Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal has recruited from a prominent commercial insurance law firm for its latest partner hire.
Marisa O’Sullivan recently joined Carrington Coleman from Amy Stewart Law, where she practiced for eight years and made principal.
“I gained outstanding experience representing commercial policyholders at Amy Stewart Law, but I’m thrilled to join the ranks of such a storied Dallas law firm,” O’Sullivan said. “Carrington Coleman will be the perfect place to continue to grow my insurance recovery practice alongside a team of bright, talented lawyers with a broad range of clients and practices.”
O’Sullivan, who earned her law degree at Southern Methodist University, has served as coverage counsel to commercial clients in a variety of industries including technology, hospitality, real estate, manufacturing, transportation, aviation, security and retail.
In a recent matter, she represented a publicly-traded heating, cooling and refrigeration manufacturer in coverage litigation against its first-layer excess insurers related to a $100 million insurance program providing coverage for a nationwide asbestos docket. O’Sullivan’s team helped the client negotiate a favorable cost-sharing agreement with the excess carriers to provide coverage for future asbestos claims.
While Covid-related business interruption claims are still a hot button issue, O’Sullivan is seeing less volume and more concentrated litigation or negotiation of select high-dollar claims.
The cyber insurance market has been another busy area, especially with the rise in ransomware attacks that have accompanied the increase in remote work.
“Every cyber policy review I have recently completed has been fascinating because insurers continue to add or exclude coverage for constantly emerging or evolving risks,” she said.
For example, O’Sullivan says the last policy she reviewed contained coverage for cryptojacking, which involves the breach and utilization of company computers to mine cryptocurrency.
“A few years ago, a loss like this might have been unimaginable,” she said. “Now, there’s insurance for it.”
In addition to her law practice, O’Sullivan serves on the board of the Dallas Bar Association and the Dallas Women Lawyers Association. She is slated to be the DWLA president in 2022.
“Marisa has distinguished herself at the forefront of the exceedingly important practice of insurance coverage law. We are excited to add an attorney with her industry and professional leadership experience to the firm,” Carrington Coleman Managing Partner Monica Latin said in a statement.