HOME » ATTORNEYS » Christopher W. Poverman
Christopher W. Poverman is the managing partner of Chartwell’s Maryland office, and is resident part time in Chartwell’s Delaware office. Mr. Poverman has dedicated over twenty years of practice to counseling clients with challenging and complex litigation matters. His diversified litigation practice includes significant experience with insurance coverage, insurance fraud, employment law, construction and products liability litigation, intellectual property protection and general commercial disputes. Mr. Poverman has tried to verdict cases involving first and third party insurance coverage, product liability, employee dishonesty, negligent construction, Title III violations (public access) and Title VII violations (employment discrimination), wrongful termination, and advertising injury claims. In addition, Mr. Poverman also has experience with class action disputes including his successful representation of a class of African-American FBI agents in Johnson v. Reno, which sought redress for the discriminatory impact of the hiring and promotion practices at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The majority of Mr. Poverman’s current practice is dedicated to the representation of insurance carriers in all manner of disputes ranging from insurance coverage to general business. He has assisted insurance clients in the U.S. and overseas with coverage, appraisal and litigation matters involving complex property and time element losses, fire losses, including arson, builder's risk, weather related and terrorism catastrophes, environmental contamination, premium fraud, product liability/complete operations, construction defect/additional insured coverage, boiler and machinery, fine arts and media, data security, transportation, cargo and inland marine coverage, as well as oil, gas and energy claims. During his tenure as senior coverage counsel for first party claims at The St. Paul Companies, Mr. Poverman was responsible for managing all of the company’s Y2K sue and labor claims and all claims related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks including SR International v. Silverstein.
Mr. Poverman is a 1984 graduate of Susquehanna University. He received his Master of Science degree in 1986 from The American University, School of Public Affairs (formerly the School of Justice) and received his law degree in 1990 from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.
BAR ADMISSIONS
New Jersey Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the State of Delaware
Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Maryland Court of Appeals
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
United States District Court for the District of Delaware
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
United States District Court for the District of Maryland
United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
PRACTICE AREAS
Insurance Coverage
Subrogation
Products Liability
Construction
Employment
Copyrights and Trademarks
Commercial Litigation
EDUCATION
The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law (J.D., 1990)
The American University, School of Public Affairs (f/k/a School of Justice) (M.S., 1986)
Susquehanna University (A.B., 1984)
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
American Bar Association
Defense Research Institute
Maryland State Bar Association
Delaware State Bar Association
Maryland Defense Counsel - Board of Directors
Property Loss Research Bureau
Loss Executives Association
Defense Research Institute
PRESENTATIONS/ PUBLICATIONS
“Insurance Fraud and Bad Faith in a Nutshell” National Business Institute Webinar, May 2010.
“Medicare Secondary Payer Mandatory Reporting under Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007” PAMIC Annual Meeting, State College, Pennsylvania, March 2009.
“Who Covers My Condo? – The Anderson Case and Fallout in Maryland”, Property Matters, Gen Re Publications, September 2008.
“CGL Products Liability Claims and Products/Completed Operations Hazard Coverage” PLRB/LIRB Annual Claims Conference, Chicago, Illinois, March 2004.
“Adjusting Losses Involving Commercial Leases” Loss Executives Association Annual Meeting, Tampa, Florida, January 2004.
“Business Interruption – Suspension and Access Issues after September 11”, Policy Wording Matters, Gen Re Publications, January 2004
“Before or After: The interplay of Litigation and Appraisal”, The Brief, Winter 2004, Vol 33, No.2.
“Understanding the Boundaries of Coverage for Interruptions by Civil Authorities”, Vol. 3 Mealey’s Business Interruption Insurance, Issue 1, December 2003.
“Improvements and Betterments Coverage and Commercial Leases”, Vol. 17 Mealey’s Litigation Report: Insurance, Issue 1, December 2003.
“Calculating the Period of Restoration”, Vol. 2 Mealey’s Business Interruption Insurance, Issue 6, May 2003.
“Emerging Issues in Business Interruption Coverage” PLRB/LIRB Annual Claims Conference, Orlando, Florida, April 2003.
“Emerging Issues in Biotechnology and Insurance Coverage” ABA Section of Litigation, Insurance Coverage Committee Annual Meeting, Tucson, Arizona, February 2002 and March 2003.
“Technology and Insurance Coverage” ABA Section of Litigation, Insurance Coverage Committee Annual Meeting, Tucson, Arizona, February 2001.
“Cyber-Torts: Hackers, Spammers, and Cyber-squatters” Panel Presentation, ABA Annual Meeting, New York, New York, July 2000.
"Impacts and Implications of Maryland's Computer Information Transactions Act" HUPK Technology and E-Commerce Seminar Series, Columbia, Maryland, June 2000.
