Michael S. Olsan Partner

When insurers and reinsurers need creative solutions to complex problems, they call on Michael Olsan to partner with them and provide sound counsel and representation. Advising insurance and reinsurance companies for over 25 years, Michael understands the business of insurance. He has significant reinsurance arbitration experience with matters involving follow-the-fortunes, accumulation of claims, recovery of declaratory judgment expenses, offset, insolvencies, billing of asbestos claims under clash treaties, breach of warranties, misrepresentation in the procurement of reinsurance, priest molestation claims and recovery for extra-contractual obligations and payments in excess of policy limits on behalf of ceding companies and reinsurers.

Michael has taken many of his cases to final arbitration award with a substantial success rate. As a counselor, Michael advises his clients on a wide array of issues including the applicability of reinsurance contracts to particular claims, posing or responding to inquiries about reinsurance billings and drafting new or renewal contract wordings.

In addition to his reinsurance practice, Michael represents major property and casualty companies in coverage disputes in environmental, asbestos and mass tort liability cases, many of which involve tens of millions of dollars in coverage potentially recoverable from his clients. He was lead counsel in a major asbestos bankruptcy case that resulted in denial of plan confirmation in favor of the insurance carriers. Additionally, he has substantial experience successfully mediating complex coverage disputes. He also counsels his clients on coverage issues arising out of a variety of insurance policies in an effort to avoid expensive and contentious litigation.

As Chair of the Commercial Litigation Department, Michael manages over 75 attorneys practicing in a wide variety of areas, including commercial litigation, insurance coverage, cyber law and data privacy and labor and employment. Michael is also a member of the firm’s Executive and Partner Compensation Committees and serves as Dean of the White and Williams Coverage College^®. Michael is a frequent speaker at reinsurance seminars and is also a fellow of the Academy of Advocacy of Temple University.

Representative Matters

• Successfully argued to the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division – First Department that a reinsurer’s statute of limitations defense should be decided by arbitration panel rather than the court
• Represented ceding companies concerning the application of treaty retentions to multi-year policies
• Represented a ceding company in arbitrating issues arising out of sexual molestation claims
• Represented ceding companies in issues involving Bellefonte

• Served as project manager for an insurance company overseeing the billing and collection of tens of millions of dollars in reinsurance recovery

• Successfully resolved a claim alleging a client’s website was inaccessible to visually impaired people in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• Represented property casualty company in recovering reinsurance for asbestos claims under clash reinsurance treaties

• Obtained declaratory judgment on behalf of several ceding companies implementing claims handling protocols and requiring reinsurers to reimburse payment of asbestos claims

Recognition & Involvement

Since 2007, Michael has been selected in a survey of his peers as a Pennsylvania "Super Lawyer" by Super Lawyers. Michael was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2021 list in the practice areas of Insurance Law, Litigation - Insurance and Reinsurance Law. 

Michael is a pro bono attorney with the Support Center for Child Advocates.

Michael is the Chair of the Leadership Council of Franklin & Marshall College and serves on the Board of Trustees.