Brent Vincent

Practice Areas

Environmental Law

Environmental Litigation

Superfund (CERCLA) & Site Remediation

Class Action Defense

Contaminants & Toxic Torts

General Business & Complex Commercial Litigation

Insurance Recovery & Counseling

Land Use

Career

Brent’s dedication to resolving clients’ problems and the legal profession underscores his standing as a trusted advisor and litigator. He can often resolve complex legal disputes without litigation – a more efficient, less costly, and less contentious outcome for clients. When asked how he wants to be known by clients, Brent said, “I hope to be known as a passionate advocate who provides sound legal counsel to clients.”

Brenton “Brent” Vincent is a distinguished Chicago litigator with more than two decades of experience managing insurance and commercial disputes. He often deals with clients facing significant, potentially existential, liabilities and works to resolve those liabilities. He takes time to understand the client’s business and goals and how each matter affects them. He then collaborates with each client to bring about the necessary resolution.

Brent has a record of proactively identifying and mitigating risks, leading to the swift and favorable resolution of disputes outside the courtroom whenever plausible. Brent, however, is not hesitant to litigate when his client cannot achieve the desired result through negotiation. His foresight is evident in his handling of high-profile insurance coverage litigation, where he balances his legal acumen with a deep understanding of insurance and how the businesses he represents can utilize this asset to address potential liabilities.

As legal counsel for large corporations, small and mid-sized businesses, landowners and municipalities, Brent helps clients to solve problems. His practice involves litigation, mediation, negotiation and counseling on a variety of legal matters including:

Insurance coverage and insurance recovery

Commercial litigation

Tort defense

Eminent domain disputes

Environmental litigation

Land use litigation

Litigation management

Insurance counseling

Working with Brent means tapping into a profound reserve of knowledge and a strategic mindset aimed at resolving disputes efficiently and effectively. With a keen ability to dissect and maneuver through the complexities of legal challenges, Brent focuses on meeting clients’ business objectives while minimizing their legal burdens.

Experience

Insurance Coverage Counseling & Litigation

Policyholder counsel in a nationwide case of first impression holding that permitted air emissions are not pollution for purposes of the absolute pollution exclusion.

Won summary judgment for policyholder against D&O insurer who refused to provide coverage for fraud claims asserted against indemnified former directors and officers.

Assisted in reaching global settlements of environmental class action and mass tort claims asserted against the client by obtaining full recovery from horizontal and vertical insurers.

Defeated attempt to forum shop and apply unfavorable state law in an eight-figure coverage action.

Representing religious organizations in revived abuse claims.

Negotiated buy-outs of historic policies to cover environmental liabilities.

Serve as outside general litigation counsel, helping to obtain coverage for and to resolve numerous personal injury and property damage claims and to implement forward-looking risk management strategies.

Bond Litigation

Representation of institutional bondholders in default litigation, including recovering past due sums, foreclosing on and disposing of collateral and negotiating restructuring of payment schedules.

Commercial Litigation

Won summary judgment for client in a commercial licensing dispute.

Eminent Domain

Representation of property owners, condemning authorities, tenants and lenders in litigation and negotiations related to the necessity and valuation of land takings.

Environmental Cost Recovery

Representation of clients, including municipal entities, seeking recovery for environmental liabilities and remediation costs, including contribution, insurance coverage, and pursuit of historically responsible parties.

Superfund Defense

Representation of PRPs at Superfund Sites and in related litigation matters.

Toxic Tort/Class Action Defense

Defeated certification of a putative class action alleging air pollution and odor nuisance. Representation of clients in air and groundwater toxic tort suits.