Alan H. Barbanel

Alan Barbanel is a founding partner of the law firm of Barbanel & Treuer, P.C.  Mr. Barbanel has a practice focusing on insurance coverage and bad faith on behalf of commercial insurers and reinsurers.  He has specialized in insurance coverage for the past thirty-two (32) years.  Mr. Barbanel’s clients include several foreign and domestic excess and surplus lines insurers and reinsurers for which he handles a wide variety of complex third-party and first-party coverage disputes arising out of professional liability, employment practices liability, directors and officers’ liability, commercial general liability, specialty liability, commercial property, homeowners’, and a variety of specialty policies including contingent liability and product recall policies.  Mr. Barbanel also has expertise in a wide variety of policy formation issues and insurance fraud.

In addition, over the past fifteen (15) years Mr. Barbanel has acted as a claim administrator for a variety professional liability programs for the Lloyd’s, London insurance market.  This includes programs for lawyers, insurance agents and brokers, real estate and mortgage brokers, architects and engineers, and miscellaneous professions. In the capacity of a claim administrator Mr. Barbanel has handled in excess of 1,300 professional liability claims in most states in the United States.

Mr. Barbanel is routinely called on by carriers to assist in the drafting of policy language and provide training services and a variety of insurance related issues.

Mr. Barbanel has acted as an expert witness in insurance coverage and attorney malpractice lawsuits, and he lectures frequently on insurance coverage and bad faith issues.

Education

• 1978, Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude  –  Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
• 1982, Juris Doctor – University of San Diego, San Diego, California
  • Lead Articles Editor, San Diego Law Review

Professional Licenses And Designations, Memberships, Honors

• License 108196, State Bar of California, 1983
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Member, San Diego County Bar Association
• Member, Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS)
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated – Southern California Legal Leader 2015
• Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys 2014
• Southern California Super Lawyer 2004 – Present
• California State Bar Insurance Law Committee (January 2012 – Present)
• California State Bar Insurance Law Committee (Member, 2012 – Present, Vice-Chair, 2014 – Present )

Professional Work Experience

• 1982 – 1984, Long & Levit (Parkinson, Wolf, Lazar & Leo), Los Angeles, California
• 1984 – 1988,  Buchalter, Nemer, Fields & Younger, Los Angeles, California
• 1988 – 2000, Quisenberry & Barbanel, LLP, Los Angeles, California
• 2000 – Present, Barbanel & Treuer, P.C., Los Angeles, California

Reported Decisions

• National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, PA v General Star Indemnity Co.,  Slip Opinion, 2007 WL 495018 (C. A. 3d (Pa., February 16, 2007));
• National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, PA v. General Star Indemnity Co., 2005 WL 1389252 (U.S.D.C. E.D. Pa., June 9, 2005);
• General Reinsurance Corporation v. St. Jude Hospital, 107 Cal. App 4th 1097 (2003);
• QSP, Inc. v. The Aetna Casualty and Surety Co., 256 Conn. 343, 773 A.2d 906 (2001);
• Reliance National Indemnity Co. v. General Star Indemnity Co., 85 Cal. Rptr. 2d 627 (1999);
• Jamestown Builders, Inc., v. General Star Indemnity Co., 77 Cal.App.4^th 341 (1999);
• General Star Indemnity Co. v. Superior Court (Hard Rock Café), 47 Cal. App. 4th 1586 (1996);
• Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. v. McDonald, Hecht & Solberg, 30 Cal. App. 4th 1373 (1994);
• North Star Reinsurance Corporation v. Superior Court, 10 Cal. App. 4th 1815 (1992).
• Spa De Soleil v. General Star Indem. Co., 787 F.Supp.2d 1091 (C.D.Cal.2011).
• Zurich Specialties London, Ltd. v. Bickerstaff, Whatley, Ryan & Burkhalter, Inc., 650 F.Supp.2d 1064 (C.D.Cal.2009), affirmed, 425 Fed.Appx. 554 (9^th Cir. 2011)
• Dietz Int’l Public Adjusters of Calif., Inc. v. Evanston Ins. Co., 796 F.Supp.2d 1197 (C.D.Cal.2011)
• F.D.I.C. v. General Star Nat. Ins. Co., 2012 WL 398352 (C.D.Cal. Feb. 7, 2012)

Expert Consultant or Witness

• Golden Eagle Insurance Co. v. William D. Evans, etc., et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. BC 351301; (Retained by Golden Eagle Insurance Company, May 2007 (Testified at trial re: obligations of independent defense counsel pursuant to California Civil Code Section 2860)).
• Lexington Insurance Company v. Powers, McNalis Torres & Teebagy; Retained by Powers, McNalis Torres & Teebagy (PMT&T) re: whether Florida law firm fell below the applicable standard of care in defense of bad faith action entitled Saewitz v. Lexington Insurance Company.
• Yarpezeshkan v Lewin, etc., et. al., San Diego County Superior Court, Case No. GIC 850949 (Retained by Jeffrey D. Lewin re: whether lawyer fell below applicable standard of care by failing to tender the Qualmag Litigation to the liability carrier before March 3, 2004).
• Ecolite Concrete USA v. G.S. Levine Insurance Services Union, San Diego County Superior Court, Central Branch Case No. 37-2011-00098582-CU-PN-CTL (Retained by Stutz, Artiano, Shinoff & Holtz).

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