Cecilia O’Connell Miller is a Partner in Buchalter’s San Diego Office. She is Chair of the San Diego Litigation Department, Co-Chair of the Insurance Law practice group and a Member of the Firm’s Board of Directors. With over 25 years of experience, Cecilia is a nationally recognized leader in insurance recovery, securing hundreds of millions in coverage for policyholders across diverse industries. Her clients value not only her expertise and tenacity, but also her delivery of innovative solutions that efficiently maximize insurance recovery.
Cecilia’s advocacy on behalf of her policyholder clients includes pre-litigation counseling and negotiation to, if possible, avoid litigation. When litigation is required, however, Cecilia draws upon over two decades of experience in arbitrations, state courts and federal courts across the country.
The breadth of her practice spans numerous lines of coverage including commercial general liability, D&O, employment practices liability, pollution legal liability, first party property (including business interruption), tax liability, life insurance, AD&D, LTD, and representation and warranty insurance. Cecilia also regularly represents municipal and public entity clients in securing coverage under Memoranda of Coverage issued by Joint Powers Authorities as well as prosecuting claims against insurance brokers.
Cecilia has applied her insurance coverage acumen to claims and lawsuits arising in a variety of industries, including technology, financial services, hospitality, multi-media, retail, health care, manufacturing, construction, and gaming.
Cecilia has been named to the Best Lawyers in America list from 2022-2026 in the area of “Litigation – Insurance.” In 2023, the San Diego Business Journal selected her as a Women of Influence in Law. In 2022, Law360 invited Cecilia to serve as a member of the IA General Liability Editorial Advisory Board. Additional honors include selection by The Daily Transcript as a “Top Attorney” and by the San Diego Business Journal as a “Leader in Law” in both 2020 and 2022.
Cecilia is a sought after speaker and author on insurance coverage issues, including advising clients as to best practices to maximize existing insurance coverage and prospectively managing risk.
