Policyholder Perspective : Insurance Lawyer & Attorney : Reed Smith Law Firm : Policyholder Perspective Law Blog : Indemnity, Mergers & Acquisitions

By Paul Walker-Bright

A hypothetical: The roof of a parking garage that is part of a condominium development partially collapses, destroying landscaping over the collapsed section of the roof and the floors underneath the collapsed section. The roof had been fully installed and the parking garage was being used at the time of the collapse, but work continued on the landscaping and the condominium units. The cause of the collapse is traced to roof beams not strong enough to withstand the load of the landscaping. The design of the parking garage called for weaker roof beams. The roof beams cannot be replaced, and consequently the landscaping over the rest of the roof must be removed and replaced with lighter materials to prevent further collapses.

This hypothetical, which is not an outlandish scenario in the construction business, raises a myriad of coverage issues under several different types of policies, including first party property, builder’s risk, general liability and professional liability policies. The attorneys in Reed Smith's Insurance Recovery Group have extensive experience advising policyholders and engaging in litigation regarding these types of coverage issues.

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Reed Smith partner Tom Marrinson, resident in the firm’s Chicago office, has been advising policyholders about their insurance coverage, and representing them in coverage litigation, for more than 20 years. While Tom’s experience ranges widely, he has literally written the book on insurance coverage for professionals and companies that employ them

Professional Liability Insurance, published by Law Journal Press, is written to appeal to both the neophyte and those with considerable experience in the area of professional liability insurance. The book begins with some of the basics of professional liability insurance (such as, who is a "professional" and what types of services are considered "professional services") and how a professional liability insurance policy is put together, in an attempt to provide a basic background for the more in-depth look that the book takes at some of the other issues confronting those involved in professional liability insurance disputes.

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