The core of our coverage practice is provision of coverage advice to insurers and representing insurers on coverage applications and on appeal. We also advise individuals and corporations with respect to their rights under their policies and on coverage disputes.
Our coverage team has drafted over a thousand coverage opinions and we have handled numerous coverage applications and coverage actions. We serve as exclusive coverage counsel to one of the largest personal lines insurers in Canada and provide coverage advice to corporate clients and policyholders who became engaged in disputes with their insurers.
On the advice side of the practice, we are acutely aware that when an insurer or an insured need a coverage question answered, the need is immediate. We quickly investigate and analyze the insurance question and provide a coverage opinion in compressed time frame. On the litigation side, we have been involved in some precedent setting cases with respect to the scope of exclusion clauses and the insurer’s “duty to defend” in liability policies.
We also provide advice and assistance in the development of new or revised insurance policies and are frequently called upon to review and comment on existing policy language. We assist insurers with the drafting reservation of rights and position letters and, when necessary, provide ongoing advice with respect to coverage investigations. We work closely with the special investigation units of our insurance clients in handling claims that are out-of-the-ordinary or unusual in some way.