William Greaney is a nationally recognized commercial litigator who concentrates on insurance and environmental dispute resolution. Chambers USA has ranked him in the highest tier of insurance practitioners, both nationally and in the District of Columbia. He has been characterized by Chambers as “go-to lawyer” for corporate policyholders “with deep expertise in a variety of insurance matters.” Mr. Greaney has represented both private and public entities in coverage disputes before federal and state courts throughout the country, including disputes over coverage for underlying asbestos, environmental, lead paint, breast implants, mass tort, product recall, intellectual property, construction defects, securities, directors and officers, errors and omissions, and broker-dealer claims. He also has extensive experience representing policyholders in disputes arising under first-party property policies, including coverage for physical damage, extra expense, business interruption and contingent business interruption losses resulting from hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, 9/11 and other catastrophes, and disputes arising under crime/fraud and fidelity policies. He also has litigated CERCLA contribution and enforcement actions in various federal courts.
Mr. Greaney has represented numerous policyholders in alternative dispute resolution proceedings, including binding arbitrations under CPR/AAA rules, proceedings under the London and Swedish Arbitration Acts and mediations. He also has served as a party-appointed arbitrator in multiple arbitrations involving insurance coverage disputes. He also has an active non-litigation and counseling practice. For example, he has negotiated coverage-in-place agreements, structured settlements and policy commutations with foreign and domestic insurers on behalf of many policyholders facing "long-tail" liabilities. He also has advised numerous corporate clients on how to structure their insurance programs to eliminate potential gaps in coverage, and has negotiated modifications to standard policy wording to conform the coverage to policyholders' specific risk profiles.
Mr. Greaney has written and spoken extensively on insurance coverage topics, has served on several ABA committees addressing environmental, insurance and litigation issues.