Jerry Oshinsky joined Gilbert Oshinsky as a name partner in 2008 to reunite with lawyers he has worked with in the past, some of whom he has known for nearly 30 years.  Referred to by his peers as “the dean of the policyholder bar,” Jerry Oshinsky is “energetic and creative” with the “uncanny ability to size up the strengths and weaknesses of a dispute.” Mr. Oshinsky focuses his practice on insurance coverage litigation on behalf of policyholders in federal and state courts throughout the country and on counseling clients nationwide on insurance coverage and related matters. In October 2007, Mr. Oshinsky was named as “The Leading Lawyer in Insurance” for Washington, DC by the Legal Times. He was chosen from among 10 finalists based on independent research and nominations from peers, clients, and other members of the legal industry.

Mr. Oshinsky’s rise in the insurance coverage arena started in the 1970s with his representation of Keene Corporation in the landmark insurance coverage case, Keene Corp. v. Insurance Co. of North America. In this seminal asbestos-related insurance coverage case, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held in 1981 that, asbestos to the discovery of the resultant conditions. This case established the “continuous trigger” principle that has been applied in cases throughout the United States. Since that litigation, he has litigated, and is now litigating, many of the most significant and cutting-edge insurance coverage issues in the country. His sought-after expertise has touched numerous Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Emerson, General Motors, Hercules, Louisiana-Pacific, Merck, Pfizer, and Philips Electronics, to name a few. These matters include advertising liabilities, asbestos, broker’s liability, business interruption, construction defects, directors and officers, employment and discrimination issues, environmental liability, errors and omissions, fidelity bonds, professional indemnity, general liability, intellectual property, products liability, and first-party property policies, including 9/11 claims.

Mr. Oshinsky has lectured since the early 1980s on numerous insurance coverage issues for a multitude of organizations.

Mr. Oshinsky often has contributed his services on a pro bono basis, including providing advice to nonprofit organizations, with an emphasis on the theatrical community.

He heads the Firm’s Los Angeles office.

PUBLICATIONS

Mr. Oshinsky is a principal author and editor of Practitioner’s Guide to Litigating Insurance Coverage Actions (Aspen Law & Business, Second Edition 2002), a multi-volume set, updated yearly,that includes legal commentary, practical advice, and forms for attorneys and legal staffs involved in insurance coverage litigation. He has published numerous articles in various publications, including the Insurance Coverage Law Bulletin, Journal of Insurance Coverage, The Corporate Analyst, The John Liner Review, Environmental Hazards, The Environmental Counselor, Chemical Waste Litigation Reporter, Asbestos Issues Magazine, Journal of Products Liability, and Legal Notes & Viewpoints Quarterly.

• Mr. Oshinsky is ranked in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business annual guide as a leading individual in the area of Insurance: Policy Holder (National and the District of Columbia). He also has been named in The Best Lawyers in America, Washington DC Super Lawyers, Marquis Who’s Who in America, The International Who’s Who of Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers, and The Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers. In February 2007, Mr. Oshinsky was recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” by the Legal Times, naming him one of the ten best insurance attorneys in Washington, DC. According to the Legal Times, those included on the list have handled “some of the highest-profile insurance cases in the last 25 years,” and played “a key role in some of the most complex disputes of our times.” In October 2007, the Legal Times selected Mr. Oshinsky as “The Leading Lawyer in Insurance” for Washington, DC.

• Bad Faith Insurance Claims, October 16, 2008, Strategies for Prosecuting and Defending Against Claims of Insurer Misconduct
• Contested Insurance Coverage, September 24, 2008, Strategies to Reconcile Policyholders' and Insurers' Competing Interests
• Contested Insurance Coverage: Defense Under Reservation of Rights, September 24, 2008, Strategies to Reconcile Policyholders’ and Insurers’ Competing Interests