Case Manager: Katy Jones
Gary R. Selvin, Esq. brings more than four decades of experience at the highest levels of insurance coverage, bad faith, and complex civil litigation to his work as a neutral. Over the course of his career, he has advised insurers and businesses nationwide, tried and appealed high-exposure cases in state and federal courts, and increasingly served as a trusted problem-solver in matters where the stakes are significant, positions are entrenched, and resolution requires both legal rigor and practical judgment.
Mr. Selvin’s practice has encompassed virtually every category of insurance-related dispute. He has deep experience in insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, catastrophic bodily injury, professional liability, habitability and construction defect claims, employment practices liability, and sophisticated first-party property matters. His trial work has involved some of the most serious injury claims presented in civil courts, including wrongful death and life-altering injuries, and he has argued dozens of appeals before state and federal appellate courts, including state supreme courts—providing him with a comprehensive understanding of how cases are evaluated at every stage of the dispute lifecycle.
A portion of Mr. Selvin’s career has involved representing insurers and insureds in large coverage matters, including complex litigation arising out of abuse claims involving the Catholic Church and other substantial entities, multi-party habitability disputes, and very large construction claims. In these cases, his work focused on identifying implicated policies, and collaborating with insurers and parties to resolve allocation issues and extraordinary financial exposure across multiple insured entities. This experience sharpened his ability to manage disputes involving intense scrutiny, high emotional content, and existential financial risk—while maintaining disciplined legal analysis and strategic focus on resolution rather than rhetoric.
What distinguishes Mr. Selvin as a neutral is his ability to translate deep substantive experience into forward movement. Insurers have increasingly retained him in a quasi-mediator role—often before litigation formally begins—to engage directly with plaintiffs’ counsel and defense teams, identify the true pressure points in a case, and resolve disputes early. He is particularly effective in matters that parties initially view as “unsettleable,” including catastrophic injury, death, and habitability cases, where legal exposure, financial risk, and human dynamics intersect.
As a mediator, Mr. Selvin is deliberate, prepared, and engaged well before the mediation session itself. He conducts pre-mediation calls with counsel to surface roadblocks, misaligned assumptions, and disputed legal or factual issues that may impede progress. During mediation, he focuses on ensuring parties feel heard, de-escalating personalized advocacy, and reframing disputes around their core drivers. He is comfortable employing evaluative techniques when appropriate—particularly where unresolved legal questions or unrealistic risk assessments are preventing meaningful negotiation.
Mr. Selvin is widely regarded as even-keeled, creative, and strategically minded. He brings a steady temperament to difficult negotiations and a practical understanding of how counsel, carriers, and parties assess risk. His mediation style reflects a consistent philosophy: identify common ground, eliminate unnecessary conflict, and help parties reach durable resolutions grounded in reality rather than posturing.
Mr. Selvin’s work as a neutral reflects the accumulation of decades of judgment, perspective, and credibility. He approaches each matter with the understanding that effective dispute resolution is not about winning arguments, but about guiding parties—often under significant pressure—toward outcomes they can accept and move forward from.
“I recently participated in a mediation with Gary Selvin. He was prepared and familiar with each party’s mediation submission. He was also very well-versed in the complex coverage issues. He got right to the point and started pushing the parties to a resolution. He managed to get all parties on board with an agreement that should ultimately allow for a resolution with opposing counsel. He did an excellent job, and I would definitely use him again.”
“I came to rely on Gary as trusted counsel, particularly on sticky or sensitive matters. Bringing people together was always his strength. I have had so many cases where the opposing attorney will be unresponsive. As soon as Gary gets on board, people start responding and changing their approach. He will ask “how can I help?” and get us on a path of resolution. Because of the nature of my claims, settlements and issues are very complex but that does not get in the way of Gary creatively coming up with ways to get to a resolution. We have attended so many mediations where Gary was more of a mediator than the mediator on the case. Gary has seen it all and has resolved it all.”
“I’ve been in the insurance industry for over 36 years in a number of managerial and executive roles. In that time, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the very best legal minds in the country and Gary Selvin would certainly make that list. Gary is a genius when it comes to conflict resolution. He is creative, incredibly bright, resourceful, and dogged. His track record in getting cases resolved is unprecedented. It never ceases to amaze me how he is able to take a complex case with very difficult parties and find a way to pull it together. I’m convinced he has been gifted with a unique ability to persuade uncommon in the industry today. If you are looking for a mediator with a proven track record and frankly will give you the best opportunity to resolve the case, Gary is your guy!”
“Gary is an extremely knowledgeable and effective mediator. His experience as a trial lawyer and his vast knowledge regarding insurance coverage and contractual indemnity issues makes him uniquely qualified to handle multi-party defendant and complex litigation matters. He was able to assist me in resolving a difficult personal injury matter where the defendants were wrestling over hard fought additional insured and express indemnity claims against one another which ultimately led to a resolution of the entire case. I would strongly recommend him as a mediator and look forward to working with him again.”
“Throughout the years, Gary has consistently demonstrated exceptional knowledge of insurance coverage issues. Even in highly contentious matters, he has remained professional, capable, and impressive. I have great respect for Gary and look forward to using him as a mediator.”
