Lester O. "Les" Brown

After almost forty years at "Big Law" firms, Lester Brown opened his own firm on October 1, 2024.

Les offers deep knowledge and insights in complex commercial litigation, with a focus on representing policyholders in challenging insurance coverage disputes, achieving substantial recoveries for his clients.

Les has served a diverse range of clients including electric and gas utilities, tech firms, telecommunications companies, chemical and oil corporations, as well as manufacturers, landlords, and municipalities addressing various legal issues such as environmental, product liability, first-party property, builders risk, construction, cyber liability, directors and officers liability, employers liability, and terrorism claims.

Les has effectively represented clients in courts across more than 18 states and assisted clients with claims in the Caribbean, Ireland, Colombia, Israel, and England, reflecting his wide-reaching knowledge of international insurance law and connections with top insurance recovery counsel through the world. Some notable achievements include:

• Achieving a multimillion-dollar baseball arbitration award against London Insurers for a public utility
• Assisting in obtaining an English High Court decision that dismissed Lloyd's of London first-party coverage case in favor of a case brought by the client in the client’s home jurisdiction for the full claim value
• Securing a substantial nine-figure settlement for an energy company's terrorism loss following a successful trial
• Resolving a major securities class action with significant contributions from insurance providers
• Leading an international team of engineering, process, and forensic experts as well as foreign lawyers in a successful effort to obtain payment in the hundreds of millions of dollars by an insurance company under a builder's risk policy.

Les is an American College of Coverage Counsel fellow. Les was named the Best Lawyers® 2026 Insurance Law "Lawyer of the Year" in San Jose and has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for nine consecutive years. Additionally, he is an appointed Mediator Panel for the Federal District Court for Central District of California, where he has mediated numerous cases. Les was selected as a Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator for his exception environmental insurance recovery achievements.