Neil H. Selman

Selman Breitman LLP

Author and Editor of the 2016 and 2017 LexisNexis Matthew Bender Practice Guide: California Insurance Coverage and Litigation, Neil Selman serves on the firm’s Executive Committee, and is Managing Partner of the firm’s Insurance practice group. He has decades of experience representing insurers in coverage and related matters, including first- and third-party property-casualty issues, bodily injury, property damage, advertising and personal injury coverages, construction and environmental matters, sports and entertainment coverages, and professional liability, as well as extracontractual issues. Neil advises his clients on business practices, underwriting and claims handling, and drafts policy language and endorsements. His experience also includes primary/excess issues and the representation of surplus lines carriers. Additionally, he is involved in the defense of insureds, and has nationally-coordinated cases involving toxic substances.

Neil has represented insurers not only in a consulting capacity, but has also litigated matters in all areas relating to insurance. He has tried coverage and bad faith cases in California and other states and has appeared in the appellate courts of the State of California and other states as well. He has also been responsible for arguing cases before the California Supreme Court, which have had significant impact on California insurance coverage law and the rights of insurers.

Neil has served as Judge Pro Tempore in the Los Angeles Municipal Court and as Arbitrator for the Los Angeles Superior Court Arbitration Program.  He is certified as a graduate of a mediation program provided by Pepperdine Law School, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, “Mediating the Litigated Case,” May, 1999.

Neil is very active in the legal community and is often sought after for speaking engagements. In 2018, for the second year in a row, Neil serves as Co-Chair of the Perrin Emerging Insurance Coverage & Allocation Issues Conference.

Also active in his local community, Neil is involved in a variety of activities in the Los Angeles area. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Hollywood Bowl Society, a support group for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Hollywood Bowl. He was the Founder and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Pacific Palisades Celebration of Our Shared Values, which was a community-wide, week-long event focusing on the importance of values, an event sponsored by all religious institutions in Pacific Palisades, California.  Additionally, Neil recently served on the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Committee of the City of Los Angeles.