Dave McGonigle concentrates his practice in insurance coverage litigation and counseling, and serves as practice group coordinator of the firm’s Insurance Recovery and Counseling Group. With more than three decades of experience assisting policyholders maximize the value of their insurance assets and manage strategic risk, Dave has handled a broad range of coverage matters. His experience includes coverage disputes in connection with advertising, asbestos, aviation, chemical exposure, environmental, errors and omissions, product recall, premises, and product liabilities and losses. Dave has served as lead coverage counsel in a variety of forums, including state and federal courts, federal bankruptcy courts, arbitration under the UK Arbitration Act, and private mediations. Dave also regularly counsels clients on insurance coverage and risk management issues, assisting them with corporate transactions and insurance coverage placements. Working in this capacity, Dave has analyzed policies issued by a wide variety of domestic, Bermuda and European insurers, and coordinated with a broad range of practice areas across our international platform.
For more than a decade, Dave has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America and has been awarded an “AV” rating by Martindale Hubble. He has also been ranked by Chambers USA since 2017 as one of the top lawyers for Insurance. In addition, Dave has been recognized by the BTI Consulting Group as a “Client Service All-Star,” an award based exclusively on input from corporate counsel. A frequent lecturer and author on insurance coverage and litigation practice issues, Dave has published dozens of articles, served as Recent Developments Editor of the Journal of Insurance Coverage (a quarterly publication of Aspen Law & Business published from 1998-2002), and has spoken widely at client, industry and bar association programs. Before joining the firm, he served as a law clerk to the late Honorable Gustave Diamond, United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in Pittsburgh
- Insurance Law, 2006-2025
- Litigation - Insurance, 2023-2025
- Recognized by The Legal 500 United States as a Recommended Lawyer for Insurance: Advice to policyholders, 2024
- Recognized by Chambers USA for Insurance in Pennsylvania, 2023-2024
- American College of Coverage Counsel (Founding Member)
- Associate Member, RIMS, the risk management society®
- Local Rules Advisory Committee for the U.S.D.C. for the Western District of Pennsylvania (Past Member)
- Member, Board of Directors, St. Vincent College
- Knight, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Federal Association
- St. Joseph's House of Hospitality (Past Vice President and Board Member)
- Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh (Recipient of “Champion of Justice” Caritas Award for Service)
- Knights of Columbus
- “8 (Not So Innocent) Questions to Ask Your D&O Insurance Advisors,” NYSE’s Governance Insights newsletter, 6 June 2016
- "Recent Developments: Asbestos Insurance Coverage: The Policyholder Secures a Key Victory in Fuller-Austin," Journal of Insurance Coverage, Summer 2002
- "Millions for Defense, Not a Penny for Tribute: Lockwood International, B.V. v. Volm Bag Company, Inc.," Journal of Insurance Coverage, Spring 2002
- "Look Before You Dig: An Overview of Insurance Principles that Should Guide Historical Insurance Policy Searches," presentation at The Future of Mass Tort Litigation in America, 22 March 2002
- "Insurance-Related Issues in the Context of Asbestos Bankruptcies," presentation at Mealey’s Asbestos & Mold Insurance Conference, 14 March 2002
- "The Task of Rebuilding: The Important Role of Insurance," Journal of Insurance Coverage, Winter 2002
- "Long-Tail Successor Liability and the Right to Access a Predecessor’s Insurance Coverage: Conflicting Responses from California Courts," Journal of Insurance Coverage, Autumn 2001
- "Coverage for a Municipality’s Land Use Decisions: New Castle County v. National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh," Journal of Insurance Coverage, Summer 2001
- "Recent Developments: Coverage for Liability Arising out of After-Acquired Premises: Judicial Responses to K F Dairies, Inc. v. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company," Journal of Insurance Coverage, Spring 2001
- "Recent Developments: Illinois Supreme Court Rules on Trigger of Coverage in the Incorporation Context in Travelers v. Eljer Manufacturing, Inc.," Journal of Insurance Coverage, Spring 2001
- "Coverage for Liability Arising Out of After-Acquired Premises: K F Dairies, Inc. v. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co.," Journal of Insurance Coverage, Winter 2001
- "Madison Construction Co. v. Harleysville Mutual Insurance Co.: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Takes Its First Look at the Absolute Pollution Exclusion," Journal of Insurance Coverage, Winter 2000
- "California High Court Hands Down Two Pro-Insurer Split Decisions on Environmental Coverage Issues: Foster-Gardner, Inc. v. National Union Fire Insurance Co. and Aydin Corp. v. First State Insurance Co.," Journal of Insurance Coverage, Winter 1999
