DAVID B. GOODWIN
Partner
Covington & Burling LLP
One Front Street
San Francisco, CA 94111-5356
Tel: 415.591.7074
Fax: 415.955.6574
dgoodwin@cov.com
Practices
Insurance Coverage - Policyholders
Litigation
●
Appellate Litigation/Supreme Court
Practice
Education
Stanford Law School, J.D., 1982
●
Stanford Law Review, Articles
Editor
University of Oxford, M.A., 1979
University of Oxford, B.A., 1976
University of California, Santa Cruz,
A.B., 1974
Judicial Clerkship
Hon. Joseph T. Sneed, U.S. Court of
Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Bar Admissions
California
David Goodwin is partner in the firm’s San Francisco office and a
member of the Insurance Coverage and Appellate practice
groups.
Mr. Goodwin is one of the nation’s leading insurance coverage
practitioners, ranked in the highest tier by Chambers USA both
nationally and in California. With more than twenty years of
experience representing corporate policyholders in insurance
coverage disputes and litigation, his practice runs the gamut of
insurance issues, including major property damage and business
interruption losses, errors and omissions, fidelity, and director
and officer claims, mortgage and financial guarantee insurance
disputes, and products liability and environmental matters. Mr.
Goodwin also is a highly experience appellate advocate and has
argued more than fifty appeals. Before joining the Covington &
Burling, Mr. Goodwin was a long-time partner of a major San
Francisco firm.
Mr. Goodwin has served as an adjunct professor at The University
of California at Berkeley Law School, where he taught courses on
insurance law.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
Represented an oil refinery in significant business
interruption insurance claim that resulted in a multihundred million dollar recovery for the insured.
Represented a paint manufacturing company in a
successful jury trial and two dozen successful summary
adjudication motions resulting in hundreds of millions of
dollars of coverage for the client’s asbestos liabilities.
Represented a financial institution in a successful trial
affirmed on appeal, to obtain errors and omissions
insurance coverage for consumer tort claims.
Obtained summary judgment in favor of a hospitality
industry client on a nine figure builders’ risk insurance
claim arising out of a construction accident.
Represented a major utility in a successful trial involving
insurance coverage for environmental liabilities.
Obtained summary judgment for a technology company in
a significant business interruption claim arising out of
employee sabotage.
Represented a major oil company in litigation concerning
builders’ risk insurance for numerous construction
projects.
Represented clients in dozens of first-party property
damage, business interruption or builders’ risk insurance
claims arising at locations around the world, including
Guam, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, the Netherlands,
Norway, Spain, United Kingdom, Vietnam and 22 states in
the United States.
Handled a huge variety of third party liability insurance
matters, including products and environmental liabilities,
director and officer, errors and omissions claims,
employment disputes, and nuclear liabilities.
Represented clients in numerous claims and insurance
issues involving subprime mortgage and credit risks.
Argued insurance coverage appeals before the California
Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for
the Fifth and Ninth Circuits, and numerous state appellate
courts.
HONORS AND RANKINGS
Chambers USA (highest tier of policyholder lawyers both
nationally and in California)
Euromoney’s World’s Leading Insurance and Reinsurance
Lawyers
Legal Media Group Guide to the World’s Leading
Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers
Super Lawyers of Northern California
Who’s Who Legal: Insurance and Reinsurance
Woodward/White Inc.’s “Best Lawyers in America”
MEMBERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS
American Bar Association
Bar Association of San Francisco Insurance Coverage
Section, former President
Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
San Francisco Mechanics’ Institute, Chair of the Board of
Trustees
State Bar of California Insurance Law Section, former
Member, Board of Directors
PUBLICATIONS AND SPEECHES
Mr. Goodwin has spoken at eight of the past ten Risk and
Insurance Management Society (RIMS) annual
conventions and dozens of Bar Association trade groups
and Mealey’s seminars.
PUBLICATIONS
"Property Insurance," Appleman On Insurance (3d ed.)
(2008), Co-Author
"Insurance Coverage for Trademark Matters," McCarthy on
Trademarks and Unfair Competition (rev. ed.) (2008), CoAuthor
"Direct Settlements by Insureds: An End Run for the RunAround," Corporate Counsel’s Guide to Director and
Officer Insurance (rev. ed.) (2005), Author