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Douglas G. Houser

Senior Counsel, Portland Office

Direct Dial: 503.499.4415
Fax: 503.295.0915
doug.houser@bullivant.com



Practice Areas

Industries

Bar/Court Admissions

Admitted to Oregon Bar, 1960
Admitted to U.S. Supreme Court, 1974
Admitted to U.S. Court of International Trade, 1980
Pro hac vice admissions and trials in 21 different states and many Federal Trial and Appellate Courts throughout the U.S.

Education

  • Stanford University, School of Law - J.D., 1960
  • Willamette University - B.A., 1957
Experience Representative Work Professional and Civic Involvement Awards and Honors Press Coverage Publications and Presentations Outside the Firm

Practice Experience

Doug Houser's practice focuses on large "bet-the-company" type major disputes where his years of experience, practical common sense, and negotiating skills can be maximized to obtain effective and imaginative solutions to complex problems. The National Law Journal has named Doug as one of the outstanding defense lawyers in the United States. Doug has tried 140 punitive damages and/or extracontractual claims cases.

Chambers USA named Doug as an outstanding commercial litigator in Oregon. He has been designated a Super Lawyer and selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Doug is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and an Arbitrator with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London) (Commercial Arbitration, International and Domestic).

Doug Houser

Professional and Civic Involvement

  • General Fraternity of Beta Theta Pi (28th President, 2011-Present)
  • American Arbitration Association (Past Arbitrator, International and Domestic)
  • American Bar Association (Past-Chair of the approximate 35,000 lawyers that make up the Tort and Insurance Practice Section; first recipient of Andrew C. Hecker Memorial Award)
  • American Bar Association (Standing Committee on Judicial Independence, 2001-2004)
  • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
  • American College of Trial Lawyers (Fellow; Complex Litigation Committee; Liaison to American Law Institute, Restatement of the Law of Torts: Apportionment of Liability Project; Observer to National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Laws, Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery of Documents Act)
  • American Bar Foundation (Life Fellow)
  • American Judicature Society (Former National Director)
  • American Law Institute (Fellow)
  • AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Society (ARIAS-U.S Certified Arbitrator)
  • Association Internationale de Droit des Assurances, United States Chapter, Member (Past Member, President's Council)
  • Association of Defense Trial Attorneys
  • Beta Theta Pi Foundation (Board of Directors, 2007-Present)
  • Defense Research Institute (Board of Directors, 1990-1997; Treasurer, 1997; Chair, International Law Committee; Chair, Task Force on Tort Reform; Past Chair, Administration of Civil Justice Committee; Past Chair, Insurance Coverage Committee; Past Vice Chair, National Law Institute Committee; Recipient of 2000 Community Service Award)
  • Episcopal Diocese of Oregon (Past Member, Board of Trustees, Vice Chancellor)
  • Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (Chair of the Board, 1991-1992; Past President, 1990-91; Dean Litigation Management College, 1994-96; Board of Directors, FDCC Foundation, 1993-1999; Past Chair of Property Insurance Committee)
  • Governor's Commission on Judicial Fitness (Past Chair)
  • International Academy of Trial Lawyers (Fellow)
  • International Association of Defense Counsel (Past Chair of International Law Committee and Property Insurance Committee)
  • International Bar Association
  • Loss Executives Association
  • Multnomah Bar Association
  • National Crime Law Institute (Board of Directors)
  • National Judicial College (Council for the Future, 1988-2005; Board of Visitors, 2005-Present)
  • NIKE, Inc. (Board of Directors and former General Counsel)
  • Oregon Association of Defense Counsel (Past President)
  • Oregon Law Reform Commission (2000-2004)
  • Oregon State Bar (Past Treasurer; former Member of Board of Governors; former Member of Board of Bar Examiners; former Chair of Continuing Legal Education Committee; former Chair of Judicial Administration Committee; former Secretary of Antitrust and Trade Regulation Section; 2007 President's Special Award of Appreciation)
  • Oregon State Bar Foundation (Life Fellow)
  • Oregon State Circuit Judge Pro Tem (1977-1981)
  • Pacific Northwest Life Insurance Co. (Former General Counsel)
  • RAND Institute for Civil Justice (Board of Overseers, 1998-2004)
  • Stanford University (past President of Stanford Law Society in Oregon; Regional Annual Fund Chairman; Three-Term Member, Board of Visitors)
  • The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London; Commercial Arbitration, International and Domestic)
  • Willamette University (Recipient of the 2007 Lestle J. Sparks Medallion Lifetime Service Award; past President, Alumni Association; Member of Board of Trustees since 1971; Chair of Development Committee; Member of Board of Visitors for College of Law)

