Kennedys London Market Brief (May 2020)
  • Co-author, “Potential D&O Risks Arising from Corporate Social Responsibility,” published in the D&O Diary and PLUS Journal (February and March 2020)
  • Co-author, “D&O Trends in the US,” published for Kennedys (March 2019)
  • Co-author, “No Longer the Scapegoat – the Future of Professional Negligence Claims Against Insurance Brokers,” published for Kennedys (March 2019)
  • Co-author, "Vine to Wine, and the Fire in Between - The Growing Insurance Implications of the California Wildfires," published for Kennedys (December 2018)
  • Co-author, "Just Getting Started - How Changing Social Norms and New Legislation in the #MeToo Era Will Impact Employment Liability Claims," published in the PLUS Journal (October 2018)
  • Co-author, "EPL Claims: Changing Norms and New Legislation in the #MeToo Era," published in the D&O Diary (August 2018)
  • Author, “Wildfire Liability from a US Perspective,” published for Kennedys (January 2018)
  • “The Insuring Agreements,” Chapter 2 in the Directors & Officers Liability Insurance Deskbook, Fourth Edition, published by the American Bar Association, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (2016)
  • Co-author, “Defense Obligations,” Chapter 5 in the Directors & Officers Liability Insurance Deskbook, Fourth Edition, published by the American Bar Association, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (2016)
  • Co-author, “United States” in the Directors’ Liability and Indemnification, published by Global Law and Business Ltd. (2016)
  • Co-author, “Late Payment Damages Regime Could Gerald US Bad Faith Litigation in the UK,” published in Insurance Day (September 7, 2016)
  • Co-author, “Fracking, Earthquakes and Insurance: A Collision Course?” published in Insurance Journal (May 18, 2015)
  • Co-author, “High Court Likely Won’t Affirm 6th Circ. Omnicare Ruling,” published in Law360 (November 4, 2014)
  • Co-author, “Omnicare: The Other Securities Case Directors and Officers Should be Worried About,” published in InsideCounsel (July 31, 2014)
  • Co-author, “Reinsurance Sidecars – Don’t Ride Without a Helmet,” published in Law360 (January 16, 2014)
  • Co-author, “Here We Go Again? Financial Institutions Face Heightened Regulatory Scrutiny Over Forex and Other Unregulated Rates,” published in Plus Journal, Professional Liability Underwriting Society, Volume XXVII, Number 1 (January 2014); republished in The D&O Diary (January 2014); republished in The D&O Diary (January 2014).
  • Co-author, “Move Over Subprime? Financial Institutions and Brokers Face Increasing Concerns Over Allegation of Improper Libor Manipulation,” published in Plus Journal, Professional Liability Underwriting Society, Volume XXV, Number 5 (May 2012)