Pillsbury’s Nationally Renowned Insurance Recovery & Advisory Practice Adds Prominent Litigator Jay Konkel in Washington, D.C.

“Our Insurance practice is an established leader when it comes to advising policyholders on critical insurance recovery issues, and that client need continues to grow,” said Firm Chair David Dekker. “Jay adds substantial experience and knowledge to our highly regarded team and his extensive background working on complex insurance matters will enable even greater support to those we represent.”

Konkel has vast experience representing corporate policyholders in a wide variety of coverage disputes. He regularly provides advice concerning and pursues recoveries from insurance for a variety of companies’ liabilities and other business losses including those arising out toxic tort, product liability including medical device litigation, business interruption loss, property loss, and other liabilities. He has a particularly strong background in pursuing recoveries from multi-year insurance programs for long-tail liability claims associated with asbestos and opioids, as well as emerging environmental disputes relating to PFAS and climate-related risks.

“Jay’s demonstrated ability to favorably resolve the most high-stakes insurance cases, whether at the bargaining table or trial, will make him an invaluable resource for our clients,” said Peter Gillon, who co-leads Pillsbury’s Insurance Recovery and Advisory practice. “His addition expands and enhances the Firm’s insurance capabilities on the East Coast and nationally, and injects important expertise in still-developing areas of environmental insurance recovery law.”

Konkel joins a nationally recognized Insurance Recovery & Advisory group at Pillsbury that, while already one of the largest policyholder-only practices in the country, continues to expand. To keep pace with client demand, the practice welcomed Los Angeles-based partner Jeff Kiburtz from Covington in September 2024, and has seen several other members elevated to partnership in recent years, including Matthew Brady in Los Angeles, Janine Stanisz and Benjamin Tievsky in New York, and Stephen Asay and Eric Gold in Washington, DC.

“Pillsbury’s Insurance Recovery & Advisory practice is recognized among the premier policyholder legal advisers in the world, and I am thrilled to be joining this exceptional group,” Konkel said. “My experience both complements and expands the existing capabilities of this phenomenal practice, and I very much look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues to meet evolving client needs.”

Nationally ranked by Chambers USA and a five-time winner of Law360’s Insurance Practice Group of the Year, Pillsbury’s Insurance Recovery & Advisory group is one of the country’s largest and most diverse insurance departments, with more than 70 dedicated lawyers in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Houston and London. The team is a crucial part of the broader Pillsbury Litigation practice, that was recently named one of the 35 AmLaw 100 firms that opposing parties fear coming up against most by BTI Consulting.