Professional Notes & Events

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Robert J. McKennon

Robert McKennon is a partner in the firm’s Newport Beach office. He represents insurers and small-to-large corporations in sophisticated litigation matters in state and federal court. Mr. McKennon is admitted to all federal and state courts in California and also regularly handles litigation matters in Nevada and Hawaii state and federal courts. His expertise focuses primarily on business and securities litigation and insurance litigation. His experience includes counseling life, health and disability insurers and institutional broker-dealers on administrative and regulatory matters. Mr. McKennon has significant trial experience and has acted as lead and co-lead counsel in high profile cases, including In re Executive Life Insurance Company, the largest life insurance company insolvency in history. 

Mr. McKennon’s insurance litigation work primarily involves insurance coverage, bad faith, class actions, unfair trade practices, ERISA/group coverage and insurance agent and broker litigation.

In addition to his insurance litigation practice, Mr. McKennon has handled numerous business litigation cases in the areas of general business and contract disputes, unfair competition and employment and he has represented numerous institutional clients in FINRA (formerly called NASD) arbitrations, and has arbitrated numerous securities cases.

Mr. McKennon frequently serves as a guest speaker at national conferences concerning life, health and disability issues, and has chaired numerous national conferences on these topics.

Education

  • University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, J.D., 1985
  • California State University, Fullerton, with honors, B.A., 1982

Articles & Publications

  • Preparing to Handle the Difficult Claim: An Overview of Bad Faith Liability, Midwest Claims Conference (2006)
  • Proving or Disproving Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia and Other Subjective Physical Disorders, American Conference Institute (2006)
  • California Fair Claims Settlement Practices Regulations Manual (updated 2005)
  • Effective Jury Instructions in Bad Faith Cases: Do They Really Make a Difference? Mealey's (2005)
  • Bad Faith, Punitive Damages and Alternative Theories of Recovery: Implications of the Latest Case Law and Strategies to Deal with Them: A Defense Perspective, American Conference Institute (2005)
  • Managing and Litigating Disability Insurance Claims, American Conference Institute (2004)
  • Disability Fraud Legal Regulatory Update, The NHCC Institute for Health Care Fraud Prevention: Disability Fraud Issues Forum (2004)
  • Disability Cases: The Requirement for Regular and Appropriate Care, For the Defense, Defense Research Institute (2004)
  • Managing and Litigating Mental-Nervous Insurance Claims, American Conference Institute (2003)
  • Introduction to Disability Fraud, Western Claims Conference (2003)
  • The Requirement for Regular and Appropriate Care in Disability Cases, American Conference Institute (2002)
  • Special Investigative Unit Training Manual (2002)
  • The Public Policy Defense: The New Frontier in Disability Insurance Litigation, American Conference Institute (2000)
  • Litigating the Bad Faith Case: A Defense Perspective, American Conference Institute (2000)
  • Insurance Sales on the Internet: A Work in Progress, International Insurance Law Review (May 1998)
  • California Fair Claims Settlement Practices Regulations Manual (1997)
  • Insurance Issues in Bankruptcy: An Insurer's Perspective, Tort & Insurance Law Journal, ABA (Fall 1994)
  • The Life Insurance Law of California, Delinquency Proceedings" and "Formation and Issuance of Life Insurance Policies Chapers, Association of Life Insurance Counsel (1990)
  • Insolvency of Insurers, California Insurance Law and Practice, Matthew Bender (1986)

Professional Memberships

  • The State Bar of California
  • American Bar Association
  • Orange County Bar Association
  • Defense Research Institute (DRI)
  • AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
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