Katie Spielman represents people with disabilities, workers, and insurance consumers when their benefits are improperly terminated or denied. Ms. Spielman is committed to advancing the rights and interests of people with disabilities, and to ensuring that insurance companies are held accountable when they seek to exploit their consumers. Ms. Spielman has experience with litigating in the private and public sectors and regularly speaks on disability law issues.

Ms. Spielman’s practice focuses on disability, health, residential treatment, and mental health insurance claims governed by both the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and state insurance bad faith law. Ms. Spielman has worked with clients from all walks of life and backgrounds, and people with mental health, developmental, sensory, and physical disabilities.

Prior to joining DL Law Group, Ms. Spielman was a staff attorney at Disability Rights California, the federally funded Protection and Advocacy Agency for the state of California. Ms. Spielman is a graduate of Stanford Law School and Cornell University.

When Ms. Spielman is not practicing law, she enjoys playing tennis, trumpet, and piano.

Ms. Spielman has represented clients in cases resulting in millions of dollars in settlements. Some of Ms. Spielman’s notable decisions and recent results include:

• Obtained $450,000 on behalf of disabled social worker wrongfully denied benefits under long-term disability policy
• Obtained over $1,000,000 settlement on behalf of disabled physician wrongfully denied benefits under long-term disability policy
• Obtained over $600,000 on behalf of disabled trial attorney wrongfully denied benefits under long-term disability policy
• Graybill-Bundgard v. Standard Insurance Co., 793 F. Supp. 2d 1117 (N.D. Cal. 2011) (Decision in favor of plaintiff remanding case to more favorable state court forum)
• Ferdowsnia v. Standard Insurance Co., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 53807 (N.D. Cal. May 10, 2011) (Granting plaintiff’s request to remand to state court after insurance company attempted to litigate in improper federal forum)

Select speaking engagements:

• “Collaborating to Address the Needs of Trafficked Survivors with Disabilities,” Futures Without Violence, Webinar supported by Grant awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice, January 19, 2017.
• “Alumni Mentor in Residence: A Career in Disability Rights” John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law, Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA, April 18, 2017.
• “Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Services Through Medi-Cal,” Parents Helping Parents Vietnamese Support Group, San Jose, CA, August 16, 2016.
• “Supported Decision Making, an Alternative to Conservatorships,” presented in collaboration with the American Civil Liberties Union and UCSF Office of Developmental Primary Care, U.C. Davis MIND Institute, Sacramento, CA, August 5, 2016.
• “Who Decides? A Dialogue on Conservatorship and Supported Decision Making,” Autism Society of Los Angeles, May 15, 2016.
• “Social Security 101,” Support for Families of Children with Disabilities, San Francisco, CA, May 19, 2015 and November 17, 2015.
• “Social Security Overpayments and Appeals,” Support for Families of Children with Disabilities, San Francisco, CA, August 18, 2015.
• “In-Home Supportive Services Eligibility and Appeals,” 2015 Information and Resource Conference, John O’Connell High School, San Francisco, CA March 21, 2015.
• “Your Rights Under the Lanterman Act,” San Francisco and San Mateo Chapters of People First of California, August 8, 2014 and November 14, 2014.