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Lance A. LaBelle | Principal
llabelle@bergerkahn.com
Orange County
Lance A. LaBelle, a principal in Berger Kahn's Irvine office, leads the firm's third-party Insurance Coverage Practice Group. With more than 25 years of experience, Lance focuses his practice on liability insurance coverage in the commercial and personal lines areas. He also serves as an arbitrator and mediator on the Commercial and Complex Coverage panels of the American Arbitration Association. He is past Chair of the ADR Section of the Orange County Bar Association and presently serves on that Section's Executive Committee.
Lance is consistently recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyer in the area of Insurance Coverage. Fewer than five percent of California attorneys receive this honor.
Lance’s extensive background in the commercial coverage area includes opinion work arising out of complex tort, directors and officers, professional liability, and construction defect claims.
He also has substantial experience handling opinion work arising under homeowners, automobile and various other personal lines coverages.
Lance also handles all aspects of coverage litigation including declaratory relief actions. A particular focus of his practice is addressing additional insured and “Cumis” issues. Amongst his many successes at both the trial and appellate level, includes the case of Dynamic Concepts, Inc. v. Truck Insurance Exchange, 61 Cal.App.4th 999 (1998), a precedent-setting California decision involving “Cumis” issues.
Lance is co-founder of IDR Mediation Services, an alternative dispute resolution service that specializes in resolving insurance coverage disputes as well as wide variety of commercial matters. He is often asked to testify as an expert witness in the area of insurance coverage as well as to lecture before insurance professionals at company seminars, bar associations and other insurance-related events. He also has authored and contributed to various articles for both consumer and trade publications.
In terms of his overall work philosophy, Lance views his role as that of a problem solver —to help clients come to viable and oftentimes creative solutions. “My approach is big picture but at the same time thorough. I partner with the client, mindful of the client’s pocketbook, while at the same time ensuring the client receives my very best efforts”.
Lance resides in Orange County with his family.
Education
Certification in Conflict Management and Alternative Dispute Resolution, University of California, Irvine, 2005
J.D., Hamline University School of Law, 1982
B.A., University of Minnesota, 1978
Admitted to Practice
California
Minnesota
U.S. District Court, Southern, Central and Northern Districts of California
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court of Minnesota
Memberships
Orange County Bar Association
Panel of Commercial Arbitrators and Mediators, American Arbitration Association
Distinctions
AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated - Martindale-Hubbell
2011 Southern California Super Lawyer
2010 Southern California Super Lawyer
2009 Southern California Super Lawyer
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