Lorie Masters Strengthens National Practice

WASHINGTON, DC (February 25, 2014) - Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Lorelie (“Lorie”) S. Masters has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as partner in the firm’s Insurance Recovery Group.  Masters was most recently a partner with Jenner & Block LLP in Washington, DC. 

A preeminent insurance litigator and counselor, Masters has more than 30 years of experience representing policyholders.  She handles all aspects of complex commercial litigation and arbitration and  has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars of coverage for her clients under many different types of insurance.

“We’re thrilled  to welcome an attorney of Lorie’s caliber and accomplishments to Perkins Coie’s insurance practice in DC,” said Bill Malley, Managing Partner of the firm’s Washington, DC office.  “She has an extraordinary reputation that is backed by her winning track record, her extensive writing and her contributions to the bar.  We are delighted to welcome Lorie to Perkins Coie’s expanding Washington presence.”

Masters’ clients include companies and individuals seeking counsel in enforcing insurance coverage under general liability, directors and officers, fiduciary liability, first-party property, business-interruption, cyber liability and damage, and other types of insurance.  She has extensive experience representing clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts and in arbitrations, both domestic and abroad, and has won significant trials and arbitrations enforcing insurance coverage for policyholder clients.

“Lorie’s addition strategically strengthens the depth and breadth of our national policyholder practice,” said Don Friedman, chair of Perkins Coie’s Insurance Recovery Group.  “Her extensive experience complements the legal talent that already exist in our rapidly growing practice group.  We warmly welcome her into our firm.”

Masters received her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Legislation and scholar with the Thomas J. and Alberta White Center; and her A.B., cum laude, from Georgetown University.  She speaks and writes extensively on topics related to her practice and is co-author of two widely recognized legal treatises: Insurance Coverage Litigation; and Liability Insurance in International Arbitrations: The Bermuda Form, which is widely recognized as the “standard work on the topic” (as stated by the English Court of Appeal).

In addition to her busy practice, Masters has served in leadership positions in American Bar Association (ABA) and other bar associations.  She has served as the national policyholder chair of the ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee (2000-2003), and on the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession (2009-2012), and ABA Gender Equity Task Force (2012-present).  Masters was also president of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia from 2007-2008 and served on the DC Bar’s Board of Governors (2010-2013).

Super Lawyers named her as one of the Top 100 lawyers in Washington, DC, for 2012-2013, and as one of the Top 50 women lawyers in Washington, DC, for 2011-2013.  Masters also is recognized as a leading attorney in her practice area.  Since 2005, Chambers & Partners USA has named her as one of the leading attorneys in insurance coverage in Washington, DC; and in 2010, named her as “Band 1” for insurance coverage in DC, and, in 2011 and 2012, as Band 2 in Insurance: Dispute Resolution-Policyholder (Nationwide).   Law360 in 2010 identified her as one of the “10 Most Admired Insurance Attorneys.”  The Best Lawyers in America consistently recognize her for insurance law; Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides included her in “Best of the Best USA 2013” as one of the top 30 insurance and reinsurance attorneys in the country.  In 2013 and 2014, Benchmark Litigation included her in its top 250 “Women in Litigation.”

Various organizations have honored Masters for her contributions, including The National Association of Women Lawyers, who presented her with its 2005 Service Award for her work as Chair of the group’s Amicus Committee, and the National Law Journal, who selected Masters for its “Champions and Visionaries” award series for her work on voting rights and women’s rights issues, saying she “upheld the profession’s core values through public service, pro bono effort and advocacy for civil liberties.”  Masters’ many pro bono activities have included representing policyholders denied health insurance coverage, renegotiating high-rate loans, and representing individuals seeking compensation under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

Perkins Coie’s Insurance Recovery attorneys have a broad range of experience and a record of success in enforcing policyholders’ rights under almost every type of commercial insurance policy for a wide spectrum of losses and liabilities.  They have negotiated with, and litigated against, every major insurer in the domestic insurance market as well as in the London and Bermuda insurance markets.  The firm’s practice group has extensive experience with various major industry groups and has represented the leading companies in almost every industry, including Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies, as well as public sector policyholders.

The firm was most recently recognized by Law360 as one of only five nationally ranked law firms to receive the distinction as Insurance Practice Group of the Year.  Additional publications and ranking organizations that have recommended the firm’s insurance recovery practice include:

• Benchmark Litigation, 2014;  
• Ranked by Chambers USA, 2013, in Washington, DC; and  
• Tier 1 by US News — Best Lawyers®, 2013-2014.

Perkins Coie is a leading international law firm that is known for providing high-value, strategic solutions and extraordinary client service on matters vital to our clients’ success. With more than 1,200 lawyers in offices across the United States and Asia, we provide a full array of corporate, commercial litigation, intellectual property, and regulatory legal advice to a broad range of clients, including many of the world’s most innovative companies and industry leaders as well as public and not-for-profit organizations.

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