Reid C. Adams is an experienced litigator, having tried more than forty jury trials in state and federal courts, and numerous non-jury matters, including many declaratory judgment trials. For the past ten years his practice has primarily focused on insurance coverage litigation; providing insurance coverage opinions; FINRA arbitrations; and major class action cases. Cal spends a lot of his time advising corporate clients on their insurance programs, helping them decide what types of insurance they need, and reviewing coverages with them. He even helps negotiate renewals of insurance policies or the purchase of new policies. He also has spent a great deal of time advising clients on the purchase of cyber insurance, pollution liability insurance and Directors & Officers Liability Insurance. He advises clients on Representation & Warranties Liability Insurance when they are involved in a merger acquisition. And he advises clients on tail coverage in those transactions. He also advises client on insurance requirements for master service agreements and large contracts. He even helps his client understand indemnification agreements and does a lot of work negotiating such agreements.
He has defended Products Liability Actions against manufacturers and sellers of allegedly defective products including pharmaceuticals, automobiles, yachts, motorcycles, cranes, furniture, household items, dyes, food products, building and construction supplies, toys, and sporting equipment.
Cal has spent decades litigating on behalf of the construction industry, representing clients in construction defect cases and defending construction companies on behalf of the firm’s insurance company clients. He has also litigated on behalf of rental car companies and trucking companies.
His diverse experience also includes directors’ and officers’ liability coverage and litigation; cyber insurance coverage; ERISA litigation; commercial arbitration; FINRA arbitration; aviation litigation; fiduciary litigation; claims related to stock purchase agreements; EMTALA investigations; and defending errors and omissions claims against insurance agents and brokers.
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Represented Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in the Phen-Fen litigation in North Carolina.
- Represented American Medical Systems in pelvic mesh multi-district litigation.
- Represented the Home Insurance Company as national coordinating counsel for environmental coverage litigation involving over 100 pollution sites in eight states.
- Represented Triad Guaranty in mortgage insurance litigation.
- Represented condominium owners in a large construction defect case against the general contractor, architect and the various subcontractors.
Professional & Civic Engagement
Bar Associations
- Forsyth County Bar Association
- North Carolina Bar Association, Litigation Section
- North Carolina Young Lawyers Division, Former Member
- Served as Chairman, Citizenship Education Committee and Member, Executive Council
Legal Services
- Legal Aid of North Carolina, Board Member
- Board of Directors, 2002 – 2009, 2013 – Present
- Chair of Statewide Fundraising, 2009 – Present
- Chair of the Strategic Planning Task Force 2013 – 2015 and 2019-2021
- Chairman of the Board of Directors, 2007 – 2009
- North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission, Vice Chair, 2006 –2020
- Legal Aid Society of Northwest North Carolina, President, Board of Directors, 1996 – 2008
Thought Leadership
- “Coverage Under A CGL Policy and Under a Business Auto Policy”, Chartis Adjusters, 2011
- “Hot Topics: Directors and Officers Liability Insurance”, Wake Forest University School of Law Insurance Update, 2007
- “Navigating the D&O Minefield, Bank Directors Assembly”, the North Carolina Bankers Association, 2006
- “Insurance Coverage Issues in the 21st Century: Key Issues in the Aftermath of 9/11, Including Definition of Occurrence, Late Notice, Duty to Defend, and Business Interruption Coverage,” North Carolina Bar Association Insurance From A-Z: A Primer on Insurance Law, 2003
- “Trigger of Coverage in North Carolina”, Business Insurance, December, 2000
- North Carolina Environmental Law Handbook, “Environmental Insurance”, 1994
Honors & Awards
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings), Insurance Law, Litigation – Insurance, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, 2008 – Present
- Recognized by North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society for pro bono work, 2021
- Super Lawyers Honoree, Insurance Coverage, Class Action/Mass Torts, Personal Injury – General, North Carolina Super Lawyers magazine (Thomson Reuters), 2008 – 2013, 2017 – 2018
