Brian D. Barnas

Mr. Barnas is a member of the firm’s Insurance Coverage Practice Team. He provides coverage analysis and advice to clients of both first- and third-party insurance claims under various types of insurance policies.  He has successfully litigated insurance coverage matters in federal and state courts across New York through trial and appeal. 

Mr. Barnas focuses his practice on bad faith analysis and litigation.  He authors a bi-weekly column entitled “Barnas on Bad Faith” on recent bad faith decisions in New York and around the country for the firm’s e-newsletter, Coverage Pointers.

He is a member of the Defense Research Institute where he is an active participant in the Insurance Law Committee.  Mr. Barnas is a member of the membership subcommittee, and he has served on the planning and marketing committees for numerous Insurance Law Committee seminars.  He has lectured on hot-button insurance coverage issues for the New York State Bar Association and Erie County Bar Association, and he has authored and co-authored multiple articles on insurance coverage issues for state and national publications. In 2023, Mr. Barnas was the recipient of the Sheldon Hurwitz Young Lawyer of the Year Award in recognition of his contributions to the field by the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section of the New York State Bar Association.  The award, named for the co-founder of Hurwitz Fine P.C., is a distinct honor awarded to a lawyer admitted 10 years or less who has made a significant impact in the industry. Mr. Barnas is also the recipient of the Special Service – Pro Bono Award by the USDC Western District of New York for committing over 120 hours representing a pro se plaintiff at trial in Federal Court in 2019.

Prior to joining Hurwitz Fine, Mr. Barnas served as a law clerk for a small firm focusing on employment litigation and the representation of school districts and municipalities. He also served as an extern in the Erie County District Attorney’s Office Appeals Bureau where he responded to appellate briefs, drafted responses to post-verdict motions and completed multiple substantive research projects for the District Attorney.

He received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in History with highest distinction.  He graduated from the University at Buffalo School of Law summa cum laude, in the top 5% of his class, earning Cali Awards for Academic Excellence (top of class) in Copyrights, Insurance Law, Criminal Procedure I, and Criminal Procedure II. Mr. Barnas tied for the highest grade in the history of the Insurance Law course. He also served as an advanced legal research and writing teaching fellow and was a recipient of the Robert J. Connelly Award for excellence in Trial Technique.

Mr. Barnas is a member of the Erie County and New York State Bar Associations, where he was recently elected to the role of Insurance Coverage Committee Chair for NYSBA’s Torts, Insurance & Compensation Law (TICL) Section.