Arnold R. Levinson San Francisco, California
| Founding Partner | |
| phone | (415) 433-8000 (888) 433-8335 |
| fax | (415) 433-4816 |
| Email Me | |
Arnold R. Levinson is a founding partner. Mr. Levinson has practiced in the field of insurance bad faith and insurance coverage for nearly 30 years and was recently named Chairman of the Insurance Bad Faith Section of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Mr. Levinson has obtained numerous multi-million dollar settlements and awards. In 2003, Mr. Levinson was lead counsel in Chapman v. Unum Provident Corporation, a disability insurance bad faith case resulting in a $32 million verdict in Marin County Superior Court. This was the largest verdict ever obtained in Marin County by three and a half times. Mr. Levinson served as the President of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association in 1995. For nearly twenty years Mr. Levinson has been a regular contributing editor, expressing the rights of insureds, in the California Continuing Education of the Bar’s (CEB) Civil Litigation Reporter, a state-wide publication. Mr. Levinson has served for many years as a member of the Board of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association and Consumer Attorneys of California (formerly the California Trial Lawyers Association). Mr. Levinson is regularly consulted in connection with proposed legislation in insurance and civil procedure areas and has lectured to lawyers on insurance bad faith matters throughout the country. Mr. Levinson is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Washington.
- Certification/Specialties:
- Insurance Bad Faith, California Trial Lawyers Association
- Education:
- Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia,
1975
J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence - University of Washington, Seattle, Washington,
1972
B.A., Bachelor of Arts
Honors: Cum Laude
- Published Works:
- "Using the 'Treating Physician Rule' in Disability Bad Faith Cases", Arnold R. Levinson w/ Terrence J. Coleman, Forum Magazine, December, 2001
- "Insurance Bad Faith Claims Are Not Preempted", Arnold R. Levinson w/Terrence J. Coleman, Trial Magazine, June, 2001
- Thoughts on Trying a Plaintiff's Extra contractual Damages, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, American Bar Association, 1983
- Consultant to the CEB's "California Liability Insurance Practice: Claims and Litigation" for twenty years in which he published comments on over a hundred insurance cases.
- Classes/Seminars Taught:
- "How Campbell is Being Implemented by the Lower Courts", American Conference Institute National Advanced Form on Bad Faith and Punitive Damages, April 11, 2005
- Cross-Examining the Insurance Adjuster, Winning the Bad Faith Case IV, Ontario Trial Lawyers Association, April 2, 2004
- Punitive Damages after the Supreme Court's Decision in State Farm v. Campbell, Continuing Legal Education, National Teleseminar, January 15, 2004
- The Insurance Litigation Quagmire: Are the Risks Greater Than the Rewards, RIMS Bay Area Conference, San Francisco, California, November 21, 2003
- Using Corporate Documents and Depositions to Prove Bad Faith Conduct by Insurers, American Association for Justice Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, July 19, 2003 - July 23, 2003
- Bad Faith and Punitive Damages, American Conference Institute, San Francisco, April 28, 2003 - April 29, 2003
- Anatomy of a Bad Faith Action, Lorman Education Services, San Francisco, December 11, 2002
- Cross Examination of a Company Witness, American Bar Association Spring Program, April 11, 2002 - April 13, 2002
- Arnold R. Levinson with Terrence J. Coleman, Will the Supreme Court Overturn Pilot Life?, American Association for Justice 2002 Winter Convention, Miami, Florida, February 9, 2002 - February 13, 2002
- Disability Claims, Lorman Seminar: "Insurance Bad Faith Claims", Los Angeles, California, December 12, 2001
- The Art of the Closing Argument, Attorney Educational Seminar, San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, San Francisco, December 11, 2001
- Deposing the Claims Adjuster, Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association, 58th Annual Winter Convention, November 30, 2001 - December 1, 2001
- "Genuine Issue", Defense, Consumer Attorneys of California 40th Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, November 8, 2001 - November 11, 2001
- Anatomy of a Bad Faith Action, Attorney Educational Seminar, San Francisco, California, October 25, 2001
- Has the Unfair Business Practice Act Been the Weapon it was Touted to Be?, Panelist, Association of Defense Counsel, Annual Bad Faith Seminar, Monterey, California, August 4, 2001
- Arnold R. Levinson with Terrence J. Coleman, Deposing the Insurance Adjustor, Association of Trial Lawyers of America Annual Convention, Montreal, Canada, July 14, 2001 - July 18, 2001
- "Bad Faith and Punitive Damages" What You Need to Know to Build Your Case For and Against a Punitive Damage Award, American Conference Institute: San Francisco, California, 2001
- Disability Claims: Insurance Bad Faith Claims in California, Los Angeles, California, December 12, 2000
- Is ERISA Preemption a Relic of the Past, UNUM Life Insurance Co. of America v Ward, American Association of Justice Insurance Law Section, 1999 - 2000
- Consumer Attorney's of California Seminar: "Duty of Good Faith & Fair Dealing", Nuts and Bolts of New Third Party Bill (The Fair Act)
- The Key to Successful Settlement of Long Term Disability Cases "Strategies for Success in Litigating Disability Insurance Claims", San Diego, California, February 10, 2000 - February 11, 2000
- Disability, Attorney Educational Seminar: Insurance Bad Faith Claims, Costa Mesa, California, January 28, 2000
- Basic Training: Insurance Litigation, Panelist, The Rutter Group, May 21, 1999
- Effective Deposition Techniques in Bad Faith Cases "Bad Faith and Punitive Damages", American Conference Institute, March 23, 1998
- Recent Developments in Punitive Damages Cases since BMW v. Gore, Consumer Attorneys of California, 36th Annual Convention, November 14, 1997
- Disability Claims, University of Southern California Law School's Second Annual Insurance Law Institute, April 24, 1997 - April 25, 1997
- Litigating Bad Faith Health and Disability Claims "Bad Faith and Punitive Damages", American Conference Institute, March 18, 1997
- Disability Claims, Stanford Law School's Insurance Bad Faith Seminar, June 14, 1996 - June 15, 1996
- Medical Claims, University of Southern California Law School's Insurance Bad Faith Seminar, February 2, 1996 - February 3, 1996
- Thoughts on Trying a Plaintiff's Extra contractual Damages, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, American Bar Association, 1983
- Honors and Awards:
- Consumer Attorneys of California, Certificate of Appreciation for Service, 2001 - Present
- Consumer Attorneys of California, Presidential Award of Merit, 1998 - 1999
- Professional Associations and Memberships:
- San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, 1995 - Present
- President (1995), Board of Directors (1987-1995)
- Consumer Attorneys of California, 1995 - Present
- Board of Governors
- Consumer Attorneys of California, 1999 - 2002
- At-Large Board of Governors
- American Association for Justice, Insurance Section, 1999 - Present
- Second Vice Chair
- American Association for Justice, Insurance Bad Faith Section, 2003 - Present
- Education Chair
- Task Force on New Civil Jury Instructions, 2003 - Present
- Member
- San Francisco Superior Court
- Judge Pro-Tem
- State Bar of California
- Member
- Fraternities/Sororities:
- Phi Beta Kappa
