Brandt L. Wolkin

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415-982-9390
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Mr. Wolkin’s practice concentrates on advising and litigating insurance coverage and construction related matters.

Mr. Wolkin began his career as a construction and surety attorney. In the late 1980’s, Mr. Wolkin began using his construction and surety background to litigate an early generation of wrap-up insurance policies. Mr. Wolkin expanded on this construction defect coverage litigation practice and began also handling large product cases arising out of the construction industry, environmental and asbestos coverage litigation, as well as reinsurance arbitrations.

Whether representing a party in an insurance or construction related dispute, Mr. Wolkin prides himself equally in his ability to resolve matters prior to litigation and his trial and appellate court record. Mr. Wolkin’s published appellate opinions include Wells Fargo Bank v. CIGA, et al., (1995) 38 Cal.App.4th 936, an important decision upholding the position of Mr. Wolkin’s excess carrier client in a “drop-down” insolvency case and Pennsylvania General Insurance Company v. American Safety Indemnity Co., (2010) 185 Cal.App.4th 1515, a post-Montrose “trigger case” construing language purportedly “drafting around” that seminal California Supreme Court decision.

Mr. Wolkin’s ability to predict how, at case inception, cases will end up in the very early stages allows him to facilitate the early resolution of a substantial number of matters on which he is retained. This ability, when combined with Mr. Wolkin’s negotiating skill gained over 30 years, the reputation he has earned during that time and his ability to engage opposing counsel, explains why so many of the matters he handles resolve early and well. Absent a favorable early resolution short of trial, Mr. Wolkin approaches trial fearlessly. Insurance cases Mr. Wolkin has successfully tried include construction defect coverage, multisite environmental coverage cases applying laws ranging from Texas to New Jersey, asbestos coverage lawsuits claiming “limitless coverage” and bad faith denial of coverage claims arising out of construction defects. Mr. Wolkin has also successfully tried construction cases involving delay and contract entitlement, as well as surety contract and pre-Mamouth Vista bad faith cases.

Mr. Wolkin lectures frequently, including speaking and authoring accompanying materials, at venues such as the International Risk Management Conference, the CPCU annual convention, the Defense Research Institute, West Coast Casualty and countless continuing education seminars for the benefit of clients.

Mr. Wolkin received his Bachelor of Arts, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, from Hobart and William Smith College in New York in 1977 and his Juris Doctor from Bolt Hall School of Law in 1983.