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Mike is chair of Calfee’s Insurance Recovery Group and serves on the firm’s executive committee. For more than 20 years, he has successfully represented policyholders in disputes against insurance companies under a wide variety of insurance policies including commercial liability policies, directors and officers liability policies, property and business interruption policies, professional liability policies, employment practices policies and crime policies. Mike also counsels clients on policy interpretation and risk management, insurance aspects of mergers and acquisitions, policy renewal negotiations, and corporate indemnification. Mike’s extensive insurance recovery experience includes: Represented numerous clients in connection with obtaining defense and indemnification for asbestos, silica, and chemical exposure liabilities. Successfully negotiated cost-sharing arrangements with insurance companies resulting in payments on behalf of clients in excess of $100 million. Represented manufacturer in litigation against umbrella insurance company and broker seeking coverage for employees’ claims arising out of a plant explosion. Successfully negotiated a multi-million dollar settlement with insurance company which fully funded defense and settlement of claims brought by injured employees. Assisted client in resolving coverage disputes with excess insurers and obtaining coverage from insurers for settlement of a national consumer class action involving client’s construction products. Negotiations resulted in payments to client in excess of $20 million by insurers. Represented numerous clients with respect to claims for coverage under commercial crime policies involving employee embezzlement and fraudulent invoicing schemes in the United States, South America and China, resulting in substantial six figure and multi-million dollar payments under their crime policies. Represented manufacturer in litigation against excess insurer who denied coverage for asbestos bodily injury claims on the grounds that all asbestos claims constituted a single $1 million occurrence. Negotiated a favorable settlement for our client in the amount of $15 million. Represented owner of resort hotel, restaurant and marina in litigation against property insurer who refused to fully compensate client for property losses caused by wind storm. Successfully negotiated a multi-million dollar settlement for client which fully paid for all property and business interruption losses. Represented numerous clients in disputes with insurers involving coverage for claims for securities fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and employment discrimination. Assisted clients in negotiating settlements with insurers involving millions of dollars for defense and settlement of underlying lawsuits. Mike is an active member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and currently serves as its interim president-elect. He has previously served as its vice-president, on its board of trustees and on various committees. He is also an active member of the American and Ohio Bar Associations and is a trustee of the Cleveland Bar Foundation. Mike has spoken about and published articles on numerous topics including insurance coverage, bad faith, business litigation, expert witnesses, the attorney-client and work product privileges, and legal ethics. After graduating first in his law school class, Mike began practicing law with Calfee in 1979. He became a partner with the firm in 1987, and was elected to its executive committee in 2007. | 