Member News

Posted 3/5/2024
Anatomy of an Entrenched Error: "Concurrent Causation" in Texas Coverage Litigation
By Fellow Marc E. Gravely and Brendan K. McBride

Posted 2/28/2024
Fellow Brian McDonough recently prevailed at trial in an insurer versus insurer “bad faith” suit arising out of a construction-site wrongful death action. See a copy of the Trial Decision here.

Posted 1/16/2024
Texas Board of Legal Specialization Announces its Inaugural Class of Board Certified Insurance Law Attorneys. ACCC Fellows Well Represented.

The Fellows who are now Board Certified in Insurance Law are Bob Allen, Jim Cooper, Blair Dancy, Linda Dedman, Catherine Hanna, Ellen Van Meir, Steve Melendi, Vince Morgan, Doug Skelly, Micah Skidmore and Steve Walraven.

Posted 12/27/2023
How Legal Finance Facilitates New Lawyering Combinations and Strengthens Old Ones
By Andrew Lundberg for the New York Law Journal November 30, 2023. 

Posted 12/8/2023
Fellow Amber Finch Receives 2023 Women to Watch Award from Business Insurance.

Posted 12/4/2023
Words and Jurisdictions Matter – The Preamble Problem

By Joseph Monteleone and Nancy R. Kornegay

Posted 11/13/2023
Fellow Marc Gravely authors Amicus Brief in Texas Supreme Court Case of Cobalt v Illinois National
on behalf of the Dallas Regional Chamber for the Supreme Court of Texas

Posted 11/1/2023
DBusiness names ACCC Fellow Charles W. Browning among its 2024 Top Lawyers
Charles Browning

DBusiness magazine recently named ACCC Fellow Charles W. Browning as one of 10 metro Detroit attorneys from Plunkett Cooney to its 2024 list of “Top Lawyers.”

DBusiness is a Detroit-based multi-media platform that provides daily news coverage about the business climate in southeast Michigan. Its annual Top Lawyers list was created by Professional Research Services and is based on an online peer-review survey sent to the certified lawyers in the metro Detroit area.

The 2024 metro Detroit “Top Lawyers” list will be published in a special section of the November/December edition of DBusiness magazine.

Posted 10/6/2023
G. Andrew Lundberg
 recently published an article in the New York Law Journal titled “The Insurance Industry’s Love-Hate Relationship with Legal Finance.” 

Posted 8/18/2023
Charles W. Browning has been selected for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. First published in 1983, Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which lawyers within their own geographic region nominate their peers. These lawyers are not allowed to select nominees from the same area(s) in which they practice. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered an honor because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed.

Posted 8/11/2023 
Michigan Super Lawyers magazine names ACCC Fellows Browning and Newa from Plunkett Cooney among its 2023 list of “Super Lawyers”

Michigan Super Lawyers magazine recently named ten metro Detroit attorneys from Plunkett Cooney, one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest law firms, to its 2023 list of "Super Lawyers". ACCC Fellows Charles W. Browning and Kenneth C. Newa were among those named on the list.

Super Lawyers
 selects attorneys using a patented multiphase review process. Peer nominations and evaluations are combined with independent research. Each candidate is evaluated based on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Selections are made on an annual, state-by-state basis. Those named to the annual list represent only the top five percent of the state’s licensed practitioners.

Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney is a leading provider of business and litigation services to clients in the private and public sectors. The firm employs approximately 130 attorneys in seven Michigan cities, Chicago, Illinois, Indianapolis, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio. Plunkett Cooney recently received Mansfield Rule Certification for midsize law firms, which recognizes leaders in diversity, equity and inclusion within the legal industry.

Posted 5/15/2023 
ACCC Fellows Launch New Coverage Firm

ACCC Fellows Neil H. Selman and Sheryl W. Leichenger are pleased to announce the formation of Selman, Leichenger, Edson, Hsu, Newman & Moore LLP.  ACCC Fellow Bryan M. Weiss has been named a Partner in the new firm.

The firm has its roots in Selman Breitman, LLP, which was founded in 1980.  On January 1, 2023, the leaders of its insurance coverage practice groups started the firm anew, to focus exclusively on the practice of insurance coverage and litigation. Selman Leichenger Edson Hsu Newman & Moore LLP will continue to serve the insurance industry nationwide, from its offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and the Pacific Northwest. The firm remains committed to its fundamental principles and values, with a focus on legal excellence and unmatched client service.

