Chris Neal joined the firm in 2009 after 12 years with the Seattle office of a large national firm known for its excellent coverage litigation and counsel. During his 20 years as a coverage lawyer, Chris has assisted insurers of all sizes with analysis of complicated coverage and bad faith issues by providing coverage opinions/counsel regarding the most appropriate course of action and, when necessary, by litigating to resolution in the most effective, yet most efficient, manner possible. Chris is an accomplished litigator of complex insurance coverage and hotly contested bad faith matters in state and federal courts, with special expertise in intellectual property and professional liability coverage claims. He is also well-versed in all third party liability coverage issues, e.g., CGL, E&O/D&O, healthcare malpractice, financial, excess/umbrella, construction defect, SIR disputes, interinsurer/reinsurer coverage and allocation issues, and homeowner liability claims, among others. Chris is admitted to practice in Washington, Texas, Colorado and Oregon, as well as in all federal courts located in Washington and Oregon. He graduated from Oberlin College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and received his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center, where he was Articles Editor of the Houston Journal of International Law. Chris is proud to have served as Justice and (by unanimous election) Chief Justice of the Law Center's Honor Court.
Practice Areas
Insurance Coverage Counsel and Litigation, including bad faith claims re: CGL (generally), E&O/D&O, healthcare malpractice, financial, excess/umbrella, construction defect, ERISA, SIR disputes, interinsurer/reinsurer, and homeowner liability claims; Commercial Litigation
Bar Admissions
Texas (inactive) 1989
Colorado (inactive) 1990
Washington 1996
Oregon 2002
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court -- Eastern District of Washington
U.S. District Court -- Western District of Washington
U.S. District Court -- Oregon
Military Service
U.S. Army
Education
Oberlin College, B.A., 1982
University of Houston Law Center, J.D., 1988
Professional Associations and Memberships
Washington, Oregon, Texas and Colorado State Bar Associations
King County Bar Association
American Bar Association
Publications and Speaking Engagements
Judicial Decisions:
Lexington Insurance Company v. Sandra Swanson, 240 F.R.D. 662 (W.D. Wash. 2007)
Philips Oral Healthcare, Inc. f/k/a Optiva Corporation v. Federal Insurance Company, 83 Fed.Appx. 963 (9th Cir. 2003), 2005 WL 3020014 (W.D.Wash)
Sheila Verdon v. AIG Life Insurance Company, 118 Wn. App. 449, 76 P.3d 283 (Div. 2, 2003)
Epoch Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Federal Insurance Company, 201 F.3d 443, 1999 WL 1011900 (9th Cir. 1999)
Decorative Center Of Houston And Mcdevitt & Street Co. v. Employers Casualty Co., 833 S.W.2d 257 (Tex. App. 1992)
Publications/Presentations:
Claims for Advertising Injury Coverage: A View From the Insurer's and Policyholder's Perspectives, PLRB Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, 2001 (Paper/Presentation)
Intellectual Property Loss Exposures and Insurance, PLUS Annual Conference, Seattle, WA. 2000 (Joint presentation with Janet Cermac of Marsh, Inc.)
Intellectual Property Coverage, Insurance Coverage: An Analysis of the Critical Issues, Continuing Legal Education Committee of the Washington State Bar Association, 1999 (Paper)
Claims for Advertising Injury Coverage: A Primer, Journal of Insurance Coverage, Vol. 1, No. 4, Autumn 1998
Multiple Presentations to Insurer Clients, Most Related to Advertising Injury (including FACTA and Fax Blast/TCPA Violations) and Coverage/Bad Faith Litigation.
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