Mr. Pitblado is a member of Jorden Burt's Appellate, Class Action, Employment and ERISA, Insurance Regulatory and Transactions, and National Trial Practice teams. Mr. Pitblado has extensive experience in a wide range of insurance-related litigation, including class action, ERISA, coverage and other insurance litigation involving contract disputes, bad faith, statutory unfair insurance and trade practices, fraud and misrepresentation, for insurers in the life, health, property & casualty and reinsurance industries. Mr. Pitblado also has experience handling regulatory matters, including market conduct examinations and complaint handling procedures before state insurance regulatory authorities. Mr. Pitblado is a co-editor of the firm's nationally recognized blog, www.ReinsuranceFocus.com.
Mr. Pitblado has briefed and argued numerous cases before Connecticut's federal trial and appellate courts, including the complex litigation docket and federal bankruptcy court, as well as other state's trial courts as pro hac vice counsel. Representative cases include Northwestern Mut . Life Ins. Co. v. Gil, No. 3:07-cv-00303-VLB. 2009 WL 276086 (D. Conn. Feb. 5, 2009), aff'd 351 Fed. Appx. 515 (2d Cir.); Royal Indemnity Co. v. King, 512 F. Supp. 2d 117 (D. Conn. 2007); Nichols v. Salem Subway Restaurant, 98 Conn. App. 837, 912 A.2d 1037 (2006); and Waldman v. Jayaraj, 89 Conn. App. 709, 874 A.2d 860, cert. denied, 275 Conn. 907, 882 A.2d 680 (2005). Mr. Pitblado also has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, having represented insurance companies in numerous private and court-annexed mediations and arbitrations.
From 2007 to 2009 Mr. Pitblado served as co-chair of the Appellate Practice Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association's Young Lawyers Section. During law school, Mr. Pitblado clerked full time during summers and part time during the school year for a large Connecticut firm, and was an associate editor of The Connecticut Law Review. He received CALI awards for achievement in Criminal Law, International Law, and the Law and Literature of Crime, and the school-wide Ralph Colucci Award for Excellence in the Study of Law and Literature.
Speeches and Publications
· Author, "Solvency Ho! An Update on U.S. and European Solvency Initiatives," Reinsurance (Harris Martin Publishing, February 2012)
· Author, "Pride and Prejudice: Prompt Notice in Reinsurance Claims," LexisNexis® Mealey's™ Litigation Report Reinsurance (Vol. 22, Issue 10, September 16, 2011)
· Speaker, What Insurance Lawyers Need to Know About Claims Handling Software, ExecSense Webinars (Jul. 7, 2011)
· Author, "7th Circuit Brings Down Curtain on Pre-Award Challenge to Arbitrator Partiality," Reinsurance (Harris Martin Publishing, February 2011)
· Speaker, What Insurance Lawyers Need to Know About the New Generation of Pollution Legal Liability and Related Environmental Insurance Policies and the Potential for Litigation over Duty to Defend Under These Policies, ExecSense Webinars (Dec. 3, 2010)
· Author, Uberrimae Fidei: Contracting with the Utmost Good Faith, Reinsurance (Harris Martin Publishing, November, 2010)
· Author, Pre-Pleading Security Statutes: Tying the Hands of the Unwary, Reinsurance (Harris Martin Publishing, August, 2010)
· Author, The Latest in Insurance-Linked Securities, Reinsurance (Harris Martin Publishing, March 2010)
· Speaker, The Instant Impact on Insurance Lawyers of Baker v. Nat'l Interstate Ins. Co. (Cal. App. Jan. 11, 2010) on Products and Completed Hazards Exclusions and Negligent Service Claims, ExecSense Webinars (Feb. 5, 2010)
· Author, Enforcing Class Arbitration Waivers: the FAA and Unconscionability, Reinsurance (Harris Martin Publishing, June 2009)
Noteworthy
· Pro Bono Honor Roll 2010, Connecticut Lawyer Magazine
· CALI Awards in Criminal Law, International Law and Law and Literature of Crime
· Associate Editor, Connecticut Law Review
Professional Affiliations
· American Bar Association
· Connecticut Bar Association, Insurance Law Committee 2010 - present; Young Lawyers Section; Appellate Committee Co-Chair, June 2007 -June 2009