Belcher, Ryan M.

Bernie Bell has decades of experience as a trial lawyer in civil litigation, and he has concentrated his practice for the last 15 years on obtaining insurance recoveries for corporate policyholders and their individual directors and officers. His practice covers the full range of insurance claims, from property damage and business interruption losses to claims arising from alleged directors' and officers' liabilities, as well as employment, environmental, fiduciary (ERISA), products, professional, and toxic tort liabilities. He uses his extensive experience with contested claims to assist clients in the placement of coverage.

His recent representations include two separate lawsuits, one to recover property damage and business interruption losses caused by an explosion at a chemical manufacturing facility, and the other arising from damage to an offshore pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico.

Bernie is currently pursuing recovery under pollution legal liability policies for various environmental contamination claims and under management liability policies (D&O, fiduciary liability) for various breach of duty claims.

Bernie also is an experienced environmental litigator. He spent five years as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, representing the U.S. in environmental enforcement lawsuits under Superfund (CERCLA), the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act. He has handled complex environmental matters in private practice, including Clean Air Act and Superfund litigation and FIFRA pesticide data compensation arbitrations.

Bernie is a frequent author and speaker on insurance coverage issues and has chaired subcommittees of the American Bar Association relating to insurance litigation.