Michael A. Kuiken

For over fifteen years, Mike Kuiken has concentrated his practice in the areas of excess and primary insurance coverage, commercial litigation, construction litigation, and products liability. Mike also possesses experience in commercial subrogation, premises liability, transportation litigation, tort defense, financial services litigation, and regulatory advisory matters. Mike has represented clients in over 40 venues nationwide.

Over the course of his career, Mike has served as lead counsel in numerous trials and arbitrations, including successfully representing an insurer in seeking over $100 million in damages from its former managing general agent for losses incurred due to the managing general agency’s violations of the insurer’s underwriting guidelines.

Mike also represents excess and primary insurers in a variety of coverage disputes. For example, in a matter arising out a catastrophic crane collapse, Mike represented a primary insurer under a CGL policy which was sued by its excess insurer for $25 million in damages related to the defense of the underlying litigation. Mike has also represented and advised primary and excess insurers in coverage disputes with insureds and co-insurers under liability coverages, including those arising from owner-controlled (“OCIP”) and contractor-controlled (“CCIP”) insurance programs.

Mike has also helped shape Illinois law on key issues relating to construction defect claims, most notably in Board of Managers of 15th Place Condo Ass’n. v. South Campus Development Team, et al., 2013 IL App (1st) 122292, where Mike was part of a team that secured victory on the issue of operation of the contractual suit limitations provisions found at Articles 8.3/9.3 of the standard 1997 AIA form Owner-Architect and Owner-General Contractor agreements. The case marked the first time in U.S. jurisprudence that an appellate court had interpreted the suit limitations provision in a third party context. Mike has also represented governmental entities, including obtaining a favorable settlement for less than the cost of defense while serving as second chair trial counsel in a construction negligence matter where plaintiffs sought over $20 million in damages.

Mike has obtained multiple insurance and construction-related professional certifications, including CPCU, AIC-M, and CRIS. Mike also conducts CLE seminars for his insurance clients, focusing on key trends in the industry and industry forecasts.

Prior to his legal career, Mike worked professionally as a television sports anchor and reporter for FOX and ABC affiliates in Louisiana and Tennessee, respectively.