James William Harvey

Mr. Harvey joined the Margolis Edelstein as a partner in 2008 after 15 years of managing staff counsel offices for Safeco Insurance and OneBeacon Insurance. During that time, he tried and oversaw litigation throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York. His combination of in house and panel counsel experience has provided him with a broad understanding of the needs and concerns insurers and individuals face in the claims and litigation process. His litigation experience includes insurance agent errors and omission, insurance coverage, bad faith, automobile, premises, construction, products, civil rights matters and national coordination of toxic tort litigation.

Mr. Harvey represents insurance agents in Errors and Omissions cases involving the sale of personal and commercial lines insurance as well as construction and performance bonds. Mr. Harvey’s product liability experience extends from mass asbestos and silica litigation to motorcycle equipment and helmet, industrial machinery, construction equipment and household product matters.

Mr. Harvey has won defense verdicts in truck accident and premises matters in federal and state court. He has defended large commercial fire loss/construction defect matters on behalf of general and subcontractors, furnace installers, and electricians.

As a manager, Mr. Harvey also served as staff counsel diversity coordinator for Safeco’s Northeast Region.

Mr. Harvey's civil rights experience includes representation of municipalities in employment, Fifth Amendment taking, and sexual abuse matters. He took one sexual abuse matter to the United States Supreme Court where court agreed with his position and remanded the case to the Third Circuit for further action. Smith v. Sowers, 490 U.S. 1002 (1989).

Mr. Harvey’s practice also includes numerous coverage opinion, declaratory judgment, bad faith and Unfair Trade Practices matters in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.