Jessica E. La Londe is a trial lawyer practicing in the area of civil litigation, with experience in a broad variety of cases, including commercial and insurance coverage litigation. Ms. La Londe has represented companies in suits involving business contracts, employment disputes, products liability, Proposition 65, environmental law, and consumer class actions. Ms. La Londe has additionally been involved with agency litigation concerning water and property rights.

Ms. La Londe devotes part of her practice to litigation and counseling services for insurance companies, where she has handled matters in various lines of insurance, including general liability policies, environmental pollution policies, architects and engineers professional liability policies, excess liability policies, auto liability policies, project policies, and directors and officers policies. Through Ms. La Londe's advising insurance companies at the claims handling level and representing insurance companies in lawsuits, she has gained experience in many areas of law, including environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act and CERCLA, asbestos, pharmaceuticals, professional liability for architects, food contamination, copyright infringement, violations of housing code, product liability and construction defect. Ms. La Londe handles all aspects of insurance coverage litigation, including coverage, bad faith, subrogation and contribution. Ms. La Londe has also been named a Northern California Rising Star.

Ms. La Londe is admitted to practice in California, Virginia and the District of Columbia. She is a 2003 graduate, with honors, of the George Washington University Law School, where she was articles editor of The Public Contract Law Journal, and a graduate of the University of California, Davis. Ms. La Londe also studied international human rights law at the University of Oxford, New College.

Representative Matters

Business and Other Litigation

• Represented an international energy company in a wrongful death product liability case.
• Represented a company against allegations of violations of California's Proposition 65.
• Represented a company with foreign affiliates in a contract dispute with a former officer and director.
• Represented a company regarding alleged violations of the Clean Water Act.
• Represented a city regarding property rights.
• Represented company in compelling arbitration of an employee dispute regarding wrongful termination and discrimination.
• Represented company in an appeal of a consumer class-action claim.
• Represented developer in breach of contract dispute by general contractor.
• Represented company in a personal injury lawsuit brought by parents of a child injured on company's public premises.

Insurance Litigation

• Regularly advise clients on a variety of coverage issues, including environmental contamination, asbestos, pharmaceuticals, professional liability for architects, food contamination, copyright infringement, violations of housing code, product liability and construction defect.
• Represented insurer in contribution action on summary judgment.
• Successful negotiation of several contribution claims by insurers.
• Regularly handle settlement conferences and mediations in underlying litigation.
• Assisted in negotiations of several favorable settlements on behalf of insurers.

Admissions

• California
• Virginia
• District of Columbia
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Education

• George Washington University Law School, J.D., with honors, 2003
• University of California, Davis, B.A., 2000

Other Experience

• Duane Morris LLP
  - Partner, 2012-present
  - Associate, 2006-2011
• Hancock Rothert & Bunshoft LLP, San Francisco, California
  - Associate, 2004-2005
• Jackson & Campbell PC
  - Associate, 2003-2004

Professional Activities

• American Bar Association
  - Section of Litigation
  - Section of Tort & Insurance Practice
• The Bar Association of San Francisco
• Queen's Bench
• IADC Trial Academy, 2009

Honors / Awards

• Listed in The Top Women Attorneys in Northern California, 2012
• Named a Northern California Rising Star, 2010-2013

Civic and Charitable Activities

• Volunteer for the Project Homeless Connect, San Francisco

Publications

• Co-author, "Legislating Construction Accidents: The Trend of 'Occurrence' Statutes to Create Insurance Coverage for Construction Defect Lawsuits," Chapter in Aspatore Thought Leadership: Insurance Law 2012, February 2012
• Co-author, "Stemming the Tide: The Lesson of Steadfast v. AES and Terminating the Duty to Defend Climate Change Lawsuits," Going Green Hot Topic feature on the American Bar Association Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee website, April 2010
• Co-author, "Keep it Cool: Potential Coverage Defenses to ''Global Warming'' Lawsuits," Coverage, American Bar Association Section of Litigation, Committee on Insurance Coverage Litigation, July/August 2009

Speaking Engagements

• Speaker, “Keeping the (Good) Faith: California Law on Insurer Bad Faith in Third Party Liability Cases,” West LegalEdcenter, September 13, 2012