N America News April 2017

56 NORTH AMERICA NEWS / APRIL 2017 , Edward Susolikwas named one of the Top 100 Attorneys in Southern California by Super Lawyer, 2009 to 2016. We profile more about his specialist work in this special feature. Expertise in Multiple Areas During the last 27 years, Edward Susolik has come to be known and respected as one of the top litigation attorneys in Southern California. Mr. Susolik is known for his powerful and aggressive interdisciplinary litigation practice, combining expert trial and courtroom advocacy skills with bold and decisive litigation strategies. The foundation of Mr. Susolik’s success is his diverse litigation practice. Unlike most lawyers who specialize in narrow areas of practice, Mr. Susolik specializes in the one thing that matters most to clients: winning. To that end, Mr. Susolik has extensive expertise in multiple areas of complex litigation, including complex business litigation, insurance bad faith and coverage and catastrophic personal injury. Moreover, Mr. Susolik’s practice is divided evenly between plaintiff and defense perspectives: he was trained as a defense lawyer at an international law firm, but is equally adept at prosecuting eight-figure plaintiff cases. Mr. Susolik’s many awards and accolades speak to his reputation in the legal community. For example, Mr. Susolik has been recognized by his peers as one of the “Top 100 Attorneys in Southern California” for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 -- one of only a handful of Orange County attorneys given that distinguished honor by Super Lawyer Magazine. On the personal side, Mr. Susolik was born in Trnava, Czechoslovakia and has also lived in Switzerland and Spain. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1986 with degrees in Philosophy, English and History. He received his law degree from the University of Southern California Law School in 1990, where he graduated second in his class and was an editor of the law review. Mr. Susolik was also a professional golfer for several years, and continues to play competitive amateur golf throughout the United States. Mr. Susolik has six children and has lived in Orange County since 1990. Insurance Law Mr. Susolik is known and respected as one of the top insurance lawyers in the Western United States. He has developed a reputation among insurance companies and defense counsel as a leading expert, combining insurance law expertise and knowledge with the powerful skills of a master litigator and trial lawyer. Mr. Susolik has been chair of the Insurance Department at Callahan & Blaine for the last 23 years. During that time, he has successfully resolved over 500 insurance disputes. Among his many accomplishments in the insurance area, Mr. Susolik has been an adjunct professor at USC Law School on numerous occasions, where he teaches Insurance Law. Mr. Susolik has also been a contributing editor to the leading insurance book in California, the Rutter Guide treatise on Insurance Litigation, since 2001, where he edits the chapters on bad faith, duty to defend and insurance litigation. Mr. Susolik was also chair of the Orange County Bar Association Insurance Law Section for over 12 years. He is a frequent speaker on insurance and litigation issues to lawyers, business groups and others, giving approximately 30 speeches and seminars on insurance law and litigation every year, including a presentation to the California State Bar Convention entitled ‘Insurance Law for Litigators; that he has given on many occasions. Mr. Susolik has been retained on many occasions as an expert witness on insurance law issues by both insurance companies and policyholders. He is also frequently retained by attorneys to provide expert insurance advice and consultation. Mr. Susolik is the author of many articles on litigation and insurance issues and is a frequent contributor to periodicals, treatises and other legal publications. He also has wide expertise in the full spectrum of insurance bad faith and coverage litigation. His core practice is maximizing insurance benefits for business and corporate policyholders, from Fortune 500 companies to small business entities. He has represented hundreds of corporations, partnerships, associations and other business organizations in complex insurance disputes in his career. For example, Mr. Susolik has represented over 100 homeowners associations in both insurance and litigation contexts. In addition to his corporate insurance practice, Mr. Susolik also represents a broad spectrum of professionals and individuals in complex insurance disputes, including doctors, lawyers, accountants and directors. Mr. Susolik also has broad experience in the representation of insurance industry professionals, including agents, brokers and insurance companies in disputes within the insurance industry, including litigation between excess and primary insurers and litigation against the Department of Insurance. In addition, Mr. Susolik’s is a nationally recognized expert in both first party and third party 1702CA01