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Education
Ponzi earned his B.A. degree in History from DePauw University in 1985 and his J.D. degree from The National Law Center of The George Washington University in 1988.
Bar Admissions
Mr. Ponzi is authorized to practice law in Illinois and in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, and Northern District of New York, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third and Sixth Circuits. He has also represented clients in matters pending in state and federal courts throughout the country.
Professional Associations
Mr. Ponzi is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the American Bar Association, including the practice sections for Tort and Insurance, Excess and Surplus Lines, and Reinsurance. He is also an associate member of the Loss Executives Association and the International Association of Defense Counsel, where he served as chair of the Property Insurance Committee.
Cited Cases
United Fire & Casualty Co., et al. v. Arkwright Mutual Insurance Co., 53 F. Supp. 2d 632 (S.D. N.Y. 1999); Lambros Douskos v. Eden Park Insurance Company 2001 WL699092 (W.D.Tex. 2001); Lexington Insurance Company v. Travelers Indemnity Company of Illinois, 21 Fed.Appx.585, 2001 WL 1132677 (9th Cir. 2001) (applying California law); Port Authority of New York and New Jersey v. Affiliated FM et al., 311 F.3d 226 (3rd Cir. 2002) (applying New Jersey law); Detroit Water Team Joint Venture v. Agricultural Insurance Company 371 F.3rd 336 (6th Cir. 2004) (applying Michigan law); Pure Tech Systems v. Mt. Hawley Insurance Company, 95 Fed Appx. 132 (6th Cir. 2004) (applying Ohio law); Sports Arena Management Inc. v. Great American Ins. Co., 2007 WL 684003 (N.D. Ill. 2007) (Illinois law); Bernbaum v. Standard Fire, 2009 WL 458615 (N.D. Ill.) (Illinois law).
Publications
Mr. Ponzi co-authored the article, "Pollution Coverage-New ISO Forms & Insured Events," published in the ABA Environmental Claims & Property Insurance Coverage Manual; served as regional editor for the First Supplement of Bad Faith & Punitive Damages: Annotations to First-Party Insurance Cases, Statutes & Regulations, published by the American Bar Association; and authored the article, "Insurance Coverage for Environmental Claims" published in the Illinois Bar Journal. He is also a frequent lecturer on insurance-related topics.
Honors
Mr. Ponzi earned the Illinois “Super Lawyer” designation from 2005 through 2012, as awarded by Law & Politics, based on nomination, evaluation of professional achievements, and selection by a panel of attorneys in the applicable practice area. Only 5% of the total attorneys in each state receive the Super Lawyers designation.
A partner in the firm, Matthew S. Ponzi concentrates his practice in insurance coverage and commercial litigation. His expertise is in the analysis and litigation of commercial property, liability, and reinsurance claims. Mr. Ponzi is also an experienced trial lawyer. He has tried cases in both federal and state courts throughout the country. Mr. Ponzi recently first-chaired a six-month jury trial in Orange County, California, obtaining a defense verdict for his excess insurer clients on a claim seeking more than $400 million to repair Northridge earthquake damage to prominent municipal buildings owned by the County of Los Angeles. (County of Los Angeles v. Aetna, et. al., Orange County Superior Court Case No. 785435.)