PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY

Bethany L. Barrese is a skilled insurance coverage attorney committed to providing practical advice, creative solutions, and the highest level of advocacy for policyholders. She helps clients recover on their insurance claims under a wide variety of policies, including commercial general liability, commercial property, builder's risk, professional liability, educator's legal liability, and captive policies.

Bethany has extensive experience handling insurance coverage disputes arising from real estate development and construction projects. She frequently negotiates construction defect and additional insured claims on behalf of owners, architects, construction managers, and general contractors. Bethany puts her strong oral advocacy skills to work nationwide, with a particular focus on assessing and litigating breach of contract and bad faith and unfair trade practices claims. Her litigation practice has successfully resolved disputes at both the trial and appellate level.

Some of her most impactful cases include:

  • Appeal of Nash Street, LLC v. Main Street America Assurance Co. before the Connecticut Supreme Court, which set a significant judicial precedent for Connecticut insurance law.
  • Litigation of complex coverage issues involving post-9/11 World Trade Center first responder injury claims.
  • Preparation of an amicus brief in Cypress Point Condominium Association Inc. v. Adria Towers, which contributed to a precedent-setting decision from the New Jersey Supreme Court regarding coverage for construction defects.


Outside of the courtroom, Bethany works with clients to review their existing insurance programs, recommend various risk management strategies, and develop innovative long-term solutions to common coverage issues. She is also actively engaged in industry outreach and enjoys speaking on insurance coverage issues.

Bethany regularly publishes articles on insurance coverage issues, legislative updates, and major court decisions, particularly those that impact the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States. Her experience includes teaching the "Insurance Litigation" course for the University of Connecticut Law School's LLM program in Insurance Law. Bethany is a part of SDV's Northeast team and is a resident of the firm's New Jersey office. She currently serves on the firm's Executive Committee and represents clients nationwide.

Press
Publications
Professional Associations
New Jersey State Bar Association - March 2020 - Present
- Insurance Law Section
- Insurance Law Section Secretary, 2024-2025
- Construction Law Section
- Young Lawyers Division
Risk and Insurance Management Association of NJ, October 2020 - Present
Professional Women in Construction - NJ Chapter - January 2021 - Present
Connecticut Bar Association
- Young Lawyers Section, Executive Committee, Insurance Law Co-Chair (2013-2015)
- Young Lawyers Section, Executive Committee, Women in the Law Co-Chair (2015-2016)
- Insurance Law Section, Treasurer (2016-2017)
American Bar Association
-Commercial Real Estate Women, Inc. New Jersey (May 2020 - Present)
University Risk Management & Insurance Association (URMIA)
Selected Decisions
Town of Monroe v Discover Property and Casualty Insurance Company, 151 A.3d 848, 169 Conn. App. 644
Cypress Point Condominium Association, Inc. v Adria Towers, LLC, 143 A.3d 273, 226 N.J. 403
Honors and Awards
Business Insurance Breakout Award*, 2024
- Click here to view recognition methodology: https://events.businessinsurance.com/boa
NJBIZ Leader in the Law Award*, 2024
- Click here to view recognition methodology: https://njbiz.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2023/01/2023-NJBIZ-Award-Event-Methodology.pdf
New Jersey Law Journal Leaders of the Bar Award*, 2021
- Click here to view recognition methodology: https://www.event.law.com/njlawjournal-njlegalawards/methodology
New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Star*, 2019-2020, 2022
- Click here to view recognition methodology: https://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection-process/
*No aspect of these advertisements have been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Speaking Engagements

2024 IRMI Construction Risk Conference (CRC) 

Perrin Conferences - Women in Insurance & Law Leadership Conference 

New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE) Construction Law Symposium 

New Jersey Institute for CLE - Insurance Law Forum 

2024 Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) Surety Bonding and Construction Risk Management Conference 

AGC Webinar: Managing Risks and Opportunities: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Construction Industry 

New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) - Insurance Law Institute 2023: Demystifying the Duty to Defend 

New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) - Insurance Law Section CLE Webcast 

New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) Annual Meeting and Convention 

New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) - Construction Law Section CLE 

University Risk Management and Insurance Association, Inc. (URMIA) 2023 Northeastern Regional Conference 

Atlantic Builders Convention 

New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) - Insurance Law Section CLE 

Litigation of Additional Insured Claims in the Construction Industry 

NJSBA Hot Topics in Construction Law 2022 

NJICLE: Hot Topics in Construction Law 

Construction Litigation of Additional Insured Endorsements: Blanket Claus Risks, Contractual Privity, Coverage Limits 

NJSBA/ICLE Insurance Law Section - Webcast: Insurance Law Institute  

NJICLE 2022 Construction Law Forum 

2022 ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar 

2021 IRMI Construction Risk Conference 

2021 CLM Construction Conference 

NJ SBA 2021 Annual Meeting 

URMIA's Virtual Spring Conference 

ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar 

CONTACT US


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Northeast

35 Nutmeg Drive, Ste 140
Trumbull, CT 06611

203.287.2100

136 Madison Avenue, 6th Fl.
New York, NY 10016

203.287.2100

233 Mount Airy Road
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

973.446.7300

Southeast

999 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Ste 603
Naples, FL 34108

239.316.7244

West Coast

One BetterWorld Circle, Ste 300
Temecula, CA 92590

951.365.3145

SDV is headquartered in Connecticut, with regional offices located in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and California to better serve our clients nationwide. We have the experience and insight to effectively address your insurance coverage concerns and provide practical solutions to any risk transfer challenges you face.