Insurance Coverage Litigation

John’s experience on behalf of financial lines and professional liability insurers includes numerous mediations as well as direct settlement negotiations and direct litigation, involving claims against companies and their directors and officers and professional advisors for economic losses sustained by constituents, customers and clients.

John’s work primarily focuses on addressing and resolving complex, sensitive claims. His experience and knowledge concerning management and professional liability insurance policies, including the underwriting and risk management issues that drive a profitable portfolio of underwritten business, are among his greatest assets. That broad range of experience and versatility extends to the substantive liability and damages issues that arise in claims under D&O and professional liability policies, which he employs in litigation strategy and settlement and resolution consultations and negotiations.

John’s successful representation of his many clients is a testament to a commitment to the constructive, mutually respectful relationships he forges among the contesting parties, even as they navigate often difficult, complex matters. He is widely known in professional liability and financial lines circles for the durability of those relationships among mediators, plaintiff and defense counsel, insurance intermediaries, policyholder counsel, and insurers and their outside counsel - all of which help surmount difficulties and facilitate creative resolutions to complex, sensitive issues.

Recognition + Involvement

Aside from his legal practice, John is the co-founder of Grateful Nation Montana, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides college scholarships and outreach services to children of Montana soldiers killed on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Working with other charities with similar missions, Grateful Nation Montana works to provide these children with the financial support and outreach guidance necessary for a successful college experience.

During the past 20 years, John developed several charitable events for the financial lines insurance industry, including annual events such as the St. Thomas Charity Golf Classic and the Market Dinner, which collectively have raised more than two million dollars for charitable causes, including monies used to build a community center for the Gros Ventres and Assiniboine Native American communities in Lodgepole, Montana, and other community projects. John continues to work with local Montana community interest and fundraising groups on development projects benefiting the Ft. Belknap and Rocky Boy Reservations.