Attorneys
Ramiro Morales, the firm founder, has extensive experience in all aspects of coverage analysis and litigation. His practice has been exclusively devoted to insurance coverage and bad faith for the last 20 years. He is well-known in the practice, not only for his breadth of knowledge, but also for his skill as a negotiator in complex, multi-party litigation. He has successfully tried coverage and bad faith matters in both California and Nevada. Mr. Morales is a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, California Super Lawyer, a Fellow of American Bar Association, and an AM Best recommended attorney. His consistent success has made him a sought-after insurance practitioner on the west coast.
Prior to going into private practice, Mr. Morales handled complex litigation for a major insurance carrier. His training and experience both within the insurance industry and as counsel has enabled him to provide efficient, cost-effective representation and unparalleled responsiveness to the multi-faceted needs of his clients.
Mr. Morales’ corporate clients include multiple Fortune 500 companies from both aspects of the insurance field insurer and insured. On their behalf, he has successfully litigated and tried cases involving bad faith and all types of insurance issues arising from carrier-policyholder conflicts, including: personal lines coverage; professional liability coverage; D&O coverage; commercial general liability coverage, and life insurance disputes. He also represents clients in commercial litigation outside the insurance arena.
Mr. Morales has been a featured speaker at seminars on a wide variety of insurance topics in both California and Nevada. He has lectured on behalf of the Nevada State Bar, California State Bar, the Construction Claims Managers Association, HBW Litigation, West Coast Casualty seminars, trade association, and specialized corporate training for his clients. Mr. Morales received his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Francisco, after earning his Bachelor of Science, with honors, from California State University.
Christine M. Fierro has extensive experience litigating complex coverage suits relating to commercial auto, product liability and general liability coverage issues, including bad faith. She has drafted insurance policy provisions on behalf of a major insurer, has reviewed and drafted construction contracts for a variety of contractors, and has given numerous presentations on a wide variety of coverage topics to client groups.
Ms. Fierro received her Juris Doctorate in 1997 from Boalt Hall, while concurrently earning a Masters in Social Welfare from Haviland Hall at the University of California at Berkeley. Upon graduating, she worked in a small firm, representing the prisoners of the state of Texas in a civil rights, class action suit against that state. Before entering the field of law, she was a tax accountant at Arthur Anderson & Company and spent several years as a social worker in New York City. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in 1988 from Santa Clara University, graduating magna cum laude and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
William C. Reeves specializes in all aspects of business litigation with a concentration on insurance coverage related matters. In addition to advising several major insurers as to their rights and obligations in pending underlying matters in an effort to negotiate global resolutions, Mr. Reeves has advocated for and represented insurers in all aspects of coverage-related litigation, including bad faith litigation, having successfully taken several matters to verdict.
Mr. Reeves also specializes in real estate law, having previously been licensed as a salesperson with the California Department of Real Estate. Mr. Reeves' practice includes representing parties in connection with residential and commercial transactions, unlawful detainer matters, foreclosure proceedings (both judicial and non-judicial) and quiet title actions. Mr. Reeves also has extensive experience in representing both developers and contractors in connection with new construction as well as assisting and advising in related insurance issues, including title, property and liability coverage disputes.
Mr. Reeves received his Juris Doctorate from King Hall at the University of California at Davis after earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of California at San Diego. While attending King Hall, Mr. Reeves was a member of the Davis Law Review. Mr. Reeves served under Justice James Marchiano (formerly with the Contra Costa Superior Court) and the Honorable Garland E. Burrell, Jr. of the United States District Court, Eastern District of California. Mr. Reeves is a licensed member of the State Bars of California, Nevada and Arizona, and is admitted to practice in all courts (both State and Federal) in California, Nevada and Arizona.
Mr. Reeves has spoken and given seminars in several different coverage and insurance-related topics as well as on real estate matters. In addition, Mr. Reeves has participated in the preparation of articles and legal treatises addressing issues relevant to insurance coverage and real estate law.
