Insurance Defence & Coverage

Being sued for an injury or a loss is unsettling even when insurance stands behind you. Insurers, self-insured organizations and the people they cover need an honest valuation early, and counsel who can take the file to trial if that is where it has to go.

I act on tort and liability files, and advise on coverage questions that run alongside the defence. Having worked in-house at a large BC insurer, I am familiar with how claims departments assess liability, set reserves and instruct counsel, and I write reports with that audience in mind.

Defence files are won or lost in the record: clinical records, employment and tax documents, prior claims, and increasingly the data a plaintiff generates on their own devices. I organize that material early so that examinations for discovery follow the documents, and I prepare files on the assumption that they may be tried, because that is what makes a settlement position credible.

A useful coverage opinion tells the adjuster what to do, not just what the law says.