Neil Selman will be turning over firm management to Co-Managing Partners Sheryl W. Leichenger and Eldon S. Edson. The new Selman firm will be a majority women-owned business and will honor its commitment to diversity and inclusion while still providing the highest level of service in the areas of insurance coverage analysis, coverage litigation and trial work, as well as the firm’s well-known experience and track record in appellate matters.

“We look forward to this new chapter in the firm’s evolution and are excited for the opportunity to continue to provide our insurance company clients with the quality services we have always been proud of,” said Co-Managing Partner Sheryl W. Leichenger.

Neil H. Selman has decades of experience representing insurers in coverage and related matters, including first- and third-party property-casualty issues, bodily injury, property damage, advertising and personal injury coverages, construction and environmental matters, sports and entertainment coverages, and professional liability, as well as extracontractual issues. Neil advises his clients on business practices, underwriting and claims handling, and drafts policy language and endorsements. His experience also includes primary/excess issues and the representation of surplus lines carriers. Additionally, he is involved in the defense of insureds, and has nationally-coordinated cases involving toxic substances.  Neil is the Co-Author and Co-Editor of the 2016 and 2017 LexisNexis Matthew Bender Practice Guide: California Insurance Coverage and Litigation.

Sheryl W. Leichenger focuses her practice on representing insurers in complex coverage disputes and coverage litigation, including cases arising out of extracontractual matters, emphasizing third-party insurance coverage, construction and environmental matters, products liability, professional liability, food liability, and underwriting disputes. She has been named to Super Lawyers’ “Top 50 Women in Southern California” nearly each year since 2007 and is one of the authors of the LexisNexis Matthew Bender Practice Guide: California Insurance Coverage and Litigation

Bryan M. Weiss provides coverage advice to insurers and represents insurers in declaratory relief, bad faith, and insurance-related appeals. Bryan handles claims and disputes arising out of a variety of liability policies, including CGL, homeowners, personal and commercial auto, and professional errors & omissions policies. He has been included in the 2019-2022 editions of “Best Lawyers” in the area of Insurance Law and has argued a number of cases before state and federal courts resulting in several published opinions.  Bryan has been called upon by clients and organizations to provide presentations on a wide variety of issues involving insurance law.

Posted 5/1/2023 
Partners Launch New National Insurance Coverage Boutique Werner Ahari Mangel LLP

Insurance coverage lawyers Meredith Werner, Leslie Ahari and Douglas Mangel announced the launch of their new national boutique law firm, Werner Ahari Mangel LLP (WAM). The firm includes 22 lawyers with an office in Washington, D.C.  

The six additional founding partners are Joseph Bailey, Cary Economou, Alan Joaquin, Nena Mashaw, Gabriela Richeimer and Stacey Rufe.

WAM lawyers represent insurance companies in complex, high-importance and high-exposure insurance coverage matters, counseling clients in a wide variety of claims monitoring and coverage matters and defending coverage and bad faith litigation across the country. WAM will represent clients in connection with D&O liability, financial institutions professional liability, employment liability, cyber liability, fidelity bond, private equity and reps and warranties insurance policies. 

“We are excited to launch our insurance coverage boutique with an experienced team. We will continue to serve the insurance industry as its most trusted coverage advisors and go-to litigators,” said Meredith Werner. 

Meredith Werner has represented insurers in connection with thousands of securities class actions, derivative actions, merger lawsuits, and ERISA stock drop suits. She has a depth of experience assessing and resolving shareholder litigation on behalf of D&O insurers. Meredith was elected to the prestigious American College of Coverage Counsel in 2022 and has been recognized as a leading lawyer for insurers by Chambers USA.

Leslie Ahari is one of the most sought-after D&O insurance coverage lawyers in the country. She has served as coverage counsel in some of the most serious D&O exposures that have occurred in the U.S., including Enron, Adelphia, Refco and MF Global. Leslie has been recognized as a leading lawyer for insurers by Chambers USA

Douglas Mangel focuses on the representation of insurers in connection with complex insurance coverage disputes arising under a broad variety of professional liability policies, including private company D&O and financial institution professional liability policies. He has served as lead litigation counsel in numerous high severity cases in state and federal trial and appellate courts around the country. 

For more information, visit www.wam.law.

Posted 4/21/2023 
Learn Legal Finance in 6 Minutes: An Easy-Read Dialogue for Lawyers and Clients
LinkedIn article published by G. Andrew Lundberg. Read more.

Posted 3/16/2023
Mike Aylward recognized as a 2022 Lawyer of the Year by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. 
Read more.



Looking for older member news articles? View our Member News Archive page.