Jill B. Berkeley

Ms. Berkeley contributed articles to IRMI.com about 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 she 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 the following.

• American Econ. Ins. Co. v. Holabird & Root, No. 1-05-0403, 2006 Ill. App. LEXIS 426 (May 30, 2006)
• Country Life Ins. Co. v. St. Paul Surplus Lines Ins. Co., 422 F. Supp. 2d 977 (C.D. Ill. 2006)
• Indemnity Ins. Co. of N. Am. v. Melton Truck Lines, Inc., 2004 WL 2034074 (N.D. Ill., Sept. 7, 2004)
• 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 v. Md. Cas. Co., 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. Am. Bankers Ins. Co., Rule 23 Decision (Ill. App. 5th Dist. 1995)
• Old Republic Ins. Co. v Meadows Indem. 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)

From 1986 through 2016, Ms. Berkeley was 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.