The highly regarded Haynes and Boone, LLP Insurance Recovery Practice proudly welcomes three new California-based lawyers led by Partner David P. Bender Jr., who brings 31 years of experience advocating for policyholder rights across a wide range of industries.
Bender is being joined in the firm’s Orange County office by Counsel Caroline Ford and Associate Mike Stoner. All three move from the Ventura office of insurance law boutique Anderson Kill.
“The arrival of David, Caroline and Mike is part of a long-planned geographic expansion of our practice,” said Dallas Partner Ernest Martin, chair of the Haynes and Boone Insurance Recovery Practice Group. “These three fine lawyers bring some exciting new energy and strategic thinking. Culturally and professionally, David’s team is a great addition that will help us really boost the national footprint of our representations.”
Bender said his group was attracted to Haynes and Boone for its breadth of practices, office locations and teamwork, client-first culture.
“I’ve had an insurance recovery practice for a long time but have always felt that being part of a full service law firm would really be a substantial benefit,” Bender said. “Culture is very important to me, and the more I learned about Haynes and Boone, the more appealing it became. Plus, geographically the firm’s locations made a lot of sense in terms of access to the kinds of clients we represent.”
Bender said those include general areas like the hospitality, manufacturing and transportation industries, but also large public entities like major ports. “All those sectors have lots of recovery issues,” Bender said.
Additionally, he noted that his practice has also handled policyholder issues in international arbitration forums as well as European organizations in U.S.-based insurance coverage disputes. That facet of his practice undoubtedly will benefit from Haynes and Boone’s recently announced merger with a 20-lawyer firm in London, he said.
Bender has represented public and private corporations, financial institutions, private and public educational institutions, and boards of directors in coverage disputes with insurance companies. He has also represented numerous private and public entities in coverage disputes against insurance carriers and joint powers agencies, particularly in the transportation and hospitality industries. Bender’s practice has also attracted clients with environmental contamination and class action litigation needs.
His outside activities include service on the Los Angeles Fleet Week Foundation, which supports the city and Harbor of Los Angeles in honoring the military. Bender has also chaired the board of advisors for the University of Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture and served as a trustee for Holy Cross College in South Bend, Ind. He is the former chairman of St. Joseph’s Health and Retirement Center Foundation, former director of the board of Hospitaller Brothers Health Care of California, Inc., former president of Catholic Charities for Ventura County and a member of the board of directors of the Boy Scouts of Ventura County.
Ford focuses her practice on the enforcement of rights and claims under insurance policies on behalf of corporate and public entity policyholders. Her extensive background and experience in corporate management gives her special insight into her clients’ challenges and need for value-oriented strategies for solving business and risk allocation problems through insurance. Before beginning her legal career, Caroline worked as operations manager for an international distribution corporation. Her personal involvement in handling complex business transactions with large corporations gave her an ability to perceive the practical needs of corporate clients that she now uses to recommend cost-effective solutions to insurance recovery problems.
Stoner focuses his practice on insurance recovery, corporate and commercial litigation, and environmental law.
Before beginning his law firm career he served as a legal extern at the United States Embassy, where he reviewed and drafted trial materials, assisted in trial preparation, researched international legal issues, and helped design and implement a new legal database for the Department of Justice, Civil Division, European Office.
Haynes and Boone’s Insurance Recovery Practice Group represents clients in all facets of their dealings with insurance carriers. Practice members help businesses and individuals facing costly litigation or recovering from a catastrophic event to get the financial protection they deserve from their insurance carriers.
