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Abigail P. Barnes

Associate

Washington +1 202 662 5183

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Abigail Barnes focuses her practice on complex insurance coverage disputes, maximizing insurance protection and recovery through informal negotiations as well as arbitrations and litigation against insurers. She represents policyholders with all types of insurance policies, including commercial general liability, directors and officers liability, errors and omissions liability, and cyber and privacy risk, and has assisted in recovering millions of dollars of insurance coverage for clients in a wide range of industries.

    Abigail also has experience litigating breach of contract, fraud, antitrust, and other commercial disputes in federal and state courts. She maintains an active pro bono practice.

    Prior to joining the firm, Abigail clerked for the Honorable Jay S. Bybee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Deborah K. Chasanow of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • Representing companies seeking insurance coverage in multi-district litigation of thousands of claims concerning the historic use of firefighting foam alleged to contain PFAS.
    • Representing major internet service provider in seeking coverage for lawsuits alleging copyright violations.
    • Defending leading software company against appeal of decision confirming insurer’s continuing duty to defend against multidistrict litigation.
    • Representing major energy company in arbitration seeking more than $100 million in insurance coverage under D&O policies.
    • Representing oil and gas company in coverage dispute arising out of product liability lawsuits.
    • Obtained full coverage for major technology company in a data breach and subsequent investigations and litigation.
    • Successfully negotiated choice of counsel and increase in counsel reimbursement rates for financial services company seeking coverage for Congressional and FTC investigations.
    • Represented major technology company in a fraud suit related to a telecommunications project.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • Stanford Law School, J.D., 2016
        • Stanford Law Review, Technical Managing Editor
        • Stanford Journal of Complex Litigation, Submissions Editor
        • John Hart Ely Prize, Statutory Interpretation
        • Pro Bono Distinction
        • Women of Stanford Law, Co-President
    • Vanderbilt University, B.S., 2011
        • magna cum laude
    Bar Admissions
    • District of Columbia
    • California
    • U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
    Judicial Clerkship
    • Hon. Jay S. Bybee, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 2017 - 2018
    • Hon. Deborah K. Chasanow, U.S. District Court, District of Maryland, 2016 - 2017
    Pro Bono
    • Representing asylum-seeking parents and young children separated at the U.S.–Mexico border in tort claims against the United States government.
    • Represented Cuban refugee in seeking political asylum, obtaining partial grant of petition for review before the Ninth Circuit.
    • With co-counsel at the ACLU, brought a First Amendment challenge against the Trump Administration’s authorization of sanctions against people who assist the International Criminal Court in investigating or prosecuting war crimes and other gross human rights violations on behalf of law faculty and an ACLU human rights attorney.

    Areas of Expertise

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