Tabitha Durbin

Partner

Tabitha.Durbin@lewisbrisbois.com

Tabitha Durbin is a partner in the Lafayette office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the Insurance Law Practice. Ms. Durbin focuses her practice on providing insurance coverage advice and representation of domestic and international carriers in a broad array of disputes involving admiralty, marine and energy matters, professional liability, construction defects and products liability, auto liability and uninsured/underinsured motorists coverage, onshore and offshore property damage, bad faith claims. Ms. Durbin represents clients in both state and federal courts in all phases of civil litigation, routinely obtaining summary dismissal or favorable settlements in pre-trial proceedings, and has successfully appealed coverage disputes to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Ms. Durbin also has experience in monitoring of claims on behalf of excess insurers and in drafting, negotiation and interpretation of commercial contracts.

Primary Area(s) of Practice

  • Insurance Law
  • Insurance Coverage
  • First Party Property
  • COVID-19: Insurance Coverage

Additional Experience

Admissions

Louisiana

United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana

United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

Associations

  • Louisiana State Bar Association
  • Lafayette Bar Association
  • Lafayette Volunteer Lawyers
  • Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, Completed Trial Academy, 2007
  • Defense Research Institute

Awards & Honors

Named “Top Lawyer” in Insurance Law by Acadiana Profile magazine in 2019 and 2020

Education

Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University

Juris Doctor, 2004

  • Member, Louisiana Law Review

Louisiana State University

Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, 2000

Publications

  • Presenter, “What Every Insurer Should Know: Georgia and Louisiana,” OneBeacon Presentation (September 2017)
  • Co-Author, “Evaluating Master Service Agreements: Good Things to Know,” Chubb Seminar, December 2016
  • Co-Author, “Building and Breaking Risk Allocation: Two Part Seminar,” Lloyd's Market Association, London, November 2016
  • Co-Author, “Evaluating Master Service Agreements: Good Things to Know,” Ironshore Seminar, October 2016
  • Co-Author, “Evaluating Master Service Agreements: Good Things to Know,” XL Catlin Seminar, October 2016
  • Co-Author, “Good Things to Know (If you didn’t already) - Master Service Agreements and Additional Insured Coverage – What You Need To Know,” Hiscox London Seminar, July 2016
  • Co-Author, “Master Service Agreements – What Underwriters Need To Know,” MS Amlin London Seminar, July 2016
  • Co-Author, “Reallocating Liability through Contractual Indemnity and Additional Insurance,” Lloyd's Market Association, London Seminar, November 2015
  • Co-Author, “At Fault? So What? Evaluating and Responding to Defense, Indemnity and Additional Insured Tenders,” ACE Seminar, October & December 2014, April 2015
  • Contributor, “Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Update,” ACE Seminar, August 2014
  • Co-Author, “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: A Primer on the Rights and Obligations of Excess Carriers,” June 2014
  • Co-Author, “Does In Re Deepwater Horizon Spell Disaster for the Future?  Risk Allocation and Additional Insured Coverage After the Gulf Oil Spill,” Arch Seminar, May 2013
  • Co-Author, "Claims-made versus occurrence coverage: How about some of each?," Onstream, Xchanging Energy & General Liability Newsletter, March 2013
  • Co-Author, "The Gasquet Scenario: When a Primary Insurer Settles for Less than Full Policy Limits," ACE Group Claims Bulletin, April 2011
  • Co-Author, "Indemnity Contracts Update: What Law Applies?" 8th Annual Judge Alvin B. Rubin Conference on Maritime Personal Injury Law, 2010
  • Co-Author and Presenter, "From Driving to Drilling: Exploring Insurance Challenges in Louisiana, Texas and Maritime Law," ACE Seminar, 2010
  • Co-Author, "Wading through Troubling Issues in Louisiana and Maritime Law," ACE Seminar, 2009
  • Co-Author, "Analyzing Indemnity and Insurance Obligations in Master Service Agreements: Could a Simple Idea Get More Complicated?," Independent Insurance Agents of Houston Seminar, 2008