Harry J. Schulz, III
Partner
EDUCATION:
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles California (J.D., 1999), cum laude;
Order of the Coif;
Phi Delta Phi Honor Society;
St. Thomas More Law Honor Society
St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas (B.B.A., Accounting, 1992)
Mr. Schulz practices business litigation, oil and gas (transactional and litigation), and handles complex insurance matters. He is currently pursing insurance coverage on behalf of several commercial and governmental clients, and has successfully assisted in the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars in such insurance claims. He also assists clients, brokers and risk managers with the structuring of insurance programs. Mr. Schulz's expertise in insurance matters is widely recognized, and in 2006, he was named a Southern California Rising Star by the Los Angeles Magazine (July 2006) and Southern California Super Lawyers – Rising Stars Edition.
Mr. Schulz's insurance practice crosses both transactional and litigation spheres. He frequently assists clients in evaluating their insurance needs before losses occur or claims have been asserted. He has extensive experience in reviewing a client's current coverage and evaluating whether it provides sufficient protection against loss and liability. He has also negotiated and enforced various agreements pertaining to self-insured retentions, minimum premium arrangements, captive insurance and reinsurance programs, group and association agreements, and similar arrangements.
Mr. Schulz's experiences also include the negotiation and drafting of numerous directors' and officers', environmental, cyber, commercial general liability, professional liability, fidelity and crime, entertainment, employment practices liability, multi-media, umbrella and excess liability and other commercial policies of insurance, as well as contractual provisions for insurance and indemnity. Mr. Schulz has also successfully pursued insurance coverage in state and federal courts on behalf of numerous clients in coverage disputes.
Underlying Mr. Schulz's insurance practice is his six years of experience as an adjuster handling commercial and personal lines insurance claims and coverage disputes. From 1999 to 2008, Mr. Schulz was an associate at Irell & Manella LLP, where he still provides legal services and consultation on various insurance matters.
In addition, Mr. Schulz was a captain in the U.S. Army Reserves for 15 years, 7 years of which he served as a judge advocate general (JAG), providing legal services to the Army in the areas of administrative and environmental law.
Harry's experience includes:
Mr. Schulz has assisted a wide variety of clients in connection with their insurance needs. He was involved, on behalf of the State of California, in litigating a major CERCLA case, United States v. Montrose Chemical Corporation of California, before the United States District Court for the Central District of California. That litigation resulted in a dismissal of all claims pending against the state and a settlement by the defendants to the state and the United States for $73 million. Mr. Schulz served as a lead attorney in drafting the main settlement of a complex litigation before the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. That settlement was the largest in Oregon history and the largest ERISA case in the country at the time. Mr. Schulz successfully litigated a claim on behalf of Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. in connection with Hurricane Katrina and coverage for windstorm/flood, leading to a total insurance recovery in excess of $215 million. More recently, Mr. Schulz represented the County of San Bernardino on several insurance recovery matters relating to environmental claims under CERCLA and analogous state statutes, leading to total insurance recoveries in excess of $68 million.
Bar and Court Admissions
1999, California
2008, Texas
1999, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
2004, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
2014, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
2017, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
2019, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
2023, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
Legal Publications & Seminars
Co-author, "In Vogue: A-Side DIC D&O Insurance Coverage," New Appleman on Insurance: Current Critical Issues in Insurance Law, December 2008.
Co-author, "A Few Random Insurance Issues in Business Litigation," Orange County Lawyer, September 2007.
Co-author, "Insurance," Chapter 19c of "Nimmer on Copyright," release 70 (2006).
Lecturer, "Identifying And Using Insurance Coverage In Business Litigation" (presented at CEB, 2002).
Co-author, "A Long Walk On A Short Pier: 16 Months Of Insurance Law For Real Estate Lawyers" (presented at Benjamin S. Crocker Real Estate Symposium, 2004).
Co-author, "Mold Contamination And Insurance" (presented at Bridgeport Continuing Education conference, 2003).