Managing Catastrophic Losses Pre- and Post-Incident While Maximizing Insurance Coverage Recovery

Shelby S. Guilbert, Jr.

McGuireWoods LLP

• Partner in McGuireWoods LLP’s Atlanta, GA office on the insurance coverage recovery team.
• Represents manufacturers, financial institutions, energy companies, and health care providers in insurance recovery actions, high-stakes contract disputes and cross-border litigation.
• Recovered over a billion dollars from insurance companies in the U.S. and international markets on behalf of his policyholder clients, and has substantial experience assisting businesses in the pursuit of insurance coverage following hurricanes, earthquakes, plant explosions, fires, and other type of natural disasters and catastrophic incidents.
• Frequently collaborates with risk managers, brokers, forensic experts, and incident response teams to help businesses maximize their insurance recovery and avoid catastrophic business interruption losses after a disaster strikes, and he has successfully litigated numerous high-profile insurance recovery matters where insurers attempted to avoid or limit their coverage obligations under first- and third-party policies.
• Works with policyholders and their brokers to negotiate best-in-class insurance policy terms and conditions.

Frequently writes and speaks on topics relating to insurance, finance, ADR, and other business issues, and was formerly the president of the Atlanta International Arbitration Society.

Adam Sowatska

MCGuireWoods

Adam Sowatzka

• Co-leader of McGuireWoods’ Crisis Management & Incident Response and Environmental Enforcement & Regulatory Counseling Practice Groups.
• With more than 28 years of experience, he leads the response and investigation of catastrophic accidents, fires, explosions and spills, and he handles environmental, health & safety (EH&S) crisis management matters, such as criminal and civil inspections and investigations. Defends clients in government inquiries following an EH&S crisis, such as investigations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and state and local regulatory agencies.
• Has managed crisis for companies across a broad spectrum of industries—utilities, energy, paper, chemicals, and manufacturing.
• Described as “very smart, great with strategy and also great working with regulators” by Chambers USA (2024). Named a “Georgia Trailblazer” for his work in crisis management by The Daily Report.
• Over the past several years, he helped clients recover more than $2 billion in insurance proceeds to rebuild post crisis.