Laurence H. Leavitt

With over three decades of trial experience, and more than 1000 fire and explosion cases from around the United States under his belt, Larry has developed a reputation as one of the country's foremost fire litigators. With an extensive background in fire forensics, first party insurance coverage and adjustment, appraisal, subrogation and fire liability defense, he possesses a truly unique and expansive foundation in every aspect of fire loss investigation, analysis, and litigation. As a result, Larry is frequently called upon to serve as defense counsel or monitoring counsel on the nation’s most catastrophic, most complex “bet the company” cases.

Larry's broad fire litigation background includes the following:

• A federal trial court clerkship for the Honorable D. Brock Hornby in the District of Maine
• 100's of depositions of fire experts and engineers
• A four-year reign as co-chair of the DRI's Fire Science and Litigation Committee
• A member of the Board of Directors for the Forensic Fire Analysis Institute

In his active fire litigation practice, Larry serves as national fire litigation counsel for multiple insurers, as monitoring fire litigation counsel for multiple excess insurers, and as defense counsel for numerous manufacturers and energy companies. Larry has achieved the highest Martindale Hubbell rating (AV) and is listed in Best Lawyers of America for his expertise in Products Liability Litigation.

Larry, a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Maine School of Law, presently resides in Seacoast New Hampshire.

Representative Cases

Presentations

• Protecting the Interests of Your Client at the Fire Scene, MLL Fire Science and Litigation Seminar, October 2019
• The Future Onslaught of Fire Claims: Batteries and the Defense of Lithium-Ion Energized Products, MLL Fire Science and Litigation Seminar, July 2018
• Management of the Complex Fire Scene: Lessons Learned from the West Texas Explosion, 2014 NFPA Conference & Expo
• Nuances in the Selection and Preparation of Fire Experts, 2012 ACI Fire and Casualty Conference
• Winning The Battle Of The Fire Experts, 2005 DRI Fire Conference
• Managing the Complex Fire Scene, 2003 DRI Product Liability Conference
• Humanizing The Corporation In Catastrophic Fire and Burn Injury Cases, 2003 DRI Fire Conference
• Winning Techniques In Fire Claim Investigation: The "Do's" and "Don'ts" for Effective Handling of the Pre-suit Claim, 2002 DRI Fire Conference
• THE SPOLIATION TRAP: The Rising Stakes Associated with the Failure to Preserve Evidence after a Loss, 2002 Loss Executive Association

Professional Affiliations

• Defense Research Institute
• Propane Gas Defense Association
• Loss Executive Association
• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
• Forensic Fire Analysis Institute