Michael S. Saltzman
Partner
Experience
Michael S. Saltzman concentrates his practice on insurance coverage and defense, commercial litigation, construction, contracts, surety, trucking, products liability, dram shop, and professional liability claims, including catastrophic personal injury defense as well as errors and omissions. He has extensive experience representing insurers in complex first-party claims, and he has handled several pharmacy malpractice matters on behalf of independent pharmacies. He has appeared before trial and appellate state and federal courts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and West Virginia.
Michael frequently serves as judge pro tempore, settlement master, and arbitrator for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. An authority on recent developments affecting the insurance industry, he was a frequent lecturer at the Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Company’s annual claims seminar on issues of bad faith litigation and is a frequent speaker at seminars dealing with litigation of insurance-related issues.
Related Areas
Industries
Honors & Awards
Best Lawyers in America
- Insurance Law, 2018–25
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, General Defense, 2015–22
Background
Admissions
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware, pro hac vice
- Michigan, pro hac vice
- West Virginia, pro hac vice
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Education
- Rutgers University-Camden, J.D., 1986
- Villanova University, M.A., 1975
- Pennsylvania State University, B.A., 1972
Professional Affiliations
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
- Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel
- Louis D. Brandeis Law Society
- Philadelphia Bar Association
- Fellow, Temple University Academy of Advocacy
Training and Certifications
- Department of Labor OSHA 10-Hour Construction Training
- Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
- Arbitrator
- Judge Pro Term
Community Involvement
- Upper Dublin Athletic Association: Member, Supporter, Basketball Coach
- Upper Dublin High School Football Booster Club: Member, Supporter, Photographer
- Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF)
News & Knowledge
Publications & Events
- “The Changing Law of Claims Against Performance Bonds,” Defense Research Institute (DRI), For the Defense, March 2008
- “Ethical issues for Lawyers Engaged by Insurance Carriers to Represent Those Carriers’ Insureds,” National Business Institute (NBI), September 2005
- “Bonding Companies Not Liable for Consequential Damage,” The Legal Intelligencer, May 10, 2002
- “Ruling Leaves Bonding Companies Uncertain Regarding Consequential Damages,” The Legal Intelligencer, December 1996
- “Why and Where Do Protection Gaps Occur?” Rutgers Law School Conference, The Protection Gap in Property Insurance, Camden, NJ, March 29, 2019
- “Negotiation Strategies,” CLM, Glatfelter Insurance Company, York, PA, October 11, 2018
- “Cutting-Edge Trends in Additional Insured Coverage Issues,” Perrin Insurance Coverage and Allocation Issues Conference, Philadelphia, April 11, 2018
- “Defense of a Catastrophic Personal Injury Case,” Legal Intelligencer: The Litigation Summit 2013, Philadelphia, PA, September 20, 2013
- “Catastrophic-Loss Damages: Preparing a Comprehensive Case,” CLM, New Orleans, March 2011; Milwaukee, June 9, 2011; Philadelphia, October 6, 2011
- “Fundamentals of Litigation Management,” Sponsored by the Council of Litigation Management at United States Liability Group, October 2010
- “Initial Investigations of a Catastrophic Trucking Case,” Lorman Trucking Seminar, May 2008
- “Handling Insurance Coverage Issues,” Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (PAMIC), April 2008
- “Benefits of Mock Trials,” PAMIC, April 2008
- “Insurance Bad Faith Issues,” NBI, February 2008
- “Preparing for Litigation of Bad Faith Claims,” PAMIC, April 2007
- “Insurance Coverage Issues and Bad Faith,” PAMIC, April 2006
- “Current Issues Impacting Insurance Defense Practice,” NBI, September 2005
- “Handling Bad Faith Claims,” PAMIC, April 2005
- “Claims Handling Update,” PAMIC, April 2004
- “The Use of the Unfair Claims Protection Act and Regulations in Bad Faith Cases,” PAMIC, April 2002
- “Coverage and Bad Faith Litigation: Depositions of Claims Handlers,” Strafford Webinar, April 19, 2018
- Contributor, “Self-Insured Retentions and Control over the Litigation,” Timely Notice, July 24, 2018