Distinguished 12-Lawyer Insurance Recovery Group Joins Barnes & Thornburg and Propels the Firm's Strategic Growth

Addition of prominent insurance recovery group fuels expansion of the firm's
national platform in New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, and Atlanta

NEW YORK and NEW JERSEY, April 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- With the addition of a nationally recognized 12-lawyer insurance recovery group, Barnes & Thornburg — a national law firm with more than 850 lawyers in 26 markets — significantly expanded the suite of insurance litigation and risk management services that the firm's Insurance Recovery Group provides to its clients. The group builds on a solid foundation and tradition of the firm exclusively representing policyholders in coverage disputes and adds a strong East Coast presence to its existing Midwest and West Coast footprint.

"This sophisticated group joins us at a pivotal time as we execute on our vision to build on our national areas of strength and provide crucial, market-leading service to our clients," said Managing Partner Andrew J. Detherage. "This latest acquisition continues our strategic growth and success as a destination for high-level talent."

The insurance recovery team joins Barnes & Thornburg from Lowenstein Sandler and is led by partner Lynda Bennett, who will serve as co-chair of Barnes & Thornburg's Insurance Recovery Group. Partners Arthur Armstrong, Alexander Brown, Craig Dashiell, Rachel Hudgins, Eric Jesse, Jeremy King, and Heather Weaver round out the East Coast additions along with associates Alexander Corson, Madison Diaz, Michael Kleinman, and Madilynne Lee.

"I'm excited to join Barnes & Thornburg as co-chair of its Insurance Recovery Practice in the firm's New Jersey and New York offices. I'm especially proud that my team of 11 lawyers and two outstanding assistants have joined me in this next chapter," said Bennett. "Our team is now strategically based across our East Coast offices in New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, with more growth ahead."

The group represents corporate policyholders in high-stakes insurance coverage litigation addressing leading edge coverage issues across a wide array of coverage lines. They help clients maximize their insurance assets and have secured billions in recoveries for D&O, RWI, Cyber, Product Liability, Environmental, Construction, Employment, Severe Bodily Injury and all other manner of liability claims. Likewise, Barnes & Thornburg is among a select few national law firms that exclusively represent policyholders and manage risk on behalf of clients.

"Our team is highly effective because we are a known quantity within the insurance industry and we understand how the market works. We have deep relationships with insurance brokers and are respected by our adversaries for being strategic and pragmatic," said Bennett. We are excited to join Barnes & Thornburg because the combination of our two insurance teams creates a coast-to-coast powerhouse of highly skilled coverage practitioners who will leverage the firm's national platform to serve our clients wherever they need us."

Bennett joins fellow co-chairs Lilit Asadourian and Kevin Dreher to guide this new team that now includes 50 insurance lawyers and places them across the country from Los Angeles to New York.

"This team's industry prowess is an incredible addition and asset for our clients. They are extremely knowledgeable about the global insurance industry and seasoned litigators when it comes to insurance coverage and bad faith matters," said Litigation Department Chair Randy Brown.

The addition of these 12 lawyers follows Barnes & Thornburg recently adding a 39-lawyer Public Finance and Infrastructure group to its Government Services and Finance practice and the associated opening of three new offices in Baltimore, Denver and Phoenix. With the addition of this insurance recovery team, Barnes & Thornburg has now welcomed 85 lawyers to the firm in 2026.

"We are excited for this powerhouse insurance recovery team to join our East Coast offices, particularly in New Jersey and Philadelphia where we have built a substantial presence since opening in 2022 and continue to scale our regional footprint," said Michael C. Zogby, managing partner of the firm's office in New Jersey. "Our new colleagues are not only renowned legal strategists but also proven leaders. Their deep roots in New Jersey and Philadelphia, combined with a prominent national profile, reinforces our commitment to excellence for our clients."

About the Partners

• Lynda Bennett (New Jersey/New York) aggressively litigates, negotiates, and resolves complicated disputes on behalf of corporate policyholders. A "Band-1" Chambers-ranked attorney, Lynda has more than 30 years of commercial litigation experience and has secured billions of dollars in insurance recoveries for her clients. Lynda was named one of New Jersey's Best 50 Women in Business. Beyond her practice, she is a trailblazer in professional development, having founded her previous firm's Women's Initiative Network (WIN) and served as Past President of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association.

• Arthur Armstrong (Philadelphia) focuses his practice exclusively on representing corporate policyholders in high-stakes insurance recovery matters. He represents privately held and publicly traded companies against primary and excess insurers to secure and maximize coverage under cyber, property, commercial general liability, directors and officers (D&O), errors and omissions (E&O), and other insurance policies. He has extensive experience counseling clients at all stages of an insurance claim life cycle.

• Alexander Brown (Philadelphia) represents corporate policyholders in high-stakes insurance litigation in both state and federal court and has successfully represented his clients in some of the largest insurance recovery efforts. Brown also represents clients in other commercial contexts, including commercial contract disputes, as well as disputes involving TV and film, music, publishing, and likeness rights.

• Craig Dashiell (New Jersey/New York) is a commercial litigator who focuses on resolving complex financial disputes between companies or between individuals over a wide range of matters, including breach of contract disputes and business divorce, as well as trusts and estates litigation with millions of dollars at stake. Dashiell also has extensive experience litigating insurance coverage disputes on behalf of corporate policyholders across a wide array of coverage lines.

• Rachel Hudgins (Atlanta) represents corporate policyholders in high-value insurance disputes and complex claims, litigating in state and federal courts across the country, including U.S. territories. She is known for balancing litigation strategy with pre-suit resolutions. Rachel is also an active thought leader, frequently presenting at industry conferences and authoring chapters and articles for business and insurance publications.

• Eric Jesse (New York/New Jersey) has advised corporate policyholders for over a decade on an array of insurance issues in mergers and acquisitions, claim disputes with insurers, and the placement and renewal of insurance programs. In particular, he has deep experience with several niche specialty policies, including representations and warranties (R&W) insurance, directors and officers (D&O) policies, and cyber insurance.

• Jeremy King (New York) has obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries for corporate clients in insurance coverage disputes and other civil litigation matters across the country. He regularly represents corporate policyholders seeking to maximize insurance coverage under commercial general liability, directors and officers, crime, property, cyber, and other types of commercial insurance policies. 

• Heather Weaver (New Jersey/New York) is an accomplished litigator who delivers successful outcomes for corporate policyholders in high-stakes insurance coverage and complex commercial disputes across state and federal courts. Her practice spans a broad range of coverage lines, including commercial property, commercial general liability, professional liability, cyber, crime, and product liability, positioning her as a trusted advisor for navigating the most challenging and high-exposure claims.

About Barnes & Thornburg
Barnes & Thornburg operates 26 offices across the United States, enabling more than 850 lawyers to serve clients nationwide. As one of the 100 largest law firms in the country, we provide seamless coast-to-coast coverage for high-stakes litigation, complex transactions and innovative IP matters. Our national reach and knowledge of local markets help clients conduct business confidently wherever opportunities arise. Visit btlaw.com.

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SOURCE Barnes & Thornburg LLP