Selena J. Linde
- Member, Firmwide Executive Committee; Firmwide Chair, Insurance Recovery Practice
- Washington, D.C.
Selena has recovered more than $4 billion for her clients, who rely on her to both advise and litigate coverage issues against insurance companies.
Selena J. Linde has led some of the largest insurance recovery cases in federal and state courts throughout the country. She advises boards on insurance issues and risk management strategies and is regularly hired in high-profile bankruptcies and by post-bankruptcy trusts to maximize the coverage available to the debtors’ estates, creditors’ committees, and trust beneficiaries. Selena is an authority on all types of insurance policies. In 2020, she won a precedent-setting decision for Zillow on claims-made policies in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She chairs the firm’s Insurance Recovery P
In addition to her active litigation, arbitration, and mediation practice, Selena devotes approximately a quarter of her time to counseling current clients regarding obtaining policies, renewal, and drafting insurance language in business contracts, to minimize and prevent insurance litigation. Her corporate counseling clients include retailers and technology companies such as Amazon, Box, Costco, Continental Mills, PetSmart, Wakefern Food Corp., and Zillow.
Selena was the primary author and editor of the first edition of the Association of Corporate Counsel's A Policyholder Primer on Insurance. Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Selena led an insurance recovery practice comprising more than 60 coverage lawyers. She also worked for the U.S. Judiciary Committee during the U.S. Supreme Court nomination hearings of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Areas of focus
Industries
Services
Education & Credentials
Education
- University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1997
Bar and Court Admissions
-
District of Columbia
-
Maryland
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Related Employment
- Dickstein Shapiro LLP, Washington, D.C., Insurance Coverage Partner and Deputy Practice Leader
- U.S. Senate, Judiciary Committee for Senator Edward Kennedy
Professional Recognition
Ranked by Chambers USA as “America’s Leading Lawyer” for Insurance: Policyholder, 2023-2024; Nationwide: Insurance Dispute Resolution: Policyholder, 2024
Best Lawyers in America: Insurance Law, 2018-2024
Benchmark Litigation Top 250 Women in Litigation, 2014-2019
Benchmark Litigation’s Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys as a National Star 2011-2020, Insurance and Bankruptcy
Who’s Who Legal: Insurance & Reinsurance, 2017-2019
Recommended by The Legal 500: Industry Focus: Insurance – advice to policy holders
Washington D.C. Super Lawyers, 2013-2020, 2024
Business Insurance’s "Women to Watch," 2012
Recipient of the "Women Worth Watching" award by the Diversity Journal, 2012
Impact
Professional Leadership
- Association of Corporate Counsel's "A Policyholder Primer on Insurance," Primary Author and Editor
- The Professionals’ Officers’ and Directors’ Liability Subcommittee, Contributing Author
- American Bar Association, Tort and Trial Insurance Practice Section
- Woman’s Bar Association
Community Involvement
- Pro bono insurance coverage work
- Pro bono adoptions for children in the District of Columbia neglect system
Insights
News
Professional Experience
Experience
In re Residential Capital LLC, Case No.: 12-12020 (Mg)
United States Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York (Largest Chapter 11 Case of 2012)
Lead coverage counsel: Ms. Linde represents the Debtors in connection with all coverage issues under more than 175 Directors & Officers and Errors & Omissions liability policies with limits in excess of $1 billion dollars. The underlying actions stemmed from the packaging and sale of mortgage backed securities.
In re New England Compounding Pharmacy Inc., Case No. 12-19882 (HJB)
United States Bankruptcy Court District of Massachusetts Eastern Division
Lead coverage counsel: Ms. Linde represented the Unsecured Creditors Committee in the bankruptcy of New England Compounding Center (NECC) and advised the Committee with regard to the Debtors available insurance coverage to compensate victims asserting claims related to the deadly outbreak of fungal meningitis that allegedly killed 65 individuals and injured thousands in 23 states and was traced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to epidural steroid injections that had been packaged, marketed and sold by NECC.
Northwestern Energy v. Aegis Ltd., et al., CIV. 07-1174
South Dakota Second Judicial Circuit Ct.
Lead counsel: Ms. Linde represented NorthWestern Energy in insurance coverage litigation for environmental liabilities and bad faith at numerous sites for claims in excess of $100 million. Over the life of the case the team has obtained precedent setting victories via summary judgment rulings on the issues of trigger of coverage and allocation, notice, bad faith, and the discovery of reserves and reinsurance information.
Motors Liquidation Company Dip Lenders Trust v. Allianz Ins. Co., Case. No. N11c-12-022 FSS [CcCLD]
Superior Court Delaware, New Castle County
Co-lead counsel: Ms. Linde represented the Motors Liquidation Company DIP Lenders Trust against 30 excess insurance companies in seeking coverage for underlying claims in excess of $1 billion dollars for historical asbestos and environmental liabilities of pre-bankruptcy General Motors.
Representation of Global Provider of Transaction Processing Solutions and Data Analytics
Lead counsel: Ms. Linde represented a global company that serves more than half of the Fortune 100 companies in an insurance coverage dispute regarding a data and privacy breach. The case was successfully resolved for a confidential amount.
Astellas U.S. Holdings, Inc. v. Zurich American Ins. Co, Case. No. N11c-06-266 MJM [CCLD]
Superior Court Delaware, New Castle County
Lead counsel: Ms. Linde represented Astellas in an insurance coverage litigation for defense and indemnity for underlying anti-trust class actions and other matters. A successful resolution was reached approximately six months after filing suit.
Representation of an NBA Basketball Team
Lead counsel: Ms. Linde represented an NBA Basketball Team in an insurance coverage dispute under a player disability insurance policy and obtained full policy limits.
Representation of a Financial Banking Institution
Lead counsel: Ms. Linde represented a commercial bank in an insurance coverage dispute against its fidelity insurer in seeking recovery for employee theft associated with an elaborate Ponzi scheme. The insurance carrier paid the full amount of the theft and all investigation costs.