William A. Pelandini Member Practice Areas Insurance Coverage Commercial Litigation Insurance Defense General Litigation Products Liability

Personal Narrative
After graduating from college, Bill taught history, English and humanities at the secondary school level in the Seattle area. Leaving teaching in 1976, he was appointed staff research analyst for the Washington State Senate Committees on Insurance and Financial Institutions, Commerce, and International Trade and Tourism. During the 1979-80 legislative sessions, Bill was a principal staff member of the Senate Select Committee that prepared legislation later enacted as Washington’s Tort and Product Liability Reform Act of 1981.

Upon obtaining his law degree, Bill joined the litigation group at Lane Powell in Seattle. He was elected partner in 1988 and served for three years on the firm’s management committee. With several other Lane Powell partners, Bill joined Cozen O’Connor as a Senior Member in late 1999. In March 2006, he joined former Lane Powell and Cozen O’Connor colleagues at Nicoll Black & Feig.

Bill has extensive experience as an advisor to and litigator on behalf of domestic and international insurers in the areas of property, casualty, professional liability and D&O insurance. He has handled significant coverage and defense claims in cases involving environmental liability, construction defect, property loss, product liability, highway design, lawyers/realtors/insurance brokers/escrow agents E&O and insurance bad faith exposures. He has also represented other commercial clients in defense of breach of contract and negligence claims. He is a member of the American, Washington and King County Bar Associations and the Defense Research Institute. Bill was named a “Super Lawyer” by Washington Law & Politics in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Representative Matters

• Lead insurer’s counsel in $60 million coverage litigation arising out of multi-state defective product class action.
• Lead counsel for domestic and London Market insurers in regard to several major environmental coverage and bad faith matters.
• Insurer’s counsel in business interruption coverage matter arising from September 11 attacks.
• Defense counsel in regard to insurance broker professional liability claims, one involving $4 million exposure and the other $2 million exposure.
• Joint counsel for insurer and insured in two recovery actions arising from significant construction defect and property loss claims.
• Appellate counsel in significant ($2 million+) insurer coverage/bad faith action
• Lead defense counsel for software installation consultant in regard to breach of contract lawsuit alleging failure to properly install multi-faceted HR program.

Education
Central Washington State University, B.A. cum laude, 1969
University of Puget Sound School of Law, J.D. cum laude 1980

Professional Experience
Associate, Lane Powell, 1981 – 1988
Partner, Lane Powell, 1988 – 1999
Senior Member, Cozen O’Connor, 1999 – 2006
Of Counsel, Nicoll Black & Feig, 2006 – 2007
Member, Nicoll Black & Feig, 2008 –

Associations
American Bar Association
Washington State Bar Association
Defense Research Institute

Honors
“Super Lawyer” 2005-2008

Bar Memberships
Washington State
Oregon State
U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit