Image of Kelly E. Petter
Kelly E. Petter
Partner

Biography

Kelly is a member of the Insurance Solutions Practice Group where  she creates value for clients in the areas of specialized insurance programs, loss portfolio transfers, private equity group structures, reinsurance, regulatory issues, and transactional aspects of insurance and private equity risk-transfer transactions, such as mergers, acquisitions, run off portfolio and corporate liability transfers.

Kelly is responsible for all aspects of due diligence of insurance programs, corporate liabilities, insurance assets, reserving, including identification of risk and opportunities for improving profitability in all aspects of insurance and private liability programs. She assesses overall exposure, insurance and reinsurance assets, reserving, litigation management and portfolio strategy to identify factors impacting risk for deterioration and opportunity for value creation in indemnity and expense payments. She is engaged by clients to assist during the negotiation process, including liaising with other parties and their brokers to identify and resolve impediments to closing. Kelly assists with negotiation and drafting of transfers agreements and supporting documents. Kelly advises clients regarding management of legacy portfolios, run-off programs and large-scale settlement projects. She provides clients with cost-effective litigation management strategies for large books of business by expanding on the traditional attorney-client relationship. She advises on loss and expense reserves, loss analysis, application of insurance assets, subrogation and cost recovery, national litigation strategies to increase efficiency and profit opportunities, and overall run-off strategies.

Kelly’s practice also includes complex insurance, reinsurance, and defense matters ranging from pre-suit investigation, coverage and liability analysis through litigation and trial. Kelly is often selected to represent large institutional clients in high-stakes litigation involving declaratory judgment, breach of contract, bad faith and class action matters. She defends pre-suit and litigation matters involving complex liability and damages defenses. The breadth of Kelly’s practice includes, but is not limited to construction losses, and premises liability, contract dispute, liquor liability, product liability and professional liability matters in state and federal courts across Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts and in the District of Massachusetts and the District of Nebraska. Kelly is regularly asked to serve as pro hac vice counsel across the country in complex coverage and defense matters. She also has experience litigating before the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO). She has accrued an impressive record of dispositive motion wins and favorable verdicts. Kelly has tried cases to verdict in state and federal courts in multiple jurisdictions.

Kelly has been named a Connecticut Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2018 to 2023. She is Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association and a past Treasurer. She is Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) Connecticut Chapter. Kelly testified before the Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut legislature in support of amendments to Connecticut statute affecting the collateral source rule in Connecticut. She is a Member of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC), Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) and Defense Research Institute (DRI). Kelly regularly presents to clients, trade organizations and insurance companies regarding insurance coverage, extracontractual liability, and defense matters.

Kelly loves to travel and explore new areas of the world. When she is not traveling, Kelly spends most of her time exploring some of the best hiking New England has to offer with her dog Beau. She is also the Secretary for the Board of Directors of the Quinnipiac University School of Law Alumni Association.