Patrick R. Emerson

Patrick Emerson is a special counsel in the Business Trial Practice Group in the firm's Los Angeles office.

Areas of Practice

Patrick has more than 12 years’ experience as an advocate and counselor for insurers handling coverage and bad faith disputes. Patrick has secured successful outcomes for insurers in federal and state courts and has handled matters involving a wide variety of commercial and personal insurance lines and subject matters. He regularly handles matters involving high exposure and novel challenges facing the insurance industry.

In addition to California, Patrick is admitted in Illinois, where he attended law school and practiced for over seven years. Patrick has also served as U.S. claims counsel for Bermuda insurers and reinsurers.

Since 2021, Patrick has been a contributing editor to the Rutter California Practice Guide: Insurance Litigation.

Experience

• Won dismissal with prejudice, and appeal before the Ninth Circuit, of a bank’s multi-million-dollar claim against an insurer, based on the bank’s failure to provide timely notice and an insolvency exclusion

• Obtained judgment on the pleadings in favor of an insurer against a general contractor, based on a subcontractor bodily injury exclusion
• Defended a London insurer against a suit by a municipality involving an alleged seven-figure loss and bad faith allegations, and negotiated settlement following summary judgment briefing
• Obtained a favorable ruling for a Bermuda insurer in a London arbitration involving a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical product
• Counseled insurers in relation to coverage for mass product liability claims, including landmark cases in the automotive, healthcare, and pharmaceutical sectors
• Counseled insurers on novel COVID-19 business interruption coverage issues under commercial property policies

Honors

Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers, 2025