Attorneys

Abbie Havkins, an accomplished litigator, focuses his practice on litigating insurance coverage disputes and counseling insurance companies, insurance agents, brokers and third-party administrators on issues involving a wide variety of insurance policies, including errors and omissions, directors and officers, commercial general liability, environmental, professional liability and fidelity policies. Abbie advises insurance companies, claims administrators and brokers on issues involving excess insurance, extra-contractual liability, policy language, conflict of laws, notice requirements, co-insurance, rescission, misrepresentation and the interplay of other insurance clauses. He has been featured in the national media discussing insurance coverage issues, including Lou Dobbs Moneyline, National Public Radio, Investors Business Daily, the New York Law Journal as well as regional newspapers.

Abbie is also a seasoned commercial litigator, whose practice encompasses unfair competition, breach of contract, partnership and corporate disputes, the analysis of trade secrets and unfair and deceptive business practices. His professional liability experience includes attorney, accountant, insurance brokers and agent and managing agent malpractice matters. Abbie also handles the defense of property damage actions, class actions, subrogation claims and product liability matters. He also handles commercial transactions particularly those involving insurance agents and brokers. An accomplished state and federal appellate attorney, Abbie has a wealth of experience in alternative dispute resolution and has lectured frequently on negotiating tactics and strategies as well as on insurance coverage issues.

Abbie has served on the board of directors of a number of regional defense associations. He graduated from the State University of New York at Albany magna cum laude in 1979 and cum laude from the Boston University School of Law, where he was an editor of the Boston University Law Review in 1982. While serving on the Law Review Abbie published a Comment entitled "Statutory Non-Civil Rights Violations of Section 1983 and Awards of Attorneys’ fees after Maine v. Thiboutot, 61 B.U.L. Rev. 1069 (1981)," which was cited and discussed by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts in Stratos v. Department of Public Welfare, 387 Mass. 342 (1984). More recently he published an article with Tara Fappiano in the New York Law Journal's Outside Counsel's column pertaining to spoliation in product liability actions. Abbie is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, and before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the District of Massachusetts, the United States Courts of Appeals for the First and Second Circuits, the United States Court of Claims and the United States Supreme Court.

Publications

• New York Court of Appeals Allows Consequential Claims to Proceed
  Insurance Coverage Litigation Reporter (April 18, 2008)