Meagher & Geer is pleased to announce that Kurt Zitzer has been elected to the firm’s Management Committee.

Kurt has 27 years of experience providing legal counsel to business owners, with a focus on insurance, construction, product liability and general business advising.  He is passionate about helping his client succeed at their business and producing cost efficient and favorable results when matters proceed to litigation.  His practice includes writing coverage opinions for a wide variety of insurance product lines.  When these positions are disputed, he defends them.  The cases he enjoys most are those that derive from one-of-a-kind commercial insurance policies — cases that present brand-new issues to the courts and create new law.

Kurt has defended commercial insurance cases in 14 states — in mediation, arbitration, litigation, on trial and on appeal.  Moreover, he has experience serving as an arbitrator in private arbitrations involving insurance coverage disputes, and as an expert witness involving coverage and bad faith claims.  He also engages in reinsurance coverage opinion writing, mediation and arbitration — focusing primarily on facultative reinsurance agreements for property and casualty insurers.

In addition to insurance coverage and commercial litigation, he defends clients — primarily lawyers and accountants — faced with professional liability claims.  He represents accountants confronted with disciplinary proceedings and malpractice claims, as well as other professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, real estate and insurance.

Kurt’s practice includes the defense of product liability claims involving the manufacturing, distribution and sale of vehicles and their component parts, small machinery, household products, HVAC equipment, construction materials and other consumer products.  He has successfully defended serious bodily injury and wrongful death claims as well as property damage claims in Arizona and other jurisdictions.  He has resolved suits through trial, arbitration, motion practice and mediated settlement, and he is regularly called upon to defend the interests of those companies accused of manufacturing, distributing or selling a dangerous of defective product.

Kurt represents real estate developers with a focus on projects that include hospitality, medical and professional office buildings.  He employs his knowledge of insurance coverage to advise clients on risk management issues — including procurement of insurance and drafting of construction contracts. Before he became a lawyer, Kurt ran a small business, and understands that legal issues are just one of the many concerns faced by business owners.  He maintains close ties with his colleagues in the business community via his active involvement with the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as Board Chair.

Kurt’s reputation and skill have led to numerous honors.  He is a 2013 recipient of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce “Segner Award” for his leadership skills, community stewardship and active contributions to the success of the organization. He has been ranked as one of the Top 50 attorneys in the Southwest by Southwest Super Lawyers®. Since 2014, he has been named by AZ Business magazine as one of Arizona’s top 100 lawyers in insurance coverage, commercial litigation, and professional liability.  He is also included in The Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Insurance Law and Products Liability Litigation – Defense. He was named a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America in 2015.

Kurt received his undergraduate degree from Trinity College and his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School.