Overview
TEXAS TRIAL COUNSEL FOR HIGH-STAKES COVERAGE DISPUTES
Insurance disputes rarely stay small. A denial letter becomes a declaratory judgment action. A defense-cost disagreement becomes an extra-contractual claim. A single-occurrence property loss becomes a fight over policy language drafted decades before the loss. McGinnis Lochridge litigates these disputes in Texas state and federal courts, in arbitration, and on appeal — for the carriers and underwriters who write the risk and for the policyholders who bought it.
Our coverage lawyers work across the full range of commercial policies, including CGL, D&O, E&O, commercial property, energy package, builder's risk, fidelity and crime, professional liability, and credit risk coverage. That breadth matters because coverage questions are rarely just insurance questions — they arise out of a construction defect, a well blowout, a securities claim, a fiduciary dispute, or a catastrophic injury, and they are resolved by lawyers who understand the underlying case as well as the policy.
The Firm has performed insurance work for both carriers and insureds, representing domestic insurers and foreign underwriters, including Lloyd's syndicates and London market participants, in coverage and extra-contractual disputes as well as serving as coverage counsel and personal counsel for insureds — including insureds facing excess-verdict exposure in high-stakes underlying litigation.
Coverage and Extra-Contractual Capabilities
- Coverage analysis, including indemnity analysis in construction and energy disputes
- Declaratory judgment actions involving the interpretation of insurance policies
- Extra-contractual and bad-faith litigation under Chapters 541 and 542 of the Texas Insurance Code, the DTPA, and the common-law duty of good faith and fair dealing
- First-party property claims, including Chapter 542A pre-suit notice practice and appraisal disputes
- Stowers demands, excess exposure, and representation as personal counsel for insureds
- Reservation of rights, independent counsel, and conflict of interest disputes
- Insurance agent and broker errors-and-omissions claims, including producer exposure in placements for sophisticated commercial clients
- Additional insured, indemnity, and contractual risk-transfer disputes
- Appellate advocacy on coverage questions, including amicus practice
Representative Experience
- Obtained multiple summary judgments for insurers in declaratory judgment actions arising from coverage disputes
- Prepared amicus briefing in a coverage dispute exceeding $100 million
- Serve as personal counsel for defendants in high-stakes insured litigation involving coverage disputes and potential excess verdicts
- Represent a multinational electronics distributor in a credit risk insurance policy dispute
- Represent an insured in coverage litigation challenging an insurer's interpretation and application of a "capacity of creditor" exclusion
- Represent Lloyd's brokers and overseas insurance brokers in professional liability and placement disputes
