Safeguarding a Successful Outcome
Clear Insurance Advice From Experienced Insurance Attorneys Who Will Navigate Complex Contracts, Claims & Coverage Issues
- General Liability Coverage Reviews and Litigation
- Commercial Property Coverage Reviews and Subrogation
- Defending Product Manufacturers
- Defending Property Owners
- Defending Construction Defect Claims
- Professional Liability Coverage Reviews and Litigation
- Defending Lawyers, Insurance Agents, and Miscellaneous Professional Liability Claims
- Disputes Between Insurance Carriers
- Monitoring Counsel for Excess Carriers
- Inland Marine Coverage Reviews and Subrogation
- Umbrella Coverage Reviews and Litigation
- Motor Truck Cargo Coverage Reviews and Subrogation
- Commercial Trucking Liability Defense
- Commercial Auto Physical Damage Coverage Reviews and Subrogation
- Personal Auto Coverage Reviews and Litigation
- Defense of Personal Auto Claims
- Insurance Fraud Litigation
- Defense of Bad Faith Claims and Consulting on its Prevention
We are a team of dedicated insurance lawyers. Backed by real-world insurance industry experience, Powell, Kugelman & Postell offers professional legal services to domestic, foreign, and alien insurers in the admitted and non-admitted markets. We provide coverage opinions and liability claim value analysis, including early resolution strategy and subrogation reviews on a nationwide basis. We litigate insurance coverage disputes in New York and New Jersey and defend policyholders in general liability and professional liability lawsuits in those states, proudly representing and advocating for many professionals in the insurance industry, including retail agents and brokers, surplus lines agents, third-party administrators, and attorneys.
The insurance litigation team at Powell, Kugelman & Postell have a comprehensive understanding of insurance policy forms through their work in the insurance industry and years of providing legal services for those in the insurance market. Both Joanna Crosby, Esq. and Joseph M. Powell are licensed as insurance producers in the State of New Jersey. Mr. Powell obtained his chartered property and casualty underwriting designation (CPCU) in 1998. Maureen LePochat, Esq. holds insurance adjuster licenses in twenty-one states. Aisha Postell, Esq. has worked on secondment in the claims departments in London for Certain Underwriters at Lloyds. We are frequent lecturers for the New Jersey Surplus Lines Association and New Jersey Bar Association Law Division and provide accredited insurance presentations to individual insurer clients, enabling them to obtain continuing education credits for their various licenses. When you hear Powell, Kugelman & Postell, think Insurance Law.
General Liability Coverage Reviews and Litigation
Our Insurance team is quite familiar with the standard ISO Commercial Liability insurance forms, but also, through its years of practice in the surplus lines insurance industry, has a breadth of knowledge with respect to manuscripts and unusual general liability coverage forms found in the E&S industry. Powell, Kugelman & Postell provide reliable coverage advice, which oftentimes avoids coverage litigation. We find our insurer clients generally to be proud of the insurance products they are selling. We are keenly aware that, ultimately, the insurance product being sold is effective and efficient claims handling, which at times requires legal guidance and consulting. We are careful to conduct a comprehensive review of the claims file and policy forms when assisting insurance carriers with their decision as to coverage. We respect policyholders and draft detailed and thorough coverage determination letters that make sense to the reader. We provide our general liability coverage reviews in all fifty states. If a coverage determination is disputed and requires litigation, we vigorously defend our insurer clients’ interests and initiate or defend declaratory judgment actions in New York and New Jersey in both State and Federal Courts.
Commercial Property Coverage Reviews and Subrogation
At Powell, Kugelman & Postell, we know that in order to best handle complex or questionable property claims, insurers, and their adjusters must identify issues early on and refer them to counsel for review. We pride ourselves on providing prompt property coverage analysis so that issues can be resolved in a timely and efficient manner. Our years of litigation experience, which includes conducting scores of depositions over the years, enables us to conduct effective examinations under oath when investigating property coverage disputes.
Mr. Powell’s experience as a volunteer firefighter which included Monmouth County Fire Academy education and training, and active fire fighting services for ten years for Colts Neck Township has provided him with invaluable knowledge and insight with respect to fire property claims. The combination of hands-on firefighting knowledge and insurance industry knowledge makes our firm ideal for handling large fire subrogation claims.
Defending Product Manufacturers
The key to defending a product’s liability claim is a good expert. Through our work experience in the insurance product liability claims industry, we have access to exceptional experts. Maureen LePochat Esq leads our product liability practice. She has 14 years of experience as a senior claims specialist for AIG, Medmarc Insurance, and Sedgwick Claims and, as a result, has seen a multitude of product liability claims all over the United States. If you have a product liability case, we know the expert who can review the matter and best defend your claim.
Construction Defect Claims
Whether you’re insuring artisan contractors or providing CCIP coverage for large construction projects our firm can meet your needs. Bill Kugelman, Esq. is in charge of our construction defect litigation matters. Bill, through his tenacious litigation skills, and dedicated preparation has the uncanny ability of minimizing defense costs while maximizing results. The firm has been saving money for both domestic and foreign insurers for years by resolving construction defect matters for low indemnification payments and even lower defense fees.
Joanna Crosby, Esq. is adept at handling intercompany disputes related to construction defect matters, and has been the driving force for resolution of complex coverage disputes related to additional insured coverage, CCIP exclusions and the application of bespoke policy conditions and exclusions.
Whether you need legal counsel to defend an insured in a construction defect claim or need coverage litigation services on intercompany disputes related to construction defect matters, Powell, Kugelman & Postell are here to address your needs.
Insurance Industry Disputes
Powell, Kugelman & Postell’s team of insurance lawyers are uniquely qualified to defend professionals in the insurance industry. Our background in the Excess & Surplus lines industry has enabled us to defend the participants in the insurance market from initial purchase up to and through reinsurance disputes. We have defended small and large retail insurance producers and intermediaries in the market, including managing general agents, cover-holders, third-party administrators, independent adjusters, and excess and surplus line agents. Additionally, our firm provides legal consulting services with respect to the purchase and sale of insurance agencies and related insurance businesses.
Professional Liability
We are pros at defending the professionals. In addition to defending insurance professionals in litigated matters, Powell, Kugelman & Postell also defend attorneys, architects, and engineers in professional malpractice claims filed in state or federal court in the states of New York and New Jersey.