Overview

Practice Areas

Brett represents insurers, lenders, transporters, manufacturers, retailers, and other business entities in all aspects of litigation in federal and state courts and before various arbitration venues. Before numerous juries and courts, he has tried class actions, insurance, product liability, lender liability, commercial, trucking, real estate, and other business disputes to verdict and defends insurers in all aspects of commercial, life, health, and disability coverage as well as negligent placement of insurance.

Brett handles lender disputes involving letters of credit, repurchase agreements, revolving credit agreements, mortgage priority issues, usury and point disputes, and participation agreements and defends lenders in nearly all aspects of consumer claims, including class actions. For retailers, he has defended them against claims of lease breaches by landlords.

A frequent speaker at lender, trucking, insurance, and other litigation seminars, Brett is also an experienced American Arbitration Association (AAA) arbitrator, having been involved in numerous commercial and insurance arbitrations, with formal training both by the AAA and the Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR) Institute for Dispute Resolution.

Practice Areas

Representative Experience

  • State-wide counsel for major consumer and commercial lender, defending both consumer and commercial claims.
  • State-wide counsel for the country’s largest disability insurer, defending life and disability claims.

Education & Admissions

Education

  • Northwestern University School of Law J.D., 1972
  • University of Dubuque B.A., with Highest Honors, 1969

Bar and Court Admissions

  • Supreme Court of the U.S.
  • State of Ohio
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

 

Involvement

Professional Affiliations

  • American Bar Association, Member (1972 – Present)
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member (1973 – Present)
  • Defense Research Institute (DRI), Life, Health, & Disability Section Member (1973 – Present)
  • The Federation of Defense Corporate Counsel, Former Member
  • ALFA International Global Legal Network
  • Board of Directors, Executive Committee & Treasurer (2014 – 2017)
  • Insurance Roundtable Program, Chair, New York City (2017)
  • The British-American Chamber of Commerce (2013 – Present)

Community Involvement

  • Red Oak Camp, Past Trustee
  • Cleveland Play House, Past Trustee and Past President of Men’s Committee
  • Church of the Western Reserve, Past Elder
  • Pepper Pike Civic League, Past Trustee

Firm Involvement

  • Frantz Ward, Founding Partner

Awards & Honors

  • Named to the Ohio Super Lawyers list (2006 – Present)
  • Named to The Best Lawyers in America® in Commercial Litigation (2005 – Present) and Litigation—Insurance (2018 – Present)
  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® as Cleveland Lawyer of the Year in Litigation-Insurance (2021)
  • Listed as AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Recipient of the Professional Achievement Award from the University of Dubuque (2015)

 

Publications

  • “The Reasonable Justification Standard for Bad Faith Claim,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (May 2019)

 Presentations & Lectures

  • “Key contrasts in US and UK approaches to commercial coverage issues post-COVID,” Transatlantic Conference 2023, London, England (June 2023)
  • “Humanizing the Insurance Company in Bad Faith Actions,” ALFA International 2023 Insurance Roundtable, Charleston, SC (June 2023)
  • “Recent Developments in Insurance Court Decisions and Regulatory Issues,” ALFA International 2019 Insurance Law Roundtable, Nashville, TN (May 2019)
  • “Commercial Legal Risk, Legal Concerns in Cyber Security & IT,” British-American Business Council’s Transatlantic Conference, Birmingham, UK (June 2018)
  • “Politics and the U.S. and U.K. Supreme Courts and Judiciaries,” British American Legal Group, Chicago, IL (May 2017)
  • “Driving the Risk Highway to Success: Are You on Auto Pilot Or Are You in Control?”ALFA  International, New York, NY (March 2017)
  • Program Moderator, “What’s New in the Transatlantic Legal World,” British American Legal Group, London, UK (2016)
  • “Starting Strong to Finish First: Legal Strategies for Equipping Global Corporate Success,” ALFA International, Palm Springs, CA (2016)
  • “Effectively Managing Litigation,” Frantz Ward Litigation Seminar, Cleveland, OH (2015)
  • “Finding Practical Solutions in a Shrinking Global Economy,” ALFA International, Scottsdale, AZ (2015)
  • “Skillfully Utilizing the Business Record Hearsay Exception,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2015)
  • “Insurance Coverage Law in Ohio,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2010; 2014)
  • “Bad Faith Litigation in Ohio,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2010; 2013)
  • “Representing Your Client in Federal Court,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2013)
  • “Practice Updates, Guidance, and Strategies for Insurance Professionals,” ALFA International, New York, NY (2013)
  • “Comparative Dispute Resolution in the UK and USA: Which Country Does More to Encourage Litigation,” British American Business Counsel, Birmingham, UK (2013)
  • “Handling Rambo Litigators in Ohio,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2012)
  • “Real-Life Resolution Strategies of Bad Faith Claims,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2011)
  • “Representing Your Client in Federal Court,” National Business Institute,
    Cleveland, OH (2011)
  • “U.S. Jurisdiction and Venue,” Royal & Sun Alliance, Chelmsford, England (2011)

 

Media Coverage

Representative Experience

  • State-wide counsel for major consumer and commercial lender, defending both consumer and commercial claims.
  • State-wide counsel for the country’s largest disability insurer, defending life and disability claims.

