James Cooper

Jim, a partner in Reed Smith’s Insurance Recovery Group, has over 40 years of experience handling multimillion-dollar insurance coverage disputes through litigation or arbitration, many involving commercial property and business interruption losses, claims for commercial general liability, D&O, professional liability, employer’s liability, builder’s risk, and pollution coverage, including the energy, manufacturing, construction, and chemical sectors. Jim is frequently quoted on insurance matters in Law360.

Jim is Board Certified in Texas Insurance Law. He is a past chair of the Insurance Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and the American Bar Association’s Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee. He was elected to membership in the American College of Coverage Counsel, a privilege bestowed on less than 500 attorneys nationwide. Jim is a nationally-ranked "Band 1" insurance coverage lawyer by Chambers USA and is one of only two lawyers awarded Chambers' top ranking of “Star Individual” for Insurance in Texas in 2026. He was also included in the 2025 edition of The Legal 500’s United States edition as a "Leading Lawyer" advising policyholders on insurance, and has been selected by his peers every year since 2006 for inclusion in the Texas Super Lawyers rankings in the area of insurance coverage. Jim was chosen by Best Lawyers in America© as its 2025 Houston “Lawyer of the Year” for his work in Insurance Law (he was also chosen in 2019), and selected as a Lex Mercatoria Fellow by the Dallas Insurance Law American Inn of Court for his scholarly contributions and expertise in Insurance Law.

Professional Affiliations

Member, State Bar of Texas; Member, American Bar Association Member, Houston Bar Association Counselor/Vice President, Garland Walker Chapter of the American Inns of Court (Board member since 2000); Master of the Bench, Dallas Insurance Law American Inn of Court; Founding Member, Houston Society of Policyholder Insurance Coverage Lawyers; Faculty, State Bar of Texas Advanced Insurance Law Course; Former; Faculty, University of Texas Insurance Law Institute Proctor, Maritime Law Association of the United States (1986 – present)

Personal

Tulane Law School, 1984, J.D., cum laude; Wabash College, 1981, B.A., cum laude