Background
Jill Berkeley contributed articles to IRMI.com about liability
insurance as it applies to liability insurance.
Ms. Berkeley is a partner in the Chicago office of the law firm Howrey LLP,
where she co-chairs Howrey's national Insurance Recovery practice. She has
concentrated in insurance law and coverage litigation for over 25 years,
including the supervision of tort and coverage litigation on the primary and
excess levels. Ms. Berkeley has extensive experience in the representation of
insurers and insureds in coverage litigation involving declaratory judgments,
bad faith, toxic tort and hazardous wastes, and excess liability matters.
She received her J.D. degree from Northwestern University in 1975 and her
B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan, where was
elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1972.
Her representation of insurers and insureds includes declaratory judgments,
bad faith, toxic tort and hazardous wastes, and excess liability matters. In
addition to litigation, she has consulted with numerous clients on issues of
coverage and risk management under all forms of policies including auto, CGL,
workers compensation, property, directors and officers liability, and
professional liability. Ms. Berkeley has extensive experience in the review and
drafting of policy forms and endorsements.
Reported decisions of cases that she tried or participated in include:
- American Economy Ins. Co. v. Holabird and
Root, __ N.E.2d __, 2006 WL 1471924 (Ill. App. 1st Dist., May 30,
2006)
- Country Life Ins. Co. v. St. Paul Surplus Lines
Ins. Co., 422 F. Supp. 2d 977 (C.D. Ill. 2006)
- Indemnity Insurance Company of North America v.
Melton Truck Lines, Inc., 2004 WL 2034074 (N.D. Ill., 9/7/04)
- Utica Mutual Insurance Company v. The David
Agency, et al., 327 F. Supp. 2d (N.D. Ill. 2004)
- Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co. v. O'Rourke
Brothers, Inc., 776 N.E.2d 588 (Ill. App. 2002)
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
v. Maryland Casualty Company, 139 F.3d 561 (7th Cir. 1998)
- American States Ins. Co. v. Koloms, 666
N.E.2d 699 (Ill. App. 1996), aff'd 687 N.E.2d 72 (Ill. 1997)
- Rhone-Poulenc v. International Ins. Co.,
71 F.3d 1299 (7th Cir. 1995)
- Carbone v. American Bankers Ins. Co., Rule
23 Decision (Ill. App. 5th Dist. 1995)
- Old Republic Ins. Co. v Meadows Indemnity Co.,
Ltd., 870 F. Supp. 210 (N.D. Ill. 1994)
- Aetna Ins. Co. v. Chicago Ins. Co., 994
F.2d 1254 (7th Cir. 1993)
- Coronet Ins. Co. v. Saez, 502 N.E.2d 1292
(Ill. App. 1987)
- Evaluation Systems, Inc., v. Aetna Life Ins.
Co., 555 F. Supp. 116 (N.D. Ill. 1982)
- Allstate Ins. Co. v. Gutenkauf, 431 N.E.2d
1282 (Ill. App. 1981)
- Martin v. Allstate Ins. Co., 416 N.E.2d
347 (Ill. App. 1981)
- Scroggins v. Allstate Ins. Co., 393 N.E.2d
718 (Ill. App. 1979)
Since August 1986, Ms. Berkeley has been the principal author and executive
editor of CGL Reporter, published by
International Risk Management Institute, Inc. She has also been widely
published on insurance, self-insurance, and risk management issues. Ms.
Berkeley is active in the American Bar Association, the National Risk Retention
Association, the Illinois Captive & Alternative Risk Funding Insurance
Association, and the Association of Professional Insurance Women.