Meet Our Team
Ronald R. Robinson
Of Counsel
Ronald R. Robinson is a founding partner of Berkes Crane Robinson & Seal LLP, now Berkes Crane Santana & Spangler LLP. He served as its Executive Partner from January 2001 to June 2018. He became Of Counsel to the firm in August 2018. He has over 35 years’ experience in (i) providing casualty insurance underwriting and coverage advice/opinions, and (ii) complex, multi-party casualty insurance coverage mediations, arbitrations, ADRs, litigation and appeals in the following casualty coverage areas: (i) Comprehensive General Liability, Errors and Omission Liability, Directors and Officers Liability, and intellectual property/media/web risks liability; (ii) personal injury & advertising injury liability; and (iii) terrorism risk liability insurance.
Ron has served on the Defense Research Institute’s (“DRI”) Law Institute Committee, as Chair of both its Insurance Law and Excess & Reinsurance Committees, and as co-founding Editor of “Covered Events,” DRI’s national coverage newsletter.
Ron has served as Chair of DRI’s Insurance law Committee’s Subcommittee on the federal Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002, (“TRIA”) since 2003. The Subcommittee’s mission is to assure the preservation, expansion, and solvency of TRIA as it is periodically reauthorized. It accomplished its mission in the Congressional TRIA renewal debates in 2005, 2007, 2015 and 2019. Ron was awarded DRI’s National Community Service Award for his work as Chair of the Subcommittee. His terrorism risk and general insurance law white papers, published articles, and conference presentations include the following:
- “TRIA Is Reauthorized— But Insurers’ Insolvency Risks Not Addressed,” DRI’s For the Defense Magazine, January 2021;
- “What We Need to Know to Renew TRIA Responsibility in 2020,” DRI’s For the Defense Magazine, July 2019;
- “Renewing ‘TRIA’ in 2020: What Should and Can Be Done Right Now,” Defense Research Institute Conference, March 2018;
- “The United States’ TRIA Program Must Be Reauthorized This Year Or It Will End,” DRI’s For the Defense Magazine, June 2014;
- “Terrorism Insurance Returns From the Land of Oz,” DRI’s For the Defense Magazine, September 2007;
- “A Defining Moment: Distinguishing Terrorism from Civil Protest, Crime and War,” DRI’s For the Defense Magazine, January 2007;
- “A Defining Moment – Ought and Can We Distinguish ‘Terrorist Acts’ ‘Criminal Acts’ and, Acts of War’ Under the Rule of Law?,” The World Jurist Association Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, May 2006;
- “Terrorism Risk Insurance: Assessing TRIA and the Way Forward,” (Contributing Author) A George Washington University Homeland Security Institute White Paper, December 8, 2005;
- “The Civil Justice System — Another Casualty of Terrorism?,” DRI’s For the Defense Magazine, October 2005;
- “Treasury’s ‘Take’ on TRIA,” DRI’s For the Defense Magazine, August 2005;
- “Private, Government Terror Cover is Possible,” Business Insurance, January 2005;
- “Compensation For Terrorism’s Casualties, Civil Justice Remedies or Government Awards,” Defense Research Institute Conference, 2005;
- “Multi-Nation Specific Peril: A New Partnership of Carriers and Governments,” DRI’s For The Defense Magazine, January 2003;
- “Shared Private and Public Specific Peril Terrorism Risk Programs, an alternative to the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002,” Defense Research Institute Conference, December 2002;
- “The Challenges of September 11th Test the Resources & Resolve of Insurance Business and Government Communities,” World Jurist Association Conference on International Terrorism, Madrid, Spain, 2002;
- “Specific Peril Cover – A Proposed Partnership of Insurance and Governments,” World Jurist Association Conference on International Terrorism, Madrid, Spain, 2002;
Ron has also authored and presented white papers on various other casualty insurance underwriting and coverage issues at conferences throughout the United States for: the American Law Institute of the American Bar Association; the American Conference Institute; the Defense Research Institute; the Emerging and Environmental Claims Managers Association; Executive Enterprises; Midwest Environmental Claims Association; the Practicing Law Institute; the Reinsurance Association of America; and at private insurance company venues.
Ron previously served in the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney as: Chief of Criminal Branch Trial Operations; Assistant-in-Charge for its Organized Crime Task Force, Sound Piracy Task Force and Terrorism Risk Task Force; and as the Assistant-in-Charge, Department of Airports, City of Los Angeles, for its Risk Management Program and Terminal/Upper Roadway Construction Program.
Ron received his J.D. degree from Northwestern University School of Law and his B.A. in Philosophy from California State University at Los Angeles. Ron served as an Air Crewman in Air Anti-Submarine Squadron VS 771, USNR-R.
