Linda Kornfeld Named 2021 Insurance Law Trailblazer by The National Law Journal
Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that partner Linda Kornfeld, who serves as vice chair of the firm’s nationally recognized Insurance Recovery practice group, has been named a 2021 Insurance Law Trailblazer by The National Law Journal. This inaugural Trailblazer award series, developed by the business arm of the publication, recognizes leading insurance law professionals from across the country who are “agents of change” and have made “sweeping efforts” to make positive contributions to the industry.
Over the past year, Linda was also recognized as a leader in insurance law and litigation by Lawdragon 500’s Leading Lawyers in America, Benchmark Litigation’s Top 250 Women in Litigation, Daily Journal’s Top Women Lawyers in California, and Los Angeles Business Journal’s Top Women Attorneys.
Linda’s awards continue another banner year of accolades for the firm’s Insurance Recovery practice, which was honored in 2020 by Benchmark Litigation as the Insurance Firm of the Year and as one of the top three insurance recovery practices in California, by Law360 as the Insurance Group of the Year for the second year in a row, and by The National Law Journal as the D.C. Insurance Litigation Department of the Year.
Linda’s Insurance Law Trailblazers honoree profile is available here and copied in full below. It was formally published by The National Law Journal on page 24 of its Trailblazers Supplement (March 2021).
Trailblazers: Insurance Law
Linda Kornfeld, Blank Rome LLP
PIONEER SPIRIT: Linda Kornfeld planned to become a securities litigator after law school, but an economic downturn changed her plans and she redirected to insurance recovery. “I didn’t go to law school to be a coverage lawyer. But, once I started practicing, it was a perfect match. I love policy interpretation, developing persuasive arguments and making law. My passion for what I do translates into terrific client results.”
TRAILS BLAZED: Kornfeld has represented insureds in high-profile matters, like Penn State University for insurance recovery after the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal and Cottage Health in “the first lawsuit nationwide regarding data breach losses under a cybersecurity policy. In that case, we advanced arguments under policy language yet to be interpreted by the courts.” Kornfeld’s successes have been just as strong on matters that, through her skills, never reached the headlines. “Successful lawyers are most valuable to their clients when they rely on their own innate skills to resolve cases, rather than adopting those of others. Creative thinking and relationship forming are two of my strong suits. These skills allow me to increase my clients’ leverage not just in high-stakes litigation, but also in strategic negotiations that result in cost-effective client recoveries, without needing litigation. I excel both in the courtroom and in pre-litigation negotiations.”
FUTURE EXPLORATIONS: With the continued pandemic, Kornfeld sees COVID-19-related business interruption litigation as an ongoing focal point for courts nationwide. As technology develops at continued warp speed, she also believes we will see continued development of cyber insurance policy language and cyber-related coverage battles. “The coverage discussion surrounding climate change also will expand, as ‘blue moon’ events now happen with greater frequency.”