Recognized as a leader for insurance dispute resolution by Chambers USA and recommended for his advice to policyholders by Legal 500, Walter focuses his practice on complex insurance recovery, counseling, arbitrations, litigation, and expert witness testimony. Walter offers clients more than 30 years of experience managing insurance-related issues, including program audits, policy manuscripting, counseling, litigation, and arbitration. He works with companies in a diverse range of industries, including financial services, technologies, consumer products, food and beverages, chemicals, real estate, and municipalities. 

Walter is the former Chair of the ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee and a Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel. He is admitted to practice before courts and arbitral bodies across the United States.

Walter litigates and arbitrates insurance coverage and bad faith disputes around the nation involving business interruption, product liability, construction defect, reinsurance recovery matters for cedents, cyberinsurance and e-commerce issues, and other emerging claims. These matters involve a variety of insurance contracts, including professional liability, first party property, general liability insurance policies, cyberinsurance, and various reinsurance agreements.

Walter also has served as an expert witness in insurance matters and as an arbitrator in insurance coverage arbitrations.

Bar Admissions

Education
JD, University of Chicago Law School, 1982

BA, Swarthmore College, 1979

• Obtained summary judgment for client on Civil Authority claim arising out of a North Carolina hospital’s business interruption claims related to Hurricane Floyd.
• Obtained summary judgment for our client in the World Trade Center Properties coverage litigation, regarding the number of occurrences arising from the 9/11 terrorist attack.
• Secured a favorable award in arbitration related to a dispute regarding obligations to manage a book of umbrella and high excess liability risks. The arbitration panel granted all relief requested by our client, a result that was confirmed by the Supreme Court of New York.
• Led coverage strategy for a mobile home manufacturer facing hundreds of claims arising out of FEMA's use of our client’s recreational vehicles as "temporary" living accommodations following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, resulting in alleged exposure to formaldehyde.
• Successfully represented a client in district court and appellate court proceedings to determine the number of occurrences that resulted from claims brought due to several shootings at a graduation party in Miami, Florida.
• Counsel for a national real estate development company on coverage under a Builder’s Risk policy for property damage, delay damages, and business income loss resulting from a significant gas explosion affecting construction of a high-rise hotel and office tower.  Also advised the client on coverage for potential third party claims under its commercial general liability policies and additional insured coverages.
• Obtained summary judgment in the Eastern District of Virginia on the question of the reach of territorial coverage for international terrorism claims, in a  decision affirmed by the Fourth Circuit.
• Selected reported cases include:
  
  
  • Gen. Sec. Nat'l Ins. Co. v. N.J. Intergov'tl Ins. Fund et al., No. A-5591-08T1, 2011 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 2288 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Aug. 25, 2011)
  • Cato Inst., Inc. v. Cont'l Cas. Co., et al., No. 8:11-cv-01418-JFM, 2011 WL 3626784 (D. Md. Aug. 16, 2011)
  • State Nat'l Ins. Co. v. Miami, No. 09-23273, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105621 (S.D. Fla. Sept. 21, 2010)
  • U.S. Specialty Ins. Co., et al. v. North River Ins. Co., et al., Civ. No. CAM-L-4901-08 (N.J. Super. Ct., Law Div. March 1, 2010)
  • State Nat'l Ins. Co. v. Lamberti, No. 08-CV-60760, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22707 (S.D. Fla. March 20, 2009); affirmed, 362 Fed. Appx. 76 (11th Cir. 2010)
  • CACI Int'l, Inc. v. St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co., 566 F.3d 150 (4th Cir. 2009)
  • Parts, Inc. v. Utica Mut. Ins. Co., 602 F. Supp. 2d 617 (Md. Feb. 27, 2009)
  • Government Employees Ins. Co. v. Rivas, 573 F. Supp. 2d 12 (D.C. Aug. 26, 2008)

• Vice Chairman, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Senior Executive Orientation Committee (2016–2017)
• Fellow, American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel; Co-Chair, Communications Committee
• Member, American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee (Former Chair, 2001-2004)
• Former Chair, 2008-2010, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC) Insurance Section
• Former Member, International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)
• Life Fellow, American Bar Foundation

• Recognized, Who’s Who Legal: Insurance & Reinsurance 2015
• Recognized, Who’s Who Legal: Insurance & Reinsurance 2014
• Leader in the Field, Insurance, Virginia, Chambers USA: Guide to the World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, 2011-2014
• Legal Leader, Litigation, ALM Legal Leaders – Washington, DC, 2013
• E. Randolph Williams Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service, 2005–2010, 2012 

• Hunton Insurance Recovery Blog: Updates, Analysis and Breaking News for Commercial Policyholders

  By Walter Andrews |December 2020

• Hunton Insurance Recovery Blog: Updates, Analysis and Breaking News for Commercial Policyholders

