Robert Slaughter III is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the Insurance Law Practice. He represents individuals, partnerships, corporations and other business entities in litigation and counsels them about a broad variety of business, regulatory and risk and information management protocols, including data breach responses, and compliance practices.

Mr. Slaughter is a member of a team that works regularly with Lewis Brisbois attorneys and a variety of forensic consultants and certified records managers to assist clients to develop information management systems and to secure sensitive data. One side benefit of this effort to maximize access to an enterprise’s intellectual property contained in its electronically stored information (“ESI”) is to minimize the burden imposed on the client when it becomes a litigant subject to electronic discovery demands.

Mr. Slaughter also is a member of a team of attorneys that respond to data breach events and coordinates with our clients’ Information Technology staff, forensic and crises management consultants to identify and contain the source(s) of any data breach, mitigate the reputational harm associated with the data breach and comply with applicable data breach notification obligations.

Mr. Slaughter has successfully defended clients against data breach claims and class certifications involving unintended disclosures of social security and credit card numbers. He also represents clients who have experienced unintended disclosures of personal health information protected by HIPAA and other federal and state privacy laws.

Mr. Slaughter also represents clients in a variety of complex, large exposure litigation matters involving large volumes of paper and ESI discovery. Such matters include disputes involving fiduciary breach allegations against officers, directors, pension trustees and their advisors, bad faith claims against insurers and allied professions, errors and omissions claims against professionals, including attorneys, accountants, architects and engineers, brokers and claims professionals.

Mr. Slaughter has also represented owners of contaminated properties in contested proceedings relating to extent of contamination and scope and cost of cleanup, and large litigated matters with voluminous paper and electronic records involving heavy metals and petroleum environmental contamination.

Mr. Slaughter is a member of the Firm’s Electronic Discovery, Information Management and Privacy Group, and the insurance regulatory and reinsurance division of the Firm’s Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Practice Group. His more than 20 years of practice focuses on arbitrations, mediations and other alternative dispute procedures as well as litigation and counseling. Robert Slaughter also has extensive litigation experience in State and Federal Courts and before arbitral tribunals focusing on the defense and trial of Architect & Engineer liability, professional liability, construction and design defect litigation. Mr. Slaughter also represents insurers, reinsurers and cedents in disputed matters before judicial, arbitral and administrative proceedings.

Mr. Slaughter’s design professional and construction practice includes representation of developers, general contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, architects, engineers and other design professionals in connection with commercial, residential and public works construction and improvement projects, including world renowned Concert Halls, luxury condominium developments, multi-unit residential projects, and educational facilities. His defense of design professionals includes design defect, construction management, delay and acceleration claims, cost overruns, and errors and omissions claims. He has successfully represented structural engineers, civil engineers, geotechnical engineers, Design Architects, Architects of Record, and landscape architects in complex, multi-party mediations and arbitrations.

Mr. Slaughter has 20 years of experience in insurance coverage and litigation matters, reinsurance litigation, defense of professionals under liability policies, construction defect litigation and employment. He has represented private parties, insureds, insurers and reinsurers in a variety of matters at the trial and appellate levels, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Developing data security protocols for municipal and commercial entities with custody of confidential personal, employment, financial and credit and health care information
• Responding to data breach events, involving personal health information and financial data, including coordinating with client Information Technology departments, forensic investigators and regulatory authorities
• Assisting brokers and underwriters to develop risk transfer products intended to provide indemnity and assist management services for victims and data breaches
• Developing document retention and destruction policies for insurers and governmental agencies
• Developing policies and guidelines to assist insurers and law firms to comply with data security and electronic discovery obligations
• Identifying cost effective alternatives to omnibus and unfocused requests for electronically stored information directed to parties and strangers to pending actions
• Counseling clients about the proper scope of their obligations when identifying, retrieving and reviewing electronically stored information
• Providing triage document retention and destruction protocols to litigation clients enabling them to obtain the benefit of “safe harbors” created by Federal Rules and State procedural laws governing electronic discovery
• Defending officers and directors sued by shareholders for corporate mismanagement, including actions for removal of officers and directors
• Representing various parties in corporate and partnership litigation including disputes between partners, shareholders, officers and directors
• Providing advice and counseling to insurers as national coordinating counsel on diverse topics, including Y2K
• Analyzing, drafting and negotiating treaty and facultative reinsurance agreements and alternative risk transfer products
• Representing cedents and reinsurers in arbitrations and judicial proceedings, including obtaining awards in excess of $700,000,000 for insolvent, monoline workers’ compensation insurers
• Investigating potentially fraudulent claims brought by insureds, including conducting examinations under oath and advising insurers about how their insureds’ conduct may impact defense and indemnity obligations
• Prosecuting declaratory relief, rescission, fraud and RICO actions against insureds suspected of committing fraud against insurers during the application or claims processes
• Defending insurers against breach of contract and bad faith claims
• Defending insurers and their counsel against malicious prosecution claims
• Defending professionals, including attorneys, brokers, architects and engineers, in malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty claims
• Representing world renowned architects in disputes involving public buildings and concert halls
• Representing architects and engineers in a variety of disputes including high rise residential construction
• Defending multinational companies against tort claims filed in the United States by foreign nationals asserting claims for injuries suffered outside the United States
• Representing owners of contaminated properties in contested proceedings relating to extent of contamination and scope and cost of cleanup
• Representation of insurers in coverage litigation for commercial and personal lines
• Representation of cedents and reinsurers in arbitration and litigation matters
• Analysis and opinions of insurance coverage issues for commercial and personal lines
• Prosecution of declaratory relief actions concerning fraud and rescission
• Investigation of claims and assistance to claims professionals
• Policy drafting and review
• Defense of professionals including attorneys, brokers and architects and engineers
• Representations of municipalities and public officials in litigation matters
• Representation of employers in employment matters

Admissions

• State Bar Admissions
  • California

Admissions

California

Associations

• American Bar Association
• ARIAS US, AIDA Reinsurance & Insurance Arbitration Society

Education

Loyola Law School

Juris Doctor, 1995

University of California at Los Angeles

Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, 1992