Experienced &
Results Driven
CP LAW
We believe that providing “winning” legal representation first requires the identification of each client’s needs and goals. Problem solving does not involve a “one size fits all” game plan. We focus on our clients’ needs, tolerance for risk, and long term goals to craft a plan of action aimed at achieving a quick and efficient resolution.
Practice & Areas of Expertise:
- Complex business & Intellectual Property
- Litigation
- Appellate
- Complex Insurance Coverage Counseling & Litigation
Why Hire?
We value the relationship we develop with out clinets and that begins with a focus on personalized service.
Every client we accept at CP Law can expect assistance from experienced legal professionals.
We utilize early case analysis and investigation, placing clients in a better position to resolve problems without the expense and risk of trial.
Curtis Porterfield, ATTORNEY AT LAW
CP Law’s practice focuses on policyholder insurance litigation and complex business and intellectual property litigation.
Our practice includes representation of corporate policyholders in insurance recovery matters ranging from policy analysis and negotiation to the most complex insurance recovery litigation. A frequent speaker and writer, Curtis Porterfield has handled and tried some of the largest and most complex insurance recovery cases. In addition to insurance recovery, we has litigated a variety of complex business and intellectual property matters, including anticompetitive practices, entertainment, copyright and trademark issues.
Chambers USA (2006-2013) named Curtis Porterfield a “leader in [his] field,” describing him as “articulate, polished and sharp.” Chambers quotes comments from clients and peers that “He’s got the knowledge and is always looking out for the client.” He has been honored by the Daily Journal’s California Law Business in its annual lists of “California Rainmakers” and repeatedly named by Law & Politics magazine and Los Angeles magazine as one of Southern California’s “Super Lawyers.”
Curtis is active in his community, having served on the Board of Directors for several local charitable interests. Curtis also served as the Pro Bono partner for Hunton & Williams’ Los Angeles office. Also awarded the 2012 Alumni Founder’s Award by Ransom-Everglades School, Miami, Florida, for his contributions to the school and community.
Curtis is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Fifth Circuits and the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern and Southern Districts of California, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and the California State Bar.
Trial Ready
We approach each case with a “Trial Ready” attitude. Knowing the quickest way to minimize expense & risk is to aggressively prepare our clients’ cases to maximize the chance of success.
Experienced Guidance
Some larger firms routinely use less experienced attorneys and legal assistants to handle a higher volume of legal matters. We are different. Most cases we accept will be principally handled by Curtis Porterfield.
Personalized Service
We take the time to speak with everyone who calls us, we are not a high-volume firm. When you hire CP Law, you know that your case will be personally handled by Curtis Porterfield, an experienced Lawyer.
Attorney Background:
Relevant Experience:
Insurance coverage for human rights cases. Represented Chevron Corporation, Unocal Corporation and Union Oil Company of California in a complex insurance recovery litigation to establish coverage for liability arising from alleged human rights violations in connection with construction of a pipeline in Myanmar by Union Oil Company of California.
Ludgate Insurance Co. v. Lockheed Martin Corp., Procter & Companies, et al. v. Lockheed Corporation, et al., and related actions. Represented Lockheed Martin Corporation in multiple complex insurance recovery disputes and litigations spanning more than two decades to establish coverage for environmental, toxic tort, asbestos, silicosis and other claims from operations around the country.
Defense Fee Arbitration. Represented Lockheed Martin Corporation against the London Market and domestic insurers in Civil Code §2860 arbitration regarding millions of dollars in outstanding defense payments under liability policies for defense of toxic tort claims.
American Home Assurance Co. v. United Space Alliance, LLC. Represented United Space Alliance, LLC, prime contractor for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, in an action against American Home Assurance Company to establish insurance coverage for claims related to the termination of a subcontractor. The case was tried successfully in Federal District Court in Houston, Texas, resulting in a multimillion-dollar jury verdict in December 2002, and argued successfully to the Fifth Circuit in February 2004.
