Targeting aggressive strategic expansion, Nelson Levine de Luca & Hamilton, a leading national law firm serving the insurance industry, announced today that Louis H. Kozloff has joined as a partner in the Insurance Coverage Practice and Matthew S. Vuolo has joined as a partner in the Institutional Litigation & Consulting Practice.
Mr. Kozloff joins Nelson Levine from Harleysville Insurance (a Nationwide Insurance Company), where he served as Chief Litigation Counsel & Associate General Counsel. Mr. Vuolo previously served as Corporate Counsel – U.S. Business Law at MetLife.
“We’ve made it no secret that we intend to expand aggressively, yet strategically, in 2013, hiring highly-skilled attorneys laterally from other law firms and the insurance industry, in order to continue to exceed the expectations of our current and prospective clients,” said Mike Nelson, Chairman of Nelson Levine.
“Lou and Matt are outstanding attorneys who ideally fit the Nelson Levine profile,” Mr. Nelson continued. “As former insurance executives, they provide clients with a first-hand understanding of the issues facing insurance companies. As lawyers, they have significant backgrounds representing carriers. Lou and Matt’s tenure in the corporate counsel offices at major insurance companies will be a tremendous asset to both our firm and to our clients.”
Mr. Kozloff concentrates his practice on insurance coverage and bad faith litigation and counseling. At Harleysville Insurance, he was responsible for the strategic oversight of litigation involving insurance claims, coverage disputes and other company-related litigation. During his tenure with Harleysville Insurance, Mr. Kozloff also managed an in-house litigation department of 35 attorneys and oversaw the company’s relationship with more than 75 law firms on its approved panel for claims and coverage litigation, including the evaluation and selection of firms. He was also a part of the litigation team in shareholder and policyholder class action litigation concerning the merger of Harleysville Insurance with Nationwide Insurance.
Prior to joining Harleysville Insurance, Mr. Kozloff was a partner in the Commercial Litigation Practice at Blank Rome LLP, where he specialized in insurance coverage and bad faith litigation. He earned his B.A. from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Mr. Vuolo’s practice focuses on institutional insurance issues, including complex litigation, corporate compliance, business practices and insurance regulation. At MetLife, he advised business clients on all facets of the company’s global employee benefits operations, with a particular focus on expatriate benefits. He acted as a regulatory and compliance resource for the company’s reinsurance and group insurance businesses, and was the architect of multiple reinsurance arrangements with international affiliated and external counterparties throughout Europe, the Americas and countries worldwide.
Prior to joining MetLife, Mr. Vuolo was a member of the Litigation Department at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, where he focused on representing financial services clients, including insurance/reinsurance companies, investment banks and hedge funds in complex litigation matters. He earned his B.S. from Rutgers College, his M.A. in Public Administration from Rutgers University Graduate School, and his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law – Newark.
