New York

With 16 offices (15 throughout the US and one in Shanghai, China,) the practitioners of Blank Rome are revered most notably for their activity in the insurance recovery space. The crown jewel of the firm, the insurance team takes on cutting-edge matters on behalf of leading corporations and institutions, distinguishing itself from its peers by providing counsel exclusively to policyholders. Members of the insurance group are acclaimed by clients for the laudable breadth of their expertise in, among other matters, complex insurance litigation and disputes arising from manuscript policies, and are additionally recognized as “responsive and providing sound advice.” Clients go on to praise Blank Rome’s insurance specialists for being “abreast of the latest commercial developments.” While policyholder-side insurance work may be what the firm is most celebrated for, it is making strides in other areas as well; Anthony Haller, a labor and employment litigator in the Philadelphia office, is cheered by a client as “an astute listener who provides thoughtful and thorough counsel.” Also based in Philadelphia, general commercial trial lawyer Andrew Fletcher is praised by a client as “very strategic, detail-oriented, [who] can work through a complicated legal and factual matter quickly and efficiently, [while providing] business-oriented legal advice.” A Keystone State peer insists, “Look closer at Blank Rome, especially in Philly – they are great! They don’t just do insurance!”
     Insurance DC-based co-chair James Murray garners praise for the deep insurance knowledge that he makes available to leaders in the corporate space, government entities, and religious institutions, among others, in their most sensitive and critical matters, often pertaining to sexual abuse liability and COVID-related coverage claims. Murray delivered a critical argument that led to a milestone win in September 2025 for Catholic diocese when the Supreme Court of the State of New York reached a favorable decision that doubles the amount of coverage available under particular policies that the London market sold to Catholic dioceses in the 1970s. Separately, Murray has served as the court-appointed Special Insurance Counsel to the debtor in the long-running Diocese of Rochester bankruptcy, related to its ongoing defense of decades long sex abuse claims. After six years, Murray helped secure nearly $200 million in coverage for the client to help pay victims. Another DC-based insurance specialist, John Gibbons led the team that secured a victory for Nooter, a construction engineering and maintenance contractor, in long-running asbestos insurance litigation. The appeals panel affirmed a trial court decision preventing Evanston Insurance from making arguments in Missouri federal court regarding the payment of more than $60 million for asbestos litigation. The Court ruled that Evanston had been contesting the same issue with Nooter in state court for years, thus barring them from pursuing the federal case. Omid Safa, also an insurance specialist based in DC, receives a client testimonial of, “Omid is a great listener and is extremely knowledgeable. He supports us in every way. Whatever we need he is there to help and problem solve.”