Awards and Honors

  • AV® Preeminent™, Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Named by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business as a leading commercial litigation lawyer & Senior Statesman
  • Selected for inclusion in Oregon Super Lawyers (2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 — Insurance Coverage)
  • Selected by Oregon Super Lawyers, one of the top 50 attorneys selected (2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006)
  • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 — Insurance Law; 2012, 2011, 2010 — Commercial Litigation)
  • Selected for inclusion in Expert Guides (2009 — Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers)
  • Frequently selected as monitoring counsel by Reinsurance and Excess carriers
  • Willamette University (Recipient of the 2007 Lestle J. Sparks Medallion Lifetime Service Award)

Doug Houser

Press Coverage

Firm News

Publications and Presentations

  • Author and Speaker, "Punitive Damages with Property Claims," Property Loss Research Bureau 2006 Claims Conference, Nashville, Tennessee (2006)
  • Author and Speaker, "What Can Be Done to Minimize Bad Faith Exposures," and "Bad Faith and Extra-Contractual Damages: The Complex Case," FDCC Litigation Management College, Atlanta, Georgia (2006)
  • Co-Author, "Expert Witnesses on Insurance Issues: Locating Them, Retaining Them and Presenting Their Testimony," FDCC Quarterly (Fall 2005, Vol. 56, No. 1)
  • Co-Author, "Good Faith as a Matter of Law: An Update on the Insurance Company's Right to Be Wrong," 39 Tort Trial & Ins. Prac. L.J. 1065 (2004)
  • Speaker, "Valuable Papers," Impact of Terrorism on Claims Seminar, Property Loss Research Bureau, Chicago, Illinois (2002)
  • Speaker, "Mold Another Four -Letter Word Every Coverage Attorney Needs to Know," New World for Insurance Coverage Attorneys, 10th Annual Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Mid Year Program- ABA-TIPS, New Orleans, Louisiana (2002)
  • Speaker, "Practical Tips for Adjusting Mold Claims," Partnering With Counsel From Claim to Verdict: Bad Faith Trial Of A Mold Claim, 2002 Mid-Year Meeting, Property Insurance Law Committee, ABA-TIPS, Pebble Beach, California (2002)
  • Speaker, "Sick Building and Sick People- The Leading Cases," Managing Toxic Mold Liability Seminar, Institute for international Research, Atlanta, Georgia (2002)
  • Co-Author, "Causation Issues in Mold Claims," Mealey's Litigation Report: Mold (2002)
  • Speaker, "Special Causation Problems in North America," FICC Annual Meeting, London, England (2001)
  • Speaker, "New Trends in Causation and Concurrent Causation Case Law," DRI Insurance Coverage Claims Institute, Chicago, Illinois (2001)
  • Author, "A 'Fortuitous' Loss?," Willamette L. Rev. Vol. 36, No. 1 (2000)
  • Co-Author, "Y2K Update – Sue and Labor Claims," CPCU Claims Quarterly (2000)
  • Co-Author, "Business Owners Coverage Problems," Property Loss Research Bureau Claims Conference (1999)
  • Co-Author, "Reinsurer Does Not Have to Reimburse Surety for Settlement Arising Out of Surety's Misconduct," IADC Property Insurance Committee Newsletter (1999)
  • Author, "Y2K: A Covered Property Loss?," CPCU Claims Quarterly (1999)
  • Speaker, "Y2K: A "Fortuitous" Loss?," ABA-TIPS Y2K Property Insurance Law Committee Seminar in San Francisco, California and New York, New York (1999)
  • Co-Author, "Material Misrepresentations – "A lie is a lie is a lie," IASIU Conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (1998)
  • Co-Author, "Special Causation Issues In Property Coverage Disputes: "For Want of a Nail…," ABA Annual Meeting, TIPS Property Insurance Law Committee, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (1998)
  • Co-Author, "Special Problems In Good Faith Claims Handling – How to Navigate Through The Minefield of Punitive and Extracontractual Claims," Mealey's Bad Faith Litigation Conference, Washington, D.C. (1998)
  • Author, "The Y2K Claim: Is There Property Coverage?," FICC Annual Meeting of the Property Committee re Y2K Problems (1998) (also published In 51 International Insurance Monitor, No. 41, 4th Quarter, 1998)
  • Co-Author, "Minimizing the Cost of Litigation: Settlement May Be a Good Choice," ILS Japanese Magazine (1997)
  • Co-Author, "Effective Claims Handling and The Importance of Good Communication Between Claim Representatives and Underwriting Personnel," Parts 1 and 2, Declarations (August 1998, February 1999)
  • Co-Author, "For Want of a Horseshoe Nail: Causation in First-Party Property Cases," 1st Annual Property Insurance Executives Meeting co-sponsored by the Federation of Insurance & Corporate Counsel and the Property Loss Research Bureau especially for senior property insurance executives, Chicago , Illinois
  • Speaker, "Mold Litigation: The Defense Perspective", FDCC/NAMIC Mold Summit, St. Louis, Missouri (May 2003)