Insurance for Litigators

This course provides students with instruction in the key liability insurance issues that every litigator needs to know.  It also provides students with litigation skills training. Using simulations that involve insurance disputes that arise on a regular basis in the course of litigation – an insurer’s disputed obligation to settle the underlying lawsuit on behalf of its policyholder and an insurer’s disputed obligation to provide independent defense counsel to its policyholder-- students will be placed in the role of lawyers counseling, advocating and litigating on behalf of their policyholder and insurer clients. The specific litigation skills that will be taught include litigation writing, client counseling, discovery practice and motion practice. The course will also provide students with instruction in substantive liability insurance law and an understanding of the ways in which liability insurance impacts how cases are litigated and how lawyers (both plaintiff and defense counsel) develop and implement litigation strategies designed to preserve (or create) access to insurance resources.

The course will be taught using a combination of lectures, discussion sections and litigation simulations. The class will meet twice a week for ninety minutes with many of the litigation simulations taking place outside of regular class hours.