Marilyn A. Rogers specializes in insurance coverage litigation. Ms. Rogers has extensive experience in a wide variety of insurance coverage disputes, including coverage issues arising out of construction defect litigation, environmental contamination disputes, health and disability claims, and Bankers Blanket Bonds disputes. She specializes in handling large complex litigation of such disputes, and has extensive experience in all aspects of insurance coverage litigation. Ms. Rogers was an associate with Adams, Duque and Hazeltine, where she handled complex environmental coverage and health and disability litigation, and Segdwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, where she practiced Bankers Blanket Bond coverage.
Ms. Rogers received her Juris Doctorate from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, after earning her Bachelor of Arts in the History of Art from University of California at Berkeley. She is admitted to the California Bar, and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Central and Eastern Districts of California. Ms. Rogers is a member of the State Bar of California, the American Bar Association and the Bar Association of San Francisco.
Patrick M. Quigley has specialized in insurance coverage analysis and litigation for more than 18 years. Mr. Quigley has experience with a wide range of insurance coverage matters, including commercial general liability, commercial property, personal lines policies, errors & omissions policies, director’s & officer’s policies, and commercial automotive. He has successfully represented insurance carriers in coverage matters involving complex construction defect, intellectual property/trade dress issues, product defects, first‑party losses (personal and commercial), specialty lines (aviation and entertainment), and “bad faith”. He has defended insurance carriers in trial and appellate courts, and has been instrumental in several matters resulting in reported decisions defining California law; most recently Hurvitz v. St. Paul (2003) 109 Cal.App.4th 918.
Mr. Quigley received his Juris Doctorate in 1990 from the Pepperdine University School of Law. While in law school he served as a judicial extern for Federal District Court Judge James Ideman of the Central District of California. Prior to law school Mr. Quigley worked in the entertainment industry. He earned his bachelors degree in Communication Arts with a minor in Philosophy from Loyola Marymount University in 1986.
Elizabeth B. Celniker specializes in representation of insurance carriers on coverage matters and insurance coverage litigation. Since 2003, her focus has been on commercial general liability coverage matters. Prior to that time, Ms. Celniker worked in defense of first-party property insurance coverage and bad-faith litigation, as an associate at LHB Pacific Law Partners. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable William B. Shubb at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, where she focused on civil, pretrial law-and-motion matters. She is a member of the State Bar of California.
Ms. Celniker received her Juris Doctorate from Boalt Hall at the University of California at Berkeley. At Boalt Hall, she was a 1995-96 Regent’s Scholar and was active as an associate editor for the Berkeley Technology Law Journal and a member of the Ecology Law Quarterly. Prior to studying law, she worked as a public policy analyst for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Office of the Inspector General. She attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she received a Bachelors of Art degree with Highest Honors in 1990. Ms. Celniker is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a National Merit Scholar.
Luke Panzar is an experienced litigator whose practice focuses on insurance coverage litigation. Mr. Panzar has handled numerous coverage disputes and bad faith actions on behalf of insurers. Mr. Panzar has also provided advice and counsel to insurers with respect to coverage issues and pre-litigation disputes arising under Director and Officer, Commercial General Liability, Employment Practices, and other commercial insurance policies. Mr. Panzar has also handled product liability, mass tort, personal injury, and various types of commercial litigation matters. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Panzar worked as a litigation associate at national law firms such as Winston & Strawn, Sedgwick, and Tucker Ellis.
Mr. Panzar received his Juris Doctorate from Hastings College of the Law in 2009 and earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, having graduated with honors. Mr. Panzar is admitted to practice law in California state court as well as U.S. District courts in the Northern and Central Districts of California.