Education & Admissions

Education

  • Northwestern University School of Law J.D., 1972
  • University of Dubuque B.A., with Highest Honors, 1969

Bar and Court Admissions

  • Supreme Court of the U.S.
  • State of Ohio
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

 

Involvement

Professional Affiliations

  • American Bar Association, Member (1972 – Present)
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member (1973 – Present)
  • Defense Research Institute (DRI), Life, Health, & Disability Section Member (1973 – Present)
  • The Federation of Defense Corporate Counsel, Former Member
  • ALFA International Global Legal Network
  • Board of Directors, Executive Committee & Treasurer (2014 – 2017)
  • Insurance Roundtable Program, Chair, New York City (2017)
  • The British-American Chamber of Commerce (2013 – Present)

Community Involvement

  • Red Oak Camp, Past Trustee
  • Cleveland Play House, Past Trustee and Past President of Men’s Committee
  • Church of the Western Reserve, Past Elder
  • Pepper Pike Civic League, Past Trustee

Firm Involvement

  • Frantz Ward, Founding Partner

Awards & Honors

  • Named to the Ohio Super Lawyers list (2006 – Present)
  • Named to The Best Lawyers in America® in Commercial Litigation (2005 – Present) and Litigation—Insurance (2018 – Present)
  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® as Cleveland Lawyer of the Year in Litigation-Insurance (2021)
  • Listed as AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Recipient of the Professional Achievement Award from the University of Dubuque (2015)

 

Publications

  • “The Reasonable Justification Standard for Bad Faith Claim,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (May 2019)

 Presentations & Lectures

  • “Key contrasts in US and UK approaches to commercial coverage issues post-COVID,” Transatlantic Conference 2023, London, England (June 2023)
  • “Humanizing the Insurance Company in Bad Faith Actions,” ALFA International 2023 Insurance Roundtable, Charleston, SC (June 2023)
  • “Recent Developments in Insurance Court Decisions and Regulatory Issues,” ALFA International 2019 Insurance Law Roundtable, Nashville, TN (May 2019)
  • “Commercial Legal Risk, Legal Concerns in Cyber Security & IT,” British-American Business Council’s Transatlantic Conference, Birmingham, UK (June 2018)
  • “Politics and the U.S. and U.K. Supreme Courts and Judiciaries,” British American Legal Group, Chicago, IL (May 2017)
  • “Driving the Risk Highway to Success: Are You on Auto Pilot Or Are You in Control?”ALFA  International, New York, NY (March 2017)
  • Program Moderator, “What’s New in the Transatlantic Legal World,” British American Legal Group, London, UK (2016)
  • “Starting Strong to Finish First: Legal Strategies for Equipping Global Corporate Success,” ALFA International, Palm Springs, CA (2016)
  • “Effectively Managing Litigation,” Frantz Ward Litigation Seminar, Cleveland, OH (2015)
  • “Finding Practical Solutions in a Shrinking Global Economy,” ALFA International, Scottsdale, AZ (2015)
  • “Skillfully Utilizing the Business Record Hearsay Exception,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2015)
  • “Insurance Coverage Law in Ohio,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2010; 2014)
  • “Bad Faith Litigation in Ohio,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2010; 2013)
  • “Representing Your Client in Federal Court,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2013)
  • “Practice Updates, Guidance, and Strategies for Insurance Professionals,” ALFA International, New York, NY (2013)
  • “Comparative Dispute Resolution in the UK and USA: Which Country Does More to Encourage Litigation,” British American Business Counsel, Birmingham, UK (2013)
  • “Handling Rambo Litigators in Ohio,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2012)
  • “Real-Life Resolution Strategies of Bad Faith Claims,” National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH (2011)
  • “Representing Your Client in Federal Court,” National Business Institute,
    Cleveland, OH (2011)
  • “U.S. Jurisdiction and Venue,” Royal & Sun Alliance, Chelmsford, England (2011)

 

Media Coverage

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