Fifteen Years of Fighting for Policyholders

October 1, 2026, marks Miller Friel’s fifteenth anniversary. It is worth pausing to reflect on where the firm started, what it has accomplished, and why the boutique policyholder-only law firm model is more relevant today than ever before.

How It Started

When Brian Friel and Mark Miller founded Miller Friel in 2011, they had a simple thesis: corporate policyholders deserve lawyers whose sole focus is maximizing their insurance coverage — lawyers who are free from the conflicts and carrier-mandated restrictions that constrain nearly every AmLaw 100 firm.

The firm opened its doors with offices in Washington, D.C. on October 1, 2026 and a number of blue chip companies soon followed (something that headhunters told us was impossible).   The conviction that a small, focused team of experienced insurance coverage lawyers could consistently outperform 2,000 plus lawyer firms soon became a reality.  Fifteen years later, Miller Friel has recovered in excess of $9.5 billion for policyholders.

The Results Speak for Themselves

Numbers tell our compelling story.  Over the past fifteen years, the firm’s attorneys have handled some of the most significant insurance recovery cases in the country. A few that stand out:

• $5 Billion Hurricane Sandy Claim – The firm resolved coverage claims for one of the largest property damage and business interruption losses in U.S. history.
• $1.5 Billion Terrorism Claim – The firm resolved coverage claims for business interruption and property damage stemming from the destruction of New York City infrastructure.
• $1 Billion+ Opioid Claim – Miller Friel secured coverage for a specialty pharmaceutical company under policies of general liability, products liability, and management liability insurance for the defense and indemnification of claims arising out of the manufacture and sale of prescription opioid pain medication.
• $300+ Million Ponzi Scheme Recovery– The firm represented a major bank in litigation to recover over $300 million in connection with a Ponzi Scheme involving multiple bank employees.
• $112 Million Bad Faith Trial Verdict – Perhaps most notably, Miller Friel delivered the largest punitive damages jury verdict ever recorded in a property damage insurance case, a $112 million bad faith award for a flood-damaged manufacturing facility in Indiana.

These results span virtually every line of commercial insurance: commercial general liability, crime and fidelity, cyber, directors and officers, errors and omissions, event cancellation, pollution legal liability, products liability, property and business interruption, environmental impairment liability, and warranty.

A Team Built for This Work

One of the firm’s greatest strengths is the team that Miller Friel has assembled. Miller Friel’s attorneys focus on insurance coverage, and all of our partners previously practiced as coverage attorneys at prestigious large law firms. This is not a rotating cast of generalists. This is a group of nationally recognized lawyers who have dedicated their careers to fighting for policyholders.

Why Independence Matters

Fifteen years in, independence remains one of Miller Friel’s defining strengths. Unlike many large law firms, Miller Friel is not constrained by carrier-side relationships or restrictions. This freedom allows Miller Friel to pursue the full range of remedies available to policyholders, including bad faith claims when warranted.

Miller Friel is one of the few corporate insurance law firms in the country that can advocate for policyholders without concern for how it might affect insurer relationships elsewhere in the firm. Clients know that their interests—and only their interests—shape the advice the firm provides.

This year, Chambers and Partners recognized what Miller Friel’s clients have known for fifteen years—that the firm’s policyholder-only model leads to better results.  We have no marketing department spearheading these kinds of efforts.  Rather, Chambers called us and said that we should apply.

The Road Ahead

If the past fifteen years has taught Miller Friel anything, it is that insurance companies will continue to find creative ways to deny legitimate claims. We will continue to fight for policyholders, expose unscrupulous insurer conduct, and deliver results.

The firm extends its gratitude to its clients, its attorneys, and everyone who has supported Miller Friel over the past fifteen years. Here’s to the next fifteen.