Michelle A. Jones is a counsel in our Insurance/Reinsurance Group in Washington, D.C., where she focuses on litigating and arbitrating reinsurance disputes involving a broad spectrum of issues. Michelle has represented clients in domestic property/casualty, life, and health reinsurance disputes regarding issues such as policy and contract interpretation, rescission, fraud, misrepresentation, notice, follow the fortunes, declaratory judgment expenses, underwriting practices, claims management, allocation, fronting arrangements, allegations of misconduct by brokers and intermediaries, maximum any one life warranties, and sunset and commutation clauses. These disputes involve many types of underlying business including environmental and other long-term exposure claims, variable annuities, and workers’ compensation.
Michelle's experience extends to a variety of international matters. For example, working in conjunction with members of Crowell's International Dispute Resolution group, she recently provided advice to a reinsurer in connection with a Latin American reinsurance dispute. She has also represented clients in international reinsurance arbitrations involving UK and Bermuda law, provided consultation on Latin American insurance regulatory requirements, and been involved in political risk insurance disputes involving international power projects.
Michelle's insurance practice includes counseling and representing insurance carriers in coverage litigation over asbestos, environmental, and other long-term exposure claims. For example, she has litigated insurance coverage disputes involving a wide variety of issues in connection with Hurricane Katrina losses and asbestos, silica, and breast implant claims. She is also currently representing an insurer in an arbitration involving late notice issues. Michelle's prior insurance experience includes reporting on D&O/E&O claims as well as advising and representing clients in insurance insolvency matters, insurance sales practices class actions, and mutual insurance company reorganizations.
Working with attorneys in Crowell’s Health Care group, Michelle also represents a client regarding the reasonableness of stop-loss premiums charged to physician provider groups and provides advice on the applicability of Medicare preemption laws.
Michelle joined Crowell & Moring in 2006. She has previously worked in the reinsurance/insurance groups of other law firms. Her prior experience also includes working on ethics, personnel, and other administrative law matters for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Michelle is a Vice Chair of the Excess, Surplus Lines and Reinsurance Committee of the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association, and a member of the AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Society (ARIAS-U.S.), the American Health Lawyers Association, and the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C. Michelle graduated from Harvard Law School (1998) and Vanderbilt University (1995, B.A., Economics, summa cum laude). During law school she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard International Law Journal. Michelle is a member of the District of Columbia, Virginia (inactive), and U.S. Supreme Court Bars.