A leading participant in the birth of modern insurance law in the early 1980s, Robert D. Chesler has earned the reputation as "The Insurance Guru" for exceptional insurance coverage knowledge. His leadership extends to such new areas of insurance coverage as cyber-insurance, D&O, IP, and privacy insurance.

A shareholder in Anderson Kill's Newark office, Bob has served as the attorney of record in more than 30 reported insurance decisions, representing clients including General Electric, Ingersoll-Rand, Westinghouse, Schering, Chrysler and Unilever, as well as many small businesses including gas stations and dry cleaners. He has received numerous professional accolades, including a top-tier ranking for Insurance Litigation: New Jersey in Chambers USA: American's Leading Lawyers for Business, which dubs him a "dominant force in coverage disputes" and cites a client who calls him "a dean of the insurance Bar; one of the brightest in writing about and analyzing insurance coverage."

He is also listed in The Legal 500, The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers and Who's Who Legal in the Insurance and Reinsurance section of the publication.

Bob represents policyholders in a broad variety of coverage claims against their insurers and advises companies with respect to their insurance programs. Bob is a relentless advocate for his clients in their efforts to obtain coverage from their insurance companies. He has strength in creatively analyzing complex insurance coverage disputes and rapidly driving towards resolution. He has spent his entire career obtaining settlements from insurance companies. He can speak "insurancese" as well as the insurers, and knows how to approach insurance companies, when to talk to them and when to litigate. His depth of experience enables him to distinguish a bad insurance claim from a good one and to understand and implement best strategies for obtaining money for his clients quickly and cost-effectively.

Bob taught Legal Methods at Harvard University and history at the State University of New York at Purchase. He taught insurance law at Rutgers Law School for 10 years. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Princeton University and maintains a scholarly interest in insurance. He is co-author of the seminal article Patterns of Judicial Interpretation of Insurance Coverage for Hazardous Waste Site Liability, 18 Rutgers L.J. 9 (1986), which has been cited by numerous courts, including seven state supreme courts and the Second Circuit, along with dozens of other articles on insurance issues. He is co-author of Insurance Coverage for Intellectual Property and Cyber Insurance Claims, published by Thomas West, and is former co-editor in chief of the Environmental Claims Journal.  Bob is also co-editor of Coverage, the ABA Insurance Journal.  He has chaired seminars on the new cyber-policies and food insurance issues for the ABA and NJSBA, and was Chair of the Insurance Sub-Committee of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Bob is also a member of Anderson Kill's Cyber Insurance Recovery group.

Memberships

Professional Memberships
American Intellectual Property Law Association: Chair, Intellectual Property Insurance Sub-Committee

American Bar Association
- Litigation Section, Insurance Subcommittee
- Litigation Section, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, Food & Beverage Subcommittee: Co-Chair

TIPS

Essex County Bar Association: Insurance Committee

New Jersey State Bar Association, Insurance Section

Society of Environmental Insurance Professionals: Vice-Chair, Professional Liability Insurance General Committee (2017-18).

Association Memberships
American College of Coverage and Extra-Contractual Counsel: Founding Member