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and after studying chemistry decided that science laboratories were not the place he would find his vocation. Dan attended college at State University of New York at New Paltz and then worked as a legislative aide and lobbyist in New York State Government in Albany. Dan then decided to study law and enrolled at New York’s only publicly funded state law school, State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, graduating in 1979.
Dan began and continues his outstanding legal career at Hurwitz & Fine of Buffalo, New York. Mr. Sheldon “Shelly” Hurwitz, one of the firm’s founding partners and previously a sole practitioner, was with one of a number of firms where Dan sought work as a law clerk using the Martindale & Hubbell Law Directory as a guide. Mr. Hurwitz asked Dan, then a first year law student, what he knew about product liability and if Dan could write a trial brief on the subject. After explaining his knowledge of this subject was limited to what a first year law student had learned, Dan was nonetheless hired, and began working for Mr. Hurwitz
who shortly thereafter started the firm. Dan began working as a law clerk at the firm in 1977, the year it was formed, earning the princely sum of $3 an hour. Dan earned $45 for his first fifteen hours of work and received a paycheck paying
$37 after taxes. Dan deposited the check, put $36 toward tuition, and took the remaining sum as a dollar bill that he asked Mr. Hurwitz and Mr. Fine to sign and then placed that dollar bill under glass where it remains in his office today.
Dan is now one of Hurwitz & Fine’s most senior members and leads
its Insurance Coverage, Extra- Contractual Liability, Class Actions/ Mass Torts and ADR practice groups. Dan’s partners, including our member Jody Briandi, eloquently describe a culture dedicated to professional service and responsibility that he has instilled at the firm. Lawyers who have worked with Dan, either at the firm, as students, or in professional organizations are encouraged by Dan to be thought leaders and innovators in their areas of practice. Jody notes that one of Dan’s
many legacies is his dedication to engagement with and service to clients, particularly the insurance industry, and the legal associations who support it.
Dan is absolute in his dedication to and love of the law and consequently, reaps not only professional but also deep personal satisfaction from a being a lawyer and helping others.
In addition to his devotion to the practice of law, Dan has a passion for teaching the law. Dan has taught insurance coverage and related courses as an adjunct professor at The University of Buffalo School of Law since 1988. Dan has lectured on insurance law to thousands
of law students, lawyers, claims professionals and bar organizations over the years. 23 years ago, Dan created one of the first electronic
legal newsletters, Coverage Pointers, addressing important insurance coverage issues in New York State and elsewhere. This bi- weekly publication is subscribed
to by thousands of claims professionals, coverage counsel, and corporate counsel across North America. The publication’s motto, “Do you have a situation? Have
no fear, we LOVE situations,” not only reflects Dan’s vast array of knowledge on insurance coverage issues but his commitment to
his craft and to staying abreast of cutting-edge issues.
Service is a cornerstone of Dan’s professional life. He was a founding member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Coverage Counsel. He has served on the Board of Directors of DRI, DRI’s Insurance Law Steering Committee, and was program chair of its Insurance Coverage and Practice Symposium. He was Co-Editor
in Chief of the DRI Reservation
of Rights Compendium. In 2017, Dan was selected a member of
the American Law Institute. He is the immediate past president and current board chair of the National Foundation for Judicial Excellence and also served on the boards of Lawyers for Civil Justice and Erie County, New York Bar Association Foundation.
If we were to ask Dan of the many accomplishments achieved in
his storied career what was most cherished, we are confident he would say it is his membership and service to the Federation. Dan joined the FDCC in 1989 and has attended every conference
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