René has helped clients recover over $2 billion from their insurers. Chambers USA has described him as “an encyclopedia of insurance law,” and Legal 500 has described him as “the smartest guy in the room.” He has also been ranked in the top tier of policyholder attorneys by Best Lawyers in America, Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers and the PLC Cross-Border Insurance and Reinsurance Handbook, among others.
With over 25 years’ experience representing policyholders, his practice encompasses a wide range of insurance issues including environmental, natural disaster, asbestos, nuclear, sexual abuse, pandemic-related and product liability claims; privacy, cyber attack, event cancellation, property and business interruption losses; disputes under D&O and professional liability policies; and claims under many specialty coverages.
Clients also frequently consult René on complex underwriting and risk management issues, including drafting and negotiating insurance policy contracts, risk transfer provisions in corporate transactions, structuring captive insurance and reinsurance programs, and claims presentation to insurers, captives, and their reinsurers.
René's insurance coverage work has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Guardian, BBC, Jerusalem Report, Variety, Billboard, TMZ, California Lawyer, Los Angeles Lawyer, Examiner, Recorder, Los Angeles Daily Journal, Insurance Insider, Business Insurance, Insurance Litigation, Risk & Insurance, Law360, LexisNexis Insurance Law E-Newsletter, National Journal, Bloomberg Law Reports, Computer Fraud and Security, Reuters Accelus, and Risk Management. He publishes and speaks frequently on insurance issues and co-authored chapters on product liability insurance and alternative dispute resolution in the New Appleman Insurance Law Practice Guide, on property insurance exclusions in the New Appleman on Insurance Law, and on cyber insurance in New Appleman on Insurance: Current Critical Issues in Insurance Law.