Insurance Advisory
A policyholder's best opportunity to mitigate risk is now, before a loss occurs. Every business presents unique risks that should be addressed while selecting coverage. Knowing how policy language is actually applied in coverage disputes, Mr. Allen helps his clients optimize their coverage before it is tested.
​​
Property Claims
Mr. Allen has extensive experience enforcing policyholders' rights in property and casualty insurance claims, including claims for business interruption and property loss or damage. He helps clients navigate the claims process and hold insurers to their coverage and regulatory obligations. Possessing a deep understanding of insurers' obligations and the enforceability of policy provisions across jurisdictions, Mr. Allen responds to insurers' frequent reliance on inapplicable coverage limitations, often compelling payment after a claim is denied.
Bad Faith Claims
Liability Claims
Mr. Allen has represented numerous businesses, including several Fortune 500 companies, through the process of seeking insurance coverage for a range of underlying complex litigation. He helps clients identify all applicable insurance, including the insurance of contractors and other additional insureds, provides notices of suit, parses through and responds to insurer denials or overly broad reservations of rights, fights for counsel independent from insurers where conflicts arise, and enforces insurers' duties to defend and indemnify against underlying litigation.
Coverage Litigation
Insurers often fail to investigate a claim properly before denial, respond in a vague or untimely manner, or impose obligations on their policyholders that are not required by the policy or supported by the insurance law. These tactics are designed to overburden or intimidate policyholders, often in an effort to exhaust a policyholder's will to continue pursuing a claim. Mr. Allen is experienced in navigating these tactics and, when insurers cross the line, prosecuting bad faith claims against them.
Insurance coverage disputes require a deep understanding of how insurance companies approach coverage litigation. From preliminary case analysis through court proceedings, Mr. Allen provides aggressive policyholder advocacy, knowing how to approach the many tricks insurance companies use to dodge their coverage obligations. In pursuing favorable outcomes for clients, Mr. Allen robustly protects his clients legal and financial interests.
Seth I. Allen is an aggressive policyholder advocate with experience enforcing individual and business policyholders’ rights to insurance coverage for a diversity of losses and liabilities in state and federal courts throughout the country. With valuable experience in the civil and criminal arenas, he brings outstanding legal writing, research, technology, and matter management skills to his policyholder practice. Mr. Allen has a knack for maintaining positive relationships with his clients, the courts, and insurer counsel to effectively advocate and pursue favorable outcomes for his policyholder clients.
Mr. Allen began his career as a Judicial Law Clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where among numerous matters he was assigned one of the largest pharmaceutical liability multi-district litigation in the country and several years-long prosecutions in connection with one of the largest drug cartel busts in U.S. history. While clerking, Mr. Allen committed to becoming a policyholder specialist after observing the prejudicial impact that an insurance company can have on the outcome of civil and criminal matters in which they fail to uphold their defense and indemnity obligations.
​
After clerking, Mr. Allen represented policyholders as an insurance recovery associate at Cohen, Ziffer, Frenchman & McKenna LLP, an elite New York City-based insurance recovery law firm widely recognized as one of the preeminent boutique policyholder insurance recovery practices in the country. Most recently, Mr. Allen represented policyholders as a member of the global insurance recovery practice of K&L Gates, LLP, a multinational "Biglaw" firm regarded as a pioneer among its peers in insurance recovery litigation.
​
Mr. Allen has litigated coverage under professional liability, commercial general liability, directors' and officers' liability, builders' risk, property and casualty, and excess and umbrella insurance policies within numerous industries, including real estate development, construction, healthcare, manufacturing, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, legal, and finance.​​​​​​​​​
​
​
​​​
​Mr. Allen has conducted coverage and litigation assessments for investment funds seeking to finance insurance coverage litigation, including by advising on the merits and the potential costs of disputes. He also has experience auditing insurance programs and advising clients of the coverage that best suits their business needs.
​
​EDUCATION
University of Pennsylvania Law School (JD)
Wharton Aresty Institute of Executive Education (Mgmt. Cert.)
St. John’s University (BS)
​
CLERKSHIPS
Honorable Harvey Bartle III, U.S.D.J., E.D. Pa.
Honorable Abbe F. Fletman, Phila. CCP
Honorable Laura Taylor Swain, U.S.D.J., S.D.N.Y. (judicial intern)
​
BAR ADMISSIONS
New York
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
​
​
​