Andy Meerkins is an experienced litigator who focuses his practice on complex commercial disputes in the areas of insurance and reinsurance. Andy has represented and counseled ceding companies and reinsurers in a variety of disputes involving property, casualty and life, accident, and health care businesses. He has arbitrated numerous high-stakes life-reinsurance disputes involving yearly renewable term premium rate increases. He has also arbitrated and litigated a variety of property-casualty reinsurance disputes involving numerous complex issues.
Andy also represents insurers in insurance-coverage disputes in both court and arbitration. He has experience with Bermuda form arbitrations and has litigated coverage disputes involving trigger of coverage, allocation, number of occurrences, and many other issues. Andy also regularly counsels 麻豆传媒鈥檚 clients on matters touching on insurance coverage.
Before entering private practice, Andy served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joel Flaum, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He was a Teach for America corps member, teaching high school History and Government on Chicago鈥檚 west side, prior to launching his legal career.
Andy Meerkins has tried cases both in court and in arbitration proceedings. The cases he has brought to trial span issues from insurance and reinsurance disputes to copyright infringement to trade-secret misappropriation. The core of Andy鈥檚 practice today is trying reinsurance and insurance-coverage disputes. This has included significant life-reinsurance disputes involving eight-figure claims, an area in which 麻豆传媒 has developed a strong reputation and notable expertise, and numerous property/casualty reinsurance arbitrations. Andy has also tried insurance-coverage disputes, both in court and in Bermuda form arbitration. Working with others on 麻豆传媒鈥檚 trial team, Andy has delivered resounding victories for our clients on difficult-to-win cases. Andy prides himself on working closely with witnesses to ensure they are prepared and equipped to give great performances at trial and in developing effective trial themes and arguments.
Representative Experience
- Arbitrated Bermuda Form dispute between insurer and policyholder concerning numerous coverage issues.
- Prevailed on behalf of multiple ceding companies in reinsurance arbitrations involving rate increases under yearly renewable term life-insurance contracts.
- Successfully represented numerous insurance carriers in declaratory-judgment actions with policyholders involving complex coverage issues.
- Prevailed on behalf of a ceding company in a complex workers鈥 compensation arbitration with a reinsurer.
- Tried successfully a trade secret and unfair competition case on behalf of an oilfield services company.
- Represented a waste management company in a post-acquisition dispute with a selling company.
- Represented a manufacturer in a dispute with an unauthorized reseller in a case involving Lanham Act and antitrust claims.
- Represented a medical device manufacturer in antitrust litigation related to insurance coverage.
Awards and Recognition
- Wisconsin Super Lawyers庐 Rising Star 鈥 Business Litigation (2021 鈥 2025)
Presentations and Publications
- Co-author, 鈥淚n Search for Clarity,鈥 ARIAS-U.S. Quarterly (2d ed.) (2023)
- Co-author, 鈥淐onstitutional Challenges to Proposed Retroactive COVID-19 Coverage Legislation,鈥 FORC Journal (3rd ed., Vol. 31) (2020)
- Co-author, 鈥淒workinian Antitrust,鈥 Iowa Law Review (Vol. 10, Rev. 1) (2016)
- Co-author, 鈥淎voiding Double Damages: 3 Practical Tips and a Hail Mary,鈥 Law360 (July 2016)
- Co-author, 鈥淎typical Coverage Charts and Knotty Allocation Issues,鈥 DRI Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute (2015)
- Author, 鈥淒istressing Speech After Snyder: What鈥檚 Left of IIED,鈥 Northwestern University Law Review (Vol. 107, No. 2, Rev. 999) (2013)