Michael P. Kandler
Partner
Michael P. Kandler is an accomplished litigator with a practice that focuses on insurance coverage, professional liability defense, commercial litigation, and appellate practice. Mike regularly counsels insurance carriers and provides coverage opinions regarding issues such as bad faith claims, disclaimers of coverage, coverage allocation, and policy interpretation.
An experienced appellate lawyer, Mike has argued over 90 appeals, including cases before the New York State Court of Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He is also an experienced commercial litigator who regularly represents clients in intellectual property claims in federal court.
Additionally, Mike has significant experience handling Title III ADA accessibility compliance concerns and litigation for financial institutions, shopping centers, transportation companies, medical providers, retailers, and other places of public accommodation. This includes experience with the rapidly evolving area of website accessibility claims.
Related Areas
Experience Highlights
Mike is a leading practitioner in the field of insurance coverage litigation. He has represented insurance carriers in numerous insurance coverage disputes involving commercial general liability coverage, commercial excess coverage, professional liability coverage, directors and officers liability coverage, and personal lines coverage. He has extensive experience in the representation of insurance carriers in coverage disputes involving property claims, construction defect claims, product liability claims, and advertising injury coverage.
- In 2009, Mike successfully argued the appeal in Sport Rock International, Inc. v. American Cas. Co. of Reading, PA, a seminal case regarding coverage allocation and the interpretation of other insurance clauses.
Honors & Awards
New York Metro Super Lawyers, 2010–11, 2013–20
Admissions
- New York
- U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Education
- Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 1988 (Member, Fordham Urban Law Journal)
- Colgate University, B.A., 1984
Professional Affiliations
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM): Insurance Coverage Committee
Publications & Events
- Author, “Law on Claims for Bad Faith Denials of Liability Coverage Still Unsettled,” New York Law Journal, Vol. 247, No. 118, June 20, 2012
- Co-Author, “The Thorny Path Through Undue Familiarity Claims,” Professional Liability Underwriting Society Journal, May 2, 2002, Vol. XV, No. 5
- Presenter, “Bad Faith Considerations in the Coverage Denial,” ExecuSummit Bad Faith Litigation, Uncasville, CT, November 7, 2017
- Presenter, “Intercompany Bad Faith Claims,” ExecuSummit Bad Faith Claims & Litigation Strategies, Uncasville, CT, November 1, 2016
- Presenter, “Bad Faith Litigation Strategies,” 3rd Annual Bad Faith Litigation Strategies ExecuSummit, Hartford, CT, November 3, 2015
- Presenter, “The Erosion of the Attorney-Client Privilege and Other Discovery Issues in Bad Faith Litigation,” Bad Faith Litigation Strategies ExecuSummit, May 5, 2015
- Co-Chair and Presenter, “Bad Faith First Party Third Party Coverage Denials,” 1st Annual Bad Faith Litigation Strategies ExecuSummit, Uncasville, CT, November 4-5, 2014
- Presenter, “The Professional Liability Exclusion and the Sexual Abuse Exclusion in Personal Lines Policies,” NYSBA CLE, Advanced Insurance Coverage, 2012
- Presenter: “What Constitutes Other Insurance?” 2010 Insurance Coverage Update: NYSBA CLE, Insurance Coverage Issues in the Commercial General Liability Policy —Emerging Issues for the Next Decade, July 2010
- Presenter, “Exploring Issues Arising From New York Insurance Law 3420(d)(2)” GS Webinar Series, October 15, 2019
Recent Insights
September 12, 2019
September 13, 2018
September 27, 2016
September 16, 2015