Thomas R. Beer is a litigator who focuses his practice on complex insurance coverage and business disputes, including bad faith claims, environmental contamination actions, intellectual property matters, product defect actions, employment cases and construction defect claims.
Mr. Beer has represented breast implant, medical and prosthetic device manufacturers, as well as pharmaceutical companies and nutritional supplement producers. He also represents providers of professional product testing and certification services, including medical devices, surgical supplies and pharmaceuticals in the worldwide marketplace.
Mr. Beer also has extensive experience in admiralty and maritime matters, including marine insurance and governmental immunity claims. For many years, he has represented an international marine terminal operator in casualty, property and cargo actions.
His clients also include marine underwriters, P&I Clubs and longshore workers’ compensation insurers. A native of Cologne, Germany, Mr. Beer also represents some of Germany’s largest insurance carriers in business and litigation matters in the United States.
Mr. Beer also has many years of experience in the area of construction litigation, beginning with his work as an associate for a major San Francisco construction litigation law firm in the 1990s. He has represented construction professionals, including developers, contractors, architects, engineers and suppliers in major litigation in the Bay Area and throughout California.
He has also represented insurance carriers in coverage issues arising out of construction defect claims. Mr. Beer successfully supervised numerous complex construction litigation claims in Hawaii arising out of several major condominium developments with losses exceeding $60 million.
He also represented a European insurer in an engineering and construction defect case arising out of the explosion of an asphalt plant, including transfer of the case from Florida to California and successful summary adjudication of major coverage issues, which resulted in a large reduction of the carrier’s exposure.
Mr. Beer joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in October 2014 as a result of the merger of Hinshaw and the Los Angeles-based firm of Barger & Wolen LLP.
Professional Affiliations :
- The State Bar of California
- The Bar Association of San Francisco
- American Bar Association
- The European American Chamber of Commerce
- German American Business Association
- Maritime Law Association of the United States
Education :
- J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law, 1990
- B.A., summa cum laude, Political Science, California State University at San Francisco, 1987
Admissions :
- California
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Central, Eastern, and Northern Districts of California
Cost
Rate : $$$