Dean C. Burnick brings to Greenan, Peffer, Sallander & Lally LLP a vast amount of business and insurance-related experience. As a member of the firm's Insurance and Commercial Litigation Groups, Dean handles cases in both state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels.

Recruited in 1987 directly from the Executive Editorial Board of the Washington University Law Quarterly, Dean began practicing in Chicago by serving as national coordinating counsel for several prominent commercial and professional liability insurers on large exposure, high profile cases.  After relocating to California in 1990, Dean broadened his practice to include commercial and employment disputes, and expanded his insurance coverage and litigation practice to include all forms of commercial and personal lines.  He has also represented surety and fidelity bond clients in recovery actions.

Over the years, Dean has achieved considerable success representing clients in disputes involving California ’s Unfair Competition Act, breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, interference with economic advantage, fraud, defamation, discrimination, workplace torts, and the privacy-related offenses. He has also represented clients in other business and employment related disputes, including actions seeking accounting, contract rescission and reformation, and to enforce free-speech rights under California ’s anti-SLAPP Statute.

Dean has worked closely with two former California Insurance Commissioners on a wide variety of regulatory matters involving the sale of insurance and hybrid financial/insurance products, promoting industry-based legislative initiatives, implementing new insurance programs and executive compensation plans, regulatory and licensing for insurers and insurance-related organizations, responding to administrative inquiries, and advising online concerns. 

However, Dean's practice is not limited to litigation. He is regularly retained to provide legal opinions, advice and recommendations on issues including insurance coverage and compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, the Federal Truth in Lending Act, and California ’s Information Practices Act of 1977.

Dean has also served as an effective mediator.

Dean received his undergraduate baccalaureate degree in economics from Drew University .  Dean received his J.D. degree from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis , Missouri , where he served as Executive Editor of the Washington University Law Quarterly.

Dean is licensed to practice in both California and Illinois . Dean is a member of the Commercial Litigation section of the State Bar of California. He is also a member of the Insurance Subcommittee of the Contra Costa County Bar Association and The Commonwealth Club of California where he sits on the Steering Committee of the Business and Leadership Member Led Forum.

Dean is the author of the “Independent Counsel and Its Impact on the Insurer’s Defense Duty” published in the Defense Research Institute’s Duty of Defense Compendium (1^st Edition 2005).

Dean is a co-author of the "Insurance Bad Faith: A Compendium of State Law" published by the Defense Research Institute, now in its Second Edition.

Dean is also the West Coast Regional Editor and author of multiple chapters in the “Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist Coverage: A Compendium of State Law” (1^st Edition 2007) published by the Defense Research Institute. 

Dean has also spoken at various industry and continuing education seminars on insurance and other issues, like law practice management and ethics.

E-mail: dburnick@gpsllp.com