Gerald P. "Kip" Dwyer is co-chair of Robinson+Cole's Litigation section, and former chair of our Insurance + Reinsurance group. Kip is a nationally recognized insurance coverage counselor and litigator. He has represented major insurers in disputes pending in trial and appellate courts in more than 25 states, including federal multi-district litigation (MDL) proceedings, syndicated quota share insurance litigation and arbitration, and class action litigation.
Kip has also served as national and coordinating counsel for major insurers in response to catastrophic and high-impact losses, including Superstorm Sandy, Chinese Drywall, and Hurricane Katrina. During his 20+ years of legal practice, he has successfully litigated - from the pleading and discovery stage through the appellate process - numerous eight-figure property coverage and claim-handling matters, including the dismissal (and defense of appeal) of mezzanine financier's suit to recoup its $69 million loss from builder's risk insurer in ONA 510 Mezz Holdings LLC v. 510 Loan Funding LLC, et al. (N.Y. App. 1st Dept.).
In recognition of his knowledge and experience, Kip was retained as the testifying expert by a quota share syndicate of insurers (ACE, AIG and CNA) on the subject of United States insurance law in a high-exposure coverage dispute in Quebec Provincial Court.
Kip was selected by Appleman On Insurance to write the authoritative treatise's first chapter on claim handling. After more than two years of drafting, Chapter Four: The Claim Process, Appleman On Insurance, Liability Edition was published in 2010. He is currently working on an updated second edition.
Kip has been on the UConn Law School faculty as an Adjunct Professor since 2008, and currently teaches a substantive course entitled "Property Insurance," which is an accredited class for Juris Doctorate and Insurance LL.M. degrees, as well as the certificate issued by the Center for Energy & Environmental Law.
Kip has also drafted and revised various insurance and reinsurance certificates, forms and endorsements to assist our clients in bringing new products to market and improving existing products. In addition, he is frequently called upon to advise property insurers during the investigation of significant and complicated property, builder's risk and business income claims.
Prior to joining Robinson+Cole, Kip was an in-house attorney in Travelers' law department, where he managed the litigation of coverage and claim-handling suits in courts across the country. In that role, he developed unique insight into the real-world dynamics between corporate law departments and their internal stakeholders, and the importance of managing expectations at every stage of the case. In private practice, Kip focuses on achieving excellent litigation results and managing the file along the way to provide the client with a consistent sense that all the correct steps are being taken to achieve the best outcome. With this unique background and experience, Kip maintains a national practice where clients need representation in the most challenging, high-profile and sensitive matters, irrespective of the jurisdiction or location of the dispute.
Kip frequently writes and lectures on matters of concern to the insurance industry. In addition, he has chaired Robinson+Cole's in-house litigation and trial skills program since 2011.
