Practice Area 02 / 04
Insurance
Coverage disputes, bad-faith claims, policy interpretation, and subrogation. Policy language is where reasonable people disagree — neutral interpretation is often the fastest path forward.
Why Insurance ADR
Policy disputes resolved with clarity and speed.
Insurance disputes often hinge on policy language — what's covered, what's excluded, and whether the insurer acted in good faith. These matters require a neutral who understands both the substantive law and the commercial realities of the insurance industry.
Leslie has handled first-party and third-party coverage disputes, bad-faith allegations, UM/UIM claims, subrogation matters, and commercial general liability disputes. She understands the competing interests at play — insureds seeking coverage, insurers managing risk, and the policy language that sits between them.
Insurance litigation is expensive and slow. Mediation and arbitration offer faster, more cost-effective paths to resolution — especially when the neutral brings subject-matter expertise and a practical understanding of how coverage disputes actually settle.
Insurance Matters Handled
Coverage disputes across eight core areas.
First-Party Coverage
Property damage, business interruption, and other first-party claims where the insured seeks coverage under its own policy.
Third-Party Claims
Liability coverage disputes where the insurer owes a duty to defend or indemnify the insured against third-party claims.
Bad-Faith Allegations
Claims that the insurer failed to act in good faith — including unreasonable denial, delay, or failure to settle within policy limits.
UM/UIM Disputes
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage disputes — valuation, stacking, and exhaustion-of-limits issues.
Property & Casualty
Homeowners, commercial property, windstorm, flood, and other property-casualty coverage disputes.
Commercial General Liability
CGL coverage disputes — occurrence vs. claims-made, additional insured issues, and defense-cost allocation.
Subrogation
Insurer subrogation claims against third parties, contribution disputes, and waiver-of-subrogation issues.
Policy Interpretation
Ambiguity disputes, exclusion applicability, and coverage-trigger disagreements requiring neutral policy construction.
Leslie's Approach
"Insurance disputes turn on language — and language often turns on context. A good neutral helps parties surface the underlying interests and test whether settlement serves both sides better than litigation."
— Leslie W. Langbein
Leslie has litigated insurance disputes in federal and state courts and appeared before administrative agencies on coverage matters. She understands the contractual, regulatory, and business dimensions of insurance law — and how those dimensions interact in settlement negotiations.
Her mediation style tends to be active — testing positions, surfacing weaknesses, and helping parties honestly assess the probability of success if the matter proceeds to trial. That candid approach works particularly well in insurance disputes, where policy language often creates genuinely close calls.
How It Works
From intake to resolution — typically within weeks.
Confidential Intake
Initial call to understand the coverage dispute, policy language at issue, and preferred process (mediation or arbitration).
Pre-Session Materials
Policy, correspondence, position statements, and key documents submitted. Leslie reviews the file and identifies coverage issues.
Mediation or Arbitration Session
Structured settlement discussion (mediation) or evidentiary hearing (arbitration) — focused on the policy language and the facts.
Resolution & Documentation
Settlement agreement (mediation) or written award (arbitration) — memorialized promptly to avoid post-session drift.