Jim Bauer provides counsel to insurers regarding first-party and third-party coverage claims and other commercial disputes. In addition to providing coverage advice, he litigates complex claims and defends insureds.

Before joining Fields Howell, Jim served as a senior associate at a global firm where he specialized in complex insurance-coverage disputes. He’s handled matters arising out of major natural disasters, including nine-figure property losses following Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Harvey. He also played a significant role in the market-wide response to COVID-19 property-insurance claims, several of which he litigated nationwide. And he successfully arbitrated a first-party claim coverage dispute arising out of a multi-million dollar theft.
In addition to his property-insurance work, Jim has counseled insurers on claims under professional liability, technology, auto, and cyber risks. Notably, he represented several domestic and European insurers in connection with a claim for substantial losses arising from the NotPetya cyberattack.

Prior to his work in private practice, Jim specialized in communications and speechwriting for various political campaigns and a high-profile political appointee.

Jim is a 2011 graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law where he served as Editor-in-Chief for the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy. In law school, he was also invited as a guest editor for the symposium issue of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. Jim holds his undergraduate degree in broadcast journalism and political science from Syracuse University.

Education

• Wake Forest School of Law, J.D., 2011
• Syracuse University, B.A. 2008
  • Broadcast Journalism & Political Science