Beckers, Michael Thiel

Bill Beck is a partner in Lathrop & Gage LLP and has more than 30 years of experience as a trial lawyer. Bill’s national practice consists of trials, arbitrations, administrative proceedings, mediations and negotiations to resolve high stakes, technical, complex disputes involving environmental liability and insurance coverage.

Insurance Coverage. Bill has been lead counsel for plaintiffs prosecuting environmental insurance coverage and bad faith lawsuits and claims involving more than 400 remedial sites and the laws of more than 40 states. Bill’s insurance coverage team has expertise in insurance archaeology, policy analysis, charting, allocation, claim development, settlement negotiations, coverage litigation, and alternative coverage dispute resolution. Bill represents innocent people who have been wrongfully imprisoned in seeking compensation through law enforcement liability and other insurance coverages. Bill has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars from insurers. 

Superfund. Bill has defended companies against major environmental liabilities for decades, including over 60 federal and state Superfund sites in more than 20 states. Bill has special expertise in operator allocation, transporter liability and allocation, successor liability, orphan share and natural resource damages issues.

Toxic Tort. Bill is particularly experienced in defending major toxic tort litigation. His key wins include a defense verdict in a five-week groundwater jury trial; nominal settlement of a 2,000-plaintiff groundwater and air case; and defeating class certification on the pleadings. Bill recently resolved an eighty-home groundwater class action mostly at insurer expense, and settled a subsurface landfill gas class action for about $9,000 per home. Bill is presently defending hundreds of odor nuisance claims brought against swine farm operations, hundreds of alleged chromium exposure claims, and thousands of landfill gas exposure claims.