Michael H. Goldstein
Michael H. Goldstein has more than thirty years of experience in reinsurance and insurance coverage disputes, including more than fifty arbitration hearings to award, trials, and appeals throughout the United States representing insurers, cedants, and reinsurers. These disputes have included asbestos, bodily injury and property damage claims, construction defect claims, environmental claims, bail bond claims, accident, life, health, and workers compensation claims, accountants’ and broker’s malpractice claims, directors and officers claims, Personal Accident London Market (PA LMX) claims, U.S. and London ocean marine and London Market composite risks, finite risk reinsurance, bankruptcy and insolvency issues, film financing, and entertainment risks. Many of these disputes and counseling assignments have involved the London Market. In litigating in state and federal trial and appellate courts, Mr. Goldstein has represented parties in a number of matters where the courts issued landmark decisions on various reinsurance issues.
Mr. Goldstein is admitted to practice in New York, several federal district courts, and United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Circuits. He has lectured and served as chairperson at Mealey’s conferences, at RAA conferences and seminars, at the College of Insurance, at the Defense Research Institute, and the American Conference Institute on insurance and reinsurance law topics. He has collaborated with Guy Carpenter in authoring a Guy Carpenter Claims Consulting White Paper regarding Reinsurance Coverage of Declaratory Judgment Expenses and authored and co-authored many articles on insurance and reinsurance. Mr. Goldstein is ARIAS-US trained and a certified arbitrator. He will be an Adjunct Professor at his alma mater, Fordham Law School, in the Fall of 2024, and will teach Law and Business of Insurance.
He received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. from Columbia College.
Honors
- Best Lawyers, 2013-2023
- Who's Who Legal: Insurance and Reinsurance, 2021-2024
- FICM-MCN Arbitration Tribunals (2018-2019)
- Benchmark Litigation: National Insurance Litigation Star
- Super Lawyers, 2009-2019
- AV Preeminent Peer Reviewed Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
- ARIAS U.S. Arbitrator
Memberships
- ARIAS-US Ethics Committee
- New York County Lawyers Association
Newsroom
Media Coverage
- Guest, “Insurance Law Everywhere,” Bite-Sized Business Law Podcast, Fordham University School of Law, March 12, 2024
- Quoted, “International Arbitration Experts Discuss The Impact Of Remote Proceedings,” Mealey’s International Arbitration Report and Coronavirus Law Report, December 2021
Bylined Articles
- “Intertwined Worlds of Insurance, Reinsurance, and the Law in the U.S. and U.K.“, co-authored with Kristen Kish, ARIAS-US Quarterly, Q1 2024
- “The Role of the Courts in Managing Your Reinsurance Arbitration – Who’s Your Arbitrator? Who’s Your Counsel?” MCWG 2015/2016 Winter Newsletter, Issue 04, Volume 23
- “When Follow the Settlements Collides with a Reinsurer’s Right of Access to Records and Discovery,” Harris Martin, May 7, 2013
- “Trust But Verify: Do Access to Records and Follow the Settlements Conflict?” AIRROC Matters, Dispute Resolution Special Edition, Volume 1, Spring 2013
- Guy Carpenter Global Claims Consulting White Paper: Reinsurance Coverage of Declaratory Judgment Expenses, co-authored with Matthew Lasky, 2008
- “Rescission of a Reinsurance Contract: Is Scienter Required?,” Journal of Insurance Coverage, Summer 2002
- “Service of Suit Clauses Should Not Defeat the Arbitrability of Reinsurance Disputes,” Journal of Insurance Coverage, Spring 2002
- “To Arbitrate or Not to Arbitrate,” co-authored with Lawrence Greengrass, Global Reinsurance, August 31, 2000
- “For Whom Does Bellefonte Toll? It Tolls For Thee,” Mealey’s Litigation Report: Reinsurance, August 13, 1998
- “Kissing Cousins Or Distant Relations? When Late Notices is Prejudicial To Excess Insurance But Not to Reinsurance,” Mealey’s Litigation Report: Reinsurance, November 12, 1997
- “Bellefonte Lives,” Mealey’s Litigation Report: Reinsurance, September 24, 1997
- “‘Till Death Do Us Part?: Follow the Fortunes and Utmost Good Faith At The End Of The Century,” DRI-Excess and Reinsurance Conference, November 1996
- “Choking on Asbestos Claims” Best’s Review, March 1992
- “Corrupting The System,” ReActions, November 1990
Client Alerts
Speaking Engagements
- Presenter, “History of Bellefonte: Why is this so important to our industry?,” AIRROC Summer Membership Meeting, New York, NY, July 20-21, 2022
- Panel Chair and Presenter, “Ethics in Arbitration: Is It an Oxymoron? Arbitrator ‘Disclosures’ and Other Bad Behavior in the 21st Century,” IRUA/Reinsurance Networking Group Lunch & Learn: Ethics in Arbitration, New York, NY, January 23, 2019
- Presenter, “The Environmental Impact of Waste Water Disposal & Mining,” RAA Discussion Series, April 24, 2018
- Presenter, “Insurtech: Smart Contracts & Peer to Peer Insurance,” Brokers & Reinsurance Markets Association, April 2017
- Presenter, “New Developments in Reinsurance Disputes,” DRI’s Insurance Coverage and Practice Symposium, December 3, 2015
- Facilitator, “The Art of Designing Reinsurance Contracts and Programs,” RAA, July 21, 2015
- Presenter, “Contract Clauses Required for Reinsurance Credit.,” RAA, May 14, 2015
- Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): What are They and What is Their Place in the World?”, Reinsurance Association of America, New York, NY, October 15, 2014
- Presenter, “Contract Clauses Required for Reinsurance Credit,” RAA: Re Basics, Chicago, IL, May 14, 2013
- Presenter, Re Basics, “Issues Surrounding International Flood Claims,” Re Claims, Reinsurance Association of America, New York, NY, September 13, 2012
- Presenter, “Follow the Settlements v. Access to Records,” AIRROC/R&Q Rendez-Vous Education Session, October 2012
- Presenter, “Climate Change/Natural Disasters,” RAA Re Claims, September 14-15, 2011
- Co Leader, “Contract Mania,” RAA Re Basics, May 10, 2012
- Presenter, “Reinsurance Seminar: London v. New York,” MCWG/Reynolds Porter Chamberlain Joint Seminar, London, England, September 23, 2009
- Presenter, “Creating the Arbitration Framework,” Reinsurance Claims & Arbitration, American Conference Institute Forum, September 2008
- Leader, “The Role of Courts in Arbitration,” RAA Re Claims: Reinsurance Claims Management, September 2008
Admissions
New York, 1980
Multiple United States District Courts and Circuit Courts of Appeal
Education
J.D., Fordham University School of Law, 1979
B.A., Columbia College, 1976