  By Walter Andrews |November 2020

• Year in Review: Top Insurance Cases of 2018

  By Walter Andrews |January 2019

• The Arrival of Hurricane–and College Football–Season Underscores the Importance of Having Event-Cancellation Insurance in Place
• Not So Fast: Federal Court Blocks Insurers’ Bid to Remove to Federal Court, Daily Business Review
• Is Insurance a Safety Net for Phishing of Whaling Attacks?, Daily Business Review
• The First 60 Days Post-Irma Are Critical to Your Insurance Recovery, Daily Business Review
• New Opportunities – and New Risks – in an Era of Autonomous Vehicles, Risk & Compliance
• Your Liability Insurer May Be Obligated to Provide a Defense in the Chapter 558 Process, Daily Business Review
• Will Insurers Invoke the “War Exclusion” to Deny Coverage for Losses from Ransomware?, ACCC
• Can Estoppel Coverage be Created if Defense Prejudices the Insured?, Law.com
• Eleventh Circuit Rescinds Prior Restriction on Excess Judgments for Bad Faith Claims, Daily Business Review
• Cross-Border Insurance Coverage, New Appleman Insurance Law, LexisNexis Publishers
• Clock Ticks for Irma Insurance Claims: Don’t Leave Money on the Table, Daily Business Review
• After Irma: Is Your Business Entitled to Insurance Coverage for Additional Lost Profits?, Daily Business Review
• The USF&G (Western MacArthur) Case: Key Takeaways, Westlaw Journal Insurance Coverage
• Multiple hurricanes, multiple insurance claims, Houston Chronicle
• Practitioner Insights: Coal Ash Poses Slew of Coverage Issues, Bloomberg BNA
• Navigating Insurance Claims for Business Interruption after Hurricane Irma: Key Considerations to Avoid Leaving Money on the Table
• First Party Insurance Compendium: Fee Shifting, ACCEC
• Ransomware Attacks Highlight Need for Cyberinsurance Coverage, Daily Business Review
• Fla. Court Refuses to Apply So-Called ‘Virus Exclusion’ in COVID Insurance Lawsuit, Daily Business Review
• Cybersecurity Insurance – Mitigating Compliance Risk Under the DFARS and Other Federal Regulations, Contract Management
• Have You Examined Your Cyber Insurance Policy Lately? (Q&A with Walter Andrews), Daily Business Review
• For Businesses Suffering From Coronavirus Losses, Insurance Coverage May Offer a Remedy, Daily Business Review
• Insurance Planning for 2016: Top Ten Real Estate Liability Concerns, Real Estate Finance Journal
• Harvey Reminds South Florida to Review Insurance Coverage Before Irma, Daily Business Review
• 3 Takeaways Squeezed Out of Juicer’s Insurance Battle, Law360
• Harvey Reminds South Florida to Review Insurance Coverage Before Irma, The American Lawyer
• Using the War Exclusion to Deny Computer Virus Claims, The Risk Report
• What, me worry? My insurance will cover this, right?, South Florida Business Journal
• Digital Due Diligence: Four Questions to Evaluate Cyber Insurance Coverage, Risk Management Magazine
• Not If, But When: Five Questions You Should Ask When Seeking Cyber Insurance, Global Banking & Finance Review
• Cyber Insurance Coverage Comes in All Shapes and Sizes, Daily Business Review
• Chapter 153: Expert Witnesses, New Appleman on Insurance Law Library Edition
• Court: You Can Create Coverage by Estoppel if Insurer’s Defense Prejudices the Insured, Daily Business Review
• In the Race to Win the Autonomous Vehicle Market, Covering Risk Is Key, Daily Business Review
• Sexual Harassment and Insurance: Are Your Clients’ Businesses Covered?, PropertyCasualty360
• Eroding Insurance Policies: As Time Passes, Policyholders Lose Out, Daily Business Review
• #MeToo—Sexual Harassment and Insurance. Is Your Business Covered?, Daily Business Review
• How To Avoid Getting Squeezed Out Of Coverage, Law360
• After Matthew, The Insurance Storm Begins, Daily Business Review
• Construing Ambiguities: Insurers Cannot Meet Their Burden in COVID-19 Cases, Daily Business Review
• The Eleventh Circuit Clarifies and Expands Bad Faith Requirements, Daily Business Review
• Florida Enacts Sweeping Tort Reform Legislation, Raising Barriers to Insurance Coverage Claims, Coverage Law Center
• Bloomberg Law Practice Suite – Cyber Insurance, Bloomberg BNA
• Real Estate Is Not Above the (Cyber Attack) Risk, Commercial Observer
• OFAC Cyber Ransom Guidance Has Insurance Implications, Law360
• Cyberattacks Lead to Increased Scrutiny: How Can Companies Stay Ahead of the Curve?, Daily Business Review
• Court Resolves Reinsurance Limits Dispute Based on Contract’s Unique Terms, Law360
• Ensuring Your Business Has Adequate Insurance Coverage Before A Hurricane Strikes
• Rethinking Insurance Coverage for Autonomous Vehicles, ABA SciTech Lawyer Magazine
• Do You Have a Claim if Your Business Was Interrupted Due to a Hurricane?, Daily Business Review
• Courts Continue To Assess Insurance Policies’ Unique Terms, Law360
• A Cyber Coverage Warning for Hospitality Insureds
• Protecting Business Income When Disaster Strikes
• Groundbreaking Opinion: COVID Sufficient to Trigger Business Interruption Coverage, Daily Business Review