Timothy Jay Houseal

Complex and Specialty Litigation is a practice area that covers a wide range of disputed matters. It is also an apt description of Tim Houseal’s practice. While the majority of his time is spent litigating environmental and insurance coverage cases — two fields quite different from each other — the rest is divided among an even more diverse array of matters, involving admiralty issues, non-profit entities, and various complex business disputes.

As Tim’s clients tend to be experienced and sophisticated users of legal services, they count on him to accurately assess their litigation risk, help them weigh their various options, and bring their matters to an optimal resolution as efficiently — and as cost-effectively — as possible. This frequently involves working on the same side as other defendants — sometimes several dozen at once — which calls on his notable skills as coordinator of multiple viewpoints and goals. He has, on numerous occasions, been named liaison counsel to the court, either by nomination of his fellow lawyers or by appointment from the bench.

Known as a quick study with an appetite for new knowledge, Tim has a special affinity for disputes that involve two or more jurisdictions. When, as often happens in Delaware courts, the laws of different states — or indeed different countries — come into play, he is attracted to the myriad complexities that attend these disputes. As such cases also tend to attract out-of-state legal talent of the highest caliber, Tim frequently enjoys the chance to argue both with and against some of the best lawyers in the world.