- January 21, 2026
David J. Rock
Partner
Biography
BIOGRAPHY
Dave's practice focuses on insurance coverage litigation, serving as coverage counsel to domestic and international insurers. Dave advocates for clients in declaratory judgment actions, appeals, and mediations. His experience includes complex insurance disputes involving bad faith, commercial general liability, directors and officers liability, errors and omissions, excess general liability, first-party property, cyber liability and professional liability.
Memberships
- Chicago Bar Association
Awards & Rankings
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, 2022-2025
- Insurance Business America's Rising Stars, 2021
- Illinois Rising Star, 2020-2026
Before Nicolaides
Previously, Dave worked as an associate in various law firms, providing insurance coverage advice and handling all aspects of insurance coverage litigation.Outside Nicolaides
Dave lives in Oak Park, Illinois. He enjoys spending time with his family, exploring Chicago, trying new restaurants, coaching youth sports, and playing soccer.- Successfully represented insurer in coverage dispute before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the application of the Contractual Liability and Employer's Liability exclusions in a CGL policy.
- Successfully represented insurer before the Illinois First District Court of Appeals regarding an insured's claim that the insurer had waived certain coverage defenses.
- Obtained judgment on the pleadings that an entity seeking coverage did not qualify as an additional insured.
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of an insurer that its homeowner’s policy’s “business exclusion” applied when a person fell on the stairs at the subject property while dropping off a child at a home day-care operating from the premises.
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of an insurer that its personal auto policy’s “Regular Use” exclusion barred coverage for a lawsuit against its named insured for bodily injury caused while driving his wife’s separately insured vehicle.
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of an insurer that its personal auto policy’s “Regular Use” exclusion barred coverage for a lawsuit against its named insured for bodily injury caused while driving his wife’s separately insured vehicle.
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of an insurer that it owed no duty to defend its insured for an alleged “personal and advertising injury” based upon the policy’s “Knowledge of Falsity” exclusion, and judgment that the insurer was entitled to reimbursement of defense fees exceeding $1 million.
• Obtained summary judgment that an insurer’s policy language was unambiguous, and that the insurer owed no coverage to its insured based upon an exclusion titled “Radioactive Matter Exclusion” that barred coverage for bodily injury arising out of exposure to any radioactive matter or “any form of radiation”, where an underlying lawsuit alleged bodily injury caused by electromagnetic field radiation.
• Obtained judgment on the pleadings in favor of insurer that an assault and battery exclusion applied to preclude coverage for an underlying lawsuit.
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of insurer that claimant was resident of insured premises, so “residence” exclusion applied to preclude coverage.
• Successfully represented insurer in coverage dispute before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the application of the Contractual Liability and Employer's Liability exclusions in a CGL policy.
• Obtained judgment on the pleadings that an entity seeking coverage did not qualify as an additional insured.
• Successfully represented insurer before the Illinois First District Court of Appeals regarding an insured's claim that the insurer had waived certain coverage defenses.
- January 24, 2023
- January 18, 2023
- August 18, 2022
- January 28, 2022
- October 8, 2021
- August 19, 2021
- January 29, 2021