Andrea DeField

Andrea helps companies navigate disasters and swiftly recover insurance funds to restore operations with minimal impact to the bottom line. She leads the Firm’s cyber insurance practice.

With an undergraduate degree focused on crisis communications, Andrea understands the pressures and needs of C-suite executives navigating through cybersecurity events, natural disasters, regulatory investigations, and bet-the-company litigation. She has led clients through insurance claims for some of the most widely publicized international cyber incidents of 2020 through 2024.

Cyber Insurance

• Serves as cyber insurance coverage counsel to several of the nation’s largest asset management firms and private equity companies.
• Represented critical infrastructure client as insurance coverage counsel with respect to internationally publicized cyber incident.
• Represented international media company with respect to major cyber incident, counseling client from day one of discovery of cyber incident through claim submission and cyber insurance renewal.
• Works with clients to develop insurance protocols and procedures for cyber incident response plans and other disaster planning, participates in cyber tabletop exercises, and provides executive, legal, and risk department education on cyber insurance and the claims process.
• Counseled numerous clients on large cyber-related insurance claims arising out of social engineering and fraudulent transfer schemes, data breaches, cyber extortion, ransomware, and vendor cyber incidents.
• Lead coverage counsel on over 40 multi-million dollar cyber-extortion-related insurance claims.
• Lead insurance coverage counsel for major hospitality client with respect to data breach; guided client through claims process from day zero of cyber breach through breach response and investigation, notification, and subsequent putative class action lawsuits for which insurer funded response and remediation, notification, and defense costs in suits and settlement of suits.
• Advised multinational retail client from day zero of cyber-attack through multi-million-dollar claims process.
• Audited insurance programs for cyber risks for several major corporations, including Fortune 500 hospitality, retail, and financial services companies; private equity firms; start-ups; sharing economy clients; and energy industry companies.
• Worked with client and broker to develop a comprehensive cyber insurance program for private equity investor and its over 50 portfolio companies, including drafting numerous manuscript amendatory endorsements that were accepted by insurer.
• Represented client in coverage dispute arising out of three TCPA putative class action suits; obtained full insurer reimbursement for all defense costs and incurred and secured insurer funds for settlements.
• Analyzed cyber insurance programs for global financial services, entertainment and gaming, technology, hospitality, and retail clients; manuscripted policy language for endorsements; and negotiated with brokers and underwriters for improved language for renewal.

Litigation and Arbitration

• Represent national banking institution in arbitration concerning coverage under D&O insurance policy for underlying securities suit, recovering eight-figure arbitration award.
• Recovered over $6 million for major U.S. agricultural company on summary judgment win in federal court in coverage action seeking recovery of defense fees paid in underlying bet-the-company litigation.
• Represented investment firm in insurance coverage action in New York Supreme Court Commercial Division concerning recovery of defense costs and settlement of foreign regulatory proceeding concerning the acquisition and restructuring of a financially distressed entity.
• Resolved large real estate developer’s claim for defense and indemnity against subcontractor’s general liability insurer for losses incurred in underlying construction defect litigation.
• Represented major real estate developer in insurance coverage declaratory action in Florida federal court concerning subcontractor’s general liability insurance coverage and OCIP coverage.
• Represented major petroleum pipeline in insurance coverage action in federal court concerning recovery from pollution legal liability insurer for benefits owed arising out of environmental incident.
• Part of team that preserved client’s victory in $80 million insurance coverage dispute affirmed by Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and for which certiorari was denied by Supreme Court of the United States.
• Obtained jury verdict for policyholder in declaratory judgment action on post-loss condition compliance in seven-figure property insurance dispute.
• Resolved insurance coverage and bad faith litigation on behalf of major infrastructure construction client in coverage dispute arising out of subcontractor accident and insurer’s failure to settle; wrote, argued, and won several key discovery and dispositive motions prior to settlement.
• Represented client in seven-figure insurance coverage litigation under builder’s risk policy over losses arising out of Hurricane Charley; won several motions in trial court before ultimately settling.
• Represented individual clients in insurance recovery and bad faith action in Florida state court arising out of seven-figure benefits due under variable life insurance policy; prevailed on several key motions before settling.
• Resolved inverse condemnation and slander suit brought by aviation client through consent judgment and assignment of rights to pursue defendant’s non-defending insurer; brought coverage suit against non-defending insurer, which was ultimately settled.
• Drafted several insurance coverage appellate briefs, opposition briefs, and amicus briefs, including to Florida’s Third District Court of Appeals, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeals, Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeals, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Florida Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and several state supreme courts.
• While in law school, served as a clerk to the Colorado Office of the Attorney General: Appellate Division and a law clerk in the Colorado Governor’s Office of Legal Counsel.