Laura Jane Coles is an experience litigator, specializing in insurance coverage litigation and general civil litigation. Her insurance coverage practice focuses on representing carriers in construction defect, environmental contamination, advertising injury and personal injury claims. Previously, Ms. Coles worked with Crosby, Heafy, Roach and May (now Reed Smith) where she handled complex environmental coverage litigation, and with Knecht, Haley, Lawrence & Smith, where she practiced construction defect litigation. Ms. Coles has considerable expertise in all aspects of insurance coverage litigation, including bad faith litigation, mediation, and arbitration.
Ms. Coles received her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, after earning her Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University in New Orleans. She is admitted to the California Bar, the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Central and Eastern Districts of California. Ms. Coles has a long commitment to providing pro bono legal services through organizations such as the San Francisco Bar Association's Homeless Advocacy Project and the Alameda Bar Association's Special Committee for the Prevention of Gun Violence.
Laurence Near earned his Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago in 1989. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Davis School of Law in 1995. Mr. Near began his legal career at a boutique law firm in San Francisco that specialized in uncovering fraudulent insurance claims.
He then turned his attention to coverage law, working for firms that represented major carriers in coverage/bad faith litigation in both state and federal courts. Mr. Near has a wide range of experience in complex insurance coverage analysis and litigation. He has successfully represented insurers in coverage disputes involving a variety of matters, including construction defects and bodily injury.
Marc Derewetzky is a 30-year commercial and business litigator, licensed in Arizona, California and Nevada, specializing in insurance coverage and bad faith claims primarily on behalf of insurers, and has handled cases in this area throughout the western United States. Mr. Derewetzky also has considerable experience in admiralty law and has litigated commercial landlord-tenant disputes, habitability claims, construction defect, product liability and bankruptcy cases.
Prior to joining Morales, Fierro & Reeves, Mr. Derewetzky was a founding member, and served as Managing Partner, of Morison Holden Derewetzky & Prough LLP, a boutique commercial litigation firm focusing on insurance coverage matters. Mr. Derewetzky was also a partner at Hancock Rothert & Bunshoft (which has since merged into Duane Morris), where he was primarily responsible for large-exposure insurance coverage matters on behalf of both Underwriters at Lloyd's and certain London Market Insurance Companies. At Hancock, Mr. Derewetzky handled construction defect, asbestos, environmental and other general liability coverage matters.
Mr. Derewetzky has represented insurers in a number of successful appeals that have resulted in published opinions favorable to the insurance industry, the most recent of which was Hartford Cas. Ins. Co. v. Travelers Ins. Co., 110 Cal.App.4th 710 (2003), involving interpretation of non-standard language in an additional insured endorsement. Mr. Derewetzky also regularly represents insurers in trial court litigation, and has obtained numerous summary judgments of no coverage. The most recent of these was a ruling in Nevada state court that the "your work" exclusion in an umbrella policy that does not contain an exception for work performed by subcontractors is plain, clear, conspicuous and enforceable and bars coverage for construction defect claims against the insured general contractor. He has first-chaired several jury trials in California and Nevada and has successfully argued cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
While at Hastings College of the Law, Mr. Derewetzky was the articles editor for COMM/ENT, the Journal of Communications and Entertainment Law, and an extern for Judge Robert Schnacke of the Federal Court in San Francisco.
Mr. Derewetzky is a past contributor to the California Practice Guide for Insurance Litigation.
Aaron M. Davis has over 15 years of litigation experience, including extensive experience in Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Litigation. Aaron’s experience includes intensive research and writing regarding issues of first impression as to various 1st and 3rd party insurance matters, and defending carriers against claims for Breach of the Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing in relation to Commercial General Liability, Homeowners and 1st party property insurance policies. Aaron also has significant experience drafting insurance coverage opinions addressing claims made under Commercial General Liability, Homeowners, Errors & Omissions, Directors & Officers and 1st party property insurance policies. Aaron’s other insurance-related experience includes prosecuting and defending subrogation, contribution, indemnity and declaratory relief actions on behalf of carriers. Aaron’s trial experience includes second-chairing a 2010 defense verdict in Alameda County Superior Court.
In 1996, Aaron received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1991.