Rockwell International Corp. v. Superior Court. Successfully represented Rockwell International Corporation in litigation to establish insurance coverage for environmental losses at 17 sites across the United States.
Konami Inc. Represented Konami Inc., a video game manufacturer, in actions to enforce trademarks and copyrights throughout the US and Canada.
Insurance coverage for excess workers compensation. Successfully represented Boeing North American, Inc. in an action against International Insurance Company to recover losses under Boeing’s excess insurance coverage.
Insurance coverage for securities broker-dealer claims. Obtained insurance coverage benefits for WMA Securities, Inc. with respect to claims against a broker-dealer regarding the allegedly improper conduct of sales representatives.
Employment History
Labor & Employment Associate (1981-1983)
Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker, Los Angeles, CA
Litigation Associate (1983-1987)
Finley Kumble Wagner Heine Underberg Manley Myerson & Casey, Beverly Hills, CA
Litigation Associate (1988-1991)
Chadbourne & Parke, Los Angeles, CA
Litigation Principal (1991-1993), Litigation Partner (1993-2000)
Hill Wynne Troop & Meisinger, LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Litigation Partner (2001-2011)
Howrey, LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Litigation Partner (2011-2013)
Hunton & Williams, LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Litigation Partner (2014-Present)
Novak Druce Connolly Bove + Quigg LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Memberships:
- Member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers of Los Angeles, Board of Governors, 2006 – 2010
- Member and past Co-Chair, International/London Subcommittee of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, Section of Litigation, American Bar Association
- Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Member, American Bar Association
- Charter Member, Congress of Fellows of the Center for International Legal Studies
Publications & Events:
- Co-author, Maximizing Recovery For Hurricane Sandy Losses, Law360, Insurance Law360, November 15, 2012
- Co-author, Climate Exposure, Fortnightly’s Spark, December 19, 2011
- Co-author, with William Brownell, Insurance Coverage for Climate Change Lawsuits, Executive Counsel, Volume8/Number6, December 2011/January 2012
- Author, Navigating Insurance Coverage Issues for Qui Tam Federal Civil False Claims Act Suits, Hunton & Williams Government Contracts Reporter, Vol. 2, No. 4, July 2011
- Chapter author, Property Insurance in General, Chapter 35, California Insurance Land and Practice Publication Enhanced, Matthew Bender 2010
- Author, Insurance: Don’t Leave for Beijing Without It, Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 24, 2008
- Co-author, with Douglas Gastelum. How Many Times Must an Occurrence Repeat Before Coverage is Fully realized? (Parts 1 and 2) Risk, 1st and 2nd Quarter, 2007
- Co-Author with Stephen Masterson, Insurance Coverage for International Human Rights Liabilities, Risk, Spring 2004
- Author, Damage Definition: Coverage Between the Bright Lines of ‘Powerine’ and ‘Foster-Gardner’, Los Angeles Daily Journal, February 15, 2001
- Author, In the Wake of Y2K, Transnational Publishers, Inc., Christof Siefarth, ed., 2001
- Co-author, The Year 2000 and Beyond: Liability and Insurance for Computer-Related Problems, CCH, Inc., 1999
Events:
- Panelist, Deepwater Horizon: Insurance Implications of America’s Worst Oil Spill Disaster, Advisen Webinar, July 23, 2010
Awards & Recognitions
- Leader in the Field, Insurance Coverage Policyholders,
- California, Chambers USA: Guide to the World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, 2006-2013
- Named among “California Rainmakers,” Los Angeles Daily Journal
- “Southern California Super Lawyer” – Insurance Coverage and Business Litigation, Los Angelesmagazine, 2004-2013
- 2012 Alumni Founders Award, Ransom-Everglades School, Miami, Florida
Become a Client:
121 Calle de Las Rosas
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
(310) 903-9091
cporterfield@cplaw.legal