Brian R. Ade

Brian R. Ade handles complex civil and commercial disputes.

Brian dedicates a substantial portion of his legal practice to cases involving construction defects, product liability, toxic tort and long-tail litigation, environmental contamination, professional liability, and insurance coverage. He has defended companies and individuals in connection with claims relating to hazardous chemicals and chemical waste, PCBs, dioxin, lead, silica, and asbestos. Brian’s clients also include manufacturers and distributors of diverse medical, consumer, commercial, and industrial products.

In connection with his insurance practice, Brian has handled a wide variety of coverage disputes arising under many different policy lines. He regularly counsels clients on coverage issues arising under automobile, comprehensive general liability, excess, umbrella, and other types of insurance policies.

In addition to providing advice and counseling, Brian also represents insurers in multimillion-dollar coverage litigations, and was involved in two landmark insurance cases before the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Recently, in the life sciences area, Brian analyzed coverage issues raised by claims related to metoclopramide hydrochloride.

He has been invited to join the prestigious CLM, a nonpartisan alliance of insurance companies, corporations, corporate counsel, litigation and risk managers, claims professionals and attorneys. Selected attorneys and law firms are extended membership invitations based on nominations from CLM Fellows.

Brian was recently retained by the Complex Insurance Claims Litigation Association (“CICLA”) to file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of New Jersey in Continental Insurance Company, et als. v. Honeywell International, Inc., Docket No. 078152. The case involves allocation issues in the context of asbestos claims, and whether the trigger of coverage should extend beyond the introduction of asbestos exclusions into Honeywell’s insurance policies. The Order granting CICLA’s motion for leave to appear amicus curiae was entered on March 21, 2017.

Brian is an active member of the Insurance Law Committee of the Defense Research Institute (DRI), the Product Liability Committee of the Bergen County Bar Association, and the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS). In March 2014, Brian was appointed by TIPS to serve as a senior member of the editorial board of the CGL Reporter.

Brian co-authored the New Jersey chapter to the 2014 edition of “Writing Reservation of Rights: A North American Compendium,” published by the DRI Insurance Law Committee. In 2012, he served as the regional editor for DRI’s “Excess and Umbrella Compendium.”

Brian has been designated by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney.

Brian has been named to Best Lawyers in America® for Insurance Law from 2006 to 2021 and for Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Environmental in 2021 and 2022. He also was named a New Jersey Super Lawyer in Insurance Coverage from 2005 – 2018 and 2021-2022, and was recognized as a Bergen’s Top Lawyer in 2014, 2019 and 2020 by (201) Magazine. Since 2019, The Legal 500 has recommended Rivkin Radler’s Insurance Coverage practice in the insurance: advice to insurers category. The Insurance Coverage Practice Group since 2016 has been included in the Chambers USA directory in the Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Insurer category.