Greg Van Houten is a seasoned civil litigator who focuses on insurance recovery. Greg’s significant experience contributed to his recognition as a “Rising Star” in insurance coverage by Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2018-2023. In his practice, he represents clients in a wide range of industries and sectors, including industrial manufacturing, oil and gas, biofuels, banking, food and beverage, and electronic trading. Greg has helped those clients recover millions of dollars under a variety of insurance products, including policies covering Directors and Officers (D&O), Commercial General Liability (CGL), Property Damage and Business Interruption, Representations and Warranties, and Cyber Liability.

Greg also has a diverse litigation background, as he has litigated cases involving malpractice and professional negligence, commercial contracts, and employment. He also has secured a number of victories for pro bono clients, including a five-figure tutoring reimbursement award under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Greg earned his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he won the Greenhalgh Trial Advocacy Tournament and received the International Academy of Trial Lawyers 2015 Student Advocacy Award.

Before pursuing his law degree, Greg was a member of Teach for America. With Teach for America, he taught high school physics and coached varsity baseball at a charter school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was awarded “Best New Teacher” in 2011 and delivered the commencement address to the 2013 graduating class. 

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  • Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys (Washington, DC), Board Member/Secretary
  • Included in the "Ones to Watch" category of Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., 2022-2024
  • Named a "Rising Star" in Insurance Coverage and Business Litigation by Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2019-2024
  • Recipient of Outstanding 2023 Achievement Award from Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC)
  • Founder of the Policyholder Playbook.
  • Quoted in article covering North Carolina Supreme Court case on the duty to defend, Law360, February 20, 2024.
  • Podcast guest to discuss recent cyber insurance developments on “Hacker and the Fed,” NAXO, December 12, 2023.
  • “SEC’s cyber disclosure rules: key considerations for the board, C-suite and risk managers,” co-author, Cybersecurity Dive, November 27, 2023.
  • Podcast guest to discuss SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules and insurance complications, Insurance Journal, September 13, 2023.
  • “Not all wind turbine insurance coverage is the same,” author, Renewable Energy World, May 26, 2022.
  • “Be Like Mike and Look to Fundamentals to Recover COVID-19 Losses,” co-author, Claims Journal, May 29, 2020.
  • “New York COVID-19 Insurance Claims Must be Paid Promptly,” co-author, Law360, April 10, 2020.
  • “Insurance Cases Illuminate Business Interruption Disputes,” co-author, Law360, October 9, 2019.
  • "When Drafting a Pleading Against Your Insurer in New York, Consider Consequential Damages," co-author, New York Law Journal, June 25, 2019.
  • "Refuting Insurer Denials Linked to Employee Misconduct," author, Law360, April 24, 2018.
  • "Testing Congress' Foreign Commerce and Treaty Powers," author, American Criminal Law Review, 2016.

Education

J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 2015, cum laude

B.A., University of Rochester, 2010, cum laude, Highest Distinction in Economics and Political Science

Admissions

District of Columbia

New York

Court Admissions

District of Columbia Superior Court

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Greg Van Houten Introduces the Policyholder Playbook Blog Series
Press Release
Haynes Boone Prevails in Insurance Coverage Dispute
February 14, 2022

Law360 covered a Haynes and Boone, LLP victory on Feb. 9 involving client Lundberg LLC. A legal team led by Partner Ernest Martin and Associates Greg Van Houten and S. Benjamin Schindler persuaded a Washington federal judge to rule that an insurance company must defend Lundberg in an underlying suit alleging that mechanical devices it installed were defective. Here is an excerpt: U.S. District [...]