Claims

• Lead counsel to a global private equity firm and many of its portfolio companies with respect to coverage for various underlying suits; resolved numerous defense and indemnity claims through informal negotiation and/or mediation with insurers.
• Advised several national retailers and hospitality companies on coverage for riot and civil commotion losses and guiding these companies through the claims process.
• Serves as coverage counsel for several nationally known retailers; advised clients on coverage for business interruption and contract losses arising out of natural disasters (sinkholes, collapses, fires, and hurricanes) and cyber events.
• Serves as outside coverage counsel for nationally known residential real-estate developer and property management firm; representative experience includes resolving coverage disputes and obtaining insurance funding for settlement of underlying wrongful death, bodily injury, property damage and construction defect suits; negotiating with crime and fidelity insurer to recover first party losses.
• Advised major health care client on coverage under D&O and Errors and Omissions (E&O) policies for multidistrict litigation alleging violations of federal and state antitrust laws; resolved insurance dispute through ADR.
• Represented luxury residential real estate developer in coverage dispute arising out of significant delay to project caused by Hurricane Irma; resolved coverage dispute with builder’s risk insurer.
• Resolved numerous “large loss” property damage and business interruption claims through alternative dispute resolution, including claims involving 100+ insured locations.
• Resolved large loss first party property dispute arising out of sinkhole loss in Central Florida after filing Florida Civil Remedy Notice of Insurer Violation.
• Advised clients through claims process under D&O, E&O and other professional liability, employment practices (EPLI), property, business interruption, commercial general liability (CGL), pollution legal liability (PLL), cyber (including privacy and security, reputation management, network interruption, cyber extortion, technology E&O and other cyber-related coverages), crime, fidelity, and other insurance policies.

Transactional Insurance Advice, Policy Audit, and Counseling

• Conducted comprehensive insurance audit to identify coverage issues and gaps in insurance program (including captive policies) for nonprofit health insurer serving over four million members.
• Conducted coverage analyses of publicly traded global travel company’s D&O, Side-A D&O, Employment Practices Liability, Fiduciary Liability and cyber insurance program and recommended manuscript endorsements and other changes for renewal.
• Completed insurance due diligence for several major transactions, including $3.5 billion energy industry acquisition.
• Serves as coverage counsel for national franchise food service company; responsibilities include: providing advice on indemnity agreements and insurance requirements in contracts with third parties, representing client in coverage negotiations with insurers over defense and indemnity obligations under liability policies, assisting client with claim presentation and recovery of property damage and business interruption losses arising out of sinkholes and hurricanes, and analyzing client’s insurance program for gaps in coverage in preparation for renewal.
• Regularly advises clients on additional insured, indemnity, and required insurance provisions in vendor contracts and represents clients in negotiations with counterparties.

• Named a Circle of Excellence Award winner for Insurance Law, Miami-Dade Bar, 2024
• Named to the “40 & Under List,” Benchmark Litigation, 2024
• Recognized as a Next Generation Partner (2022-2024) and Rising Star (2021) for Insurance: Advice to Policyholders, Legal 500 United States
• Recognized as a Leader in Insurance: Dispute Resolution, Florida, Chambers USA, 2019-2024
• Named among the Influential Business Women, South Florida Business Journal, 2024
• Named a “Leadership in Law” Honoree, South Florida Business & Wealth’s Legal Awards, 2022
• Named a Top 40 Young Lawyer On the Rise, ABA’s Young Lawyers Division, 2022
• Named among Insurance Rising Stars, Law360, 2022
• Recognized as an Elite Woman, Insurance Business America (IBA), 2022
• Recognized as a Legal Elite Up & Comer, Florida Trend, 2021-2022
• Recognized as “One to Watch,” The Best Lawyers in America, 2021-2024 editions
• Selected as a Rising Star for Insurance Coverage, Florida Super Lawyers Magazine, 2018-2021
• Named an “On the Rise” Honoree, Daily Business Review’s Professional Excellence Awards, 2020
• Received “RISE Award”, Rising Insurance Star Executives, 2019
• Named among 40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers of South Florida, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 2018
• Received “Rookie of the Year” Award, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce HYPE Awards, 2017

• Vice-Chair, ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section: Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Committee, 2019 through 2024.
• Managing Editor, Coverage, American Bar Association Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, 2022-present.
• Member, Florida Bar: Eleventh Circuit Grievance Committee (B), 2017 through 2020.
• Member, ABA Standing Committee on Disaster Response and Preparedness, 2016 through 2019.
• Member, ABA Cybersecurity Task Force, 2017 through 2019.
• Co-Chair, ABA Section of Litigation: Insurance Coverage and Litigation Committee Hurricane Task-Force, 2017 through 2018.
• Member, ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section and Section of Litigation, 2012 through present.
• Member, ABA Section of Litigation: Insurance Coverage Litigation, 2012 through present.