William A. Pelandini
Member
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Practice Areas
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Insurance
Coverage |
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Commercial Litigation |
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Insurance
Defense |
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General
Litigation |
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Products
Liability |
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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.
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Representative
Matters |
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Lead
insurer’s counsel in $60 million coverage
litigation arising out of multi-state
defective product class action. |
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Lead counsel
for domestic and London Market insurers in
regard to several major environmental
coverage and bad faith matters.
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Insurer’s
counsel in business interruption coverage
matter arising from September 11 attacks. |
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Defense
counsel in regard to insurance broker
professional liability claims, one involving
$4 million exposure and the other $2 million
exposure. |
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Joint counsel
for insurer and insured in two recovery
actions arising from significant
construction defect and property loss
claims. |
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Appellate
counsel in significant ($2 million+) insurer
coverage/bad faith action |
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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 |
