Gower, Wooten & Darnielle

What Gower, Wooten & Darnielle does

Gower, Wooten & Darnielle (also styled Gower Wooten & Darneille or GWD Law Firm) is a regional insurance defense law firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, founded in August 2015 by three equity partners — Anne Gower, Timothy Wooten, and Jason Darneille — who had previously practiced together. The firm represents insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and self-insured entities across twelve states (Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia), providing defense representation in matters involving automobile accident, premises liability, construction defect, bad faith, and coverage disputes, as well as coverage opinions, declaratory judgment actions, and policy construction advisory work. Beyond insurance defense, the firm maintains adjacent practice areas in Tax Controversy (IRS and U.S. Tax Court representation), Settlements and Probate (estate planning, wills, healthcare directives), and Construction Defect defense for contractors and subcontractors. There are no proprietary technology products; service delivery is entirely attorney-led, with senior partners handling matters from inception through trial and appeal rather than delegating to junior staff. GWD's business model is professional services revenue — hourly and fixed-fee billing across litigation, advisory, and probate engagements — sold directly to enterprise insurance clients through carrier panel relationships, TPA engagements, and referrals built via professional bar associations and community involvement. The firm has expanded primarily through lateral partner hiring (notably Adriane Sammons, Matt Branch, and Lia Melikian in 2021) and the 2022 merger of David Kostreva's multi-state practice, which materially extended state coverage. As of the source date, GWD lists 30+ attorneys across its regional offices and self-identifies as one of the fastest-growing U.S. insurance defense law firms since founding.

Name

Gower, Wooten & Darnielle

Legal name

Gower, Wooten & Darnielle

Website

https://gwdlawfirm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gower, Wooten & Darnielle is an Atlanta-headquartered insurance defense law firm representing carriers and TPAs across 12 states in litigation, bad faith, coverage, premises liability, construction defect, tax controversy, and probate matters, operating on hourly and fixed-fee billing with senior-attorney-led case handling.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Defense Legal Services

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Insurance defense litigation
• Bad faith litigation
• Construction defect defense
• Premises liability defense
• Insurance coverage counsel

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Insurance Defense Legal Services: Hourly billing for litigation services, trial preparation, and case handling for insurance defense matters including auto accident, premises liability, construction defect, and other covered claims.
2. Insurance Coverage Opinions: Legal consultation and advisory services for insurers on coverage opinions, declaratory judgment actions, and policy construction matters.
3. Estate Planning and Probate Services: Wills, power of attorney, estate plans, healthcare directives, and trust services for settlement and probate matters.
4. Tax Controversy Resolution: IRS and U.S. Tax Court representation, administrative level tax dispute resolution, and tax litigation services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gower, Wooten & Darnielle is a regional insurance defense law firm that represents insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and self-insured entities in litigation across twelve states. The firm handles insurance defense, bad faith litigation, construction defect, insurance coverage opinions, premises liability, tax controversy, and estate planning/probate matters, with senior attorneys managing each case from inception through trial and appeal.

Product overview

Gower, Wooten & Darnielle is a regional insurance defense law firm offering legal services through seven distinct practice areas. The firm's core focus is Insurance Defense, supplemented by specialized services including Bad Faith Litigation, Construction Defect, Insurance Coverage, Premises Liability, Tax Controversy, and Settlements Probate. The firm operates with attorneys across 12 states providing personalized representation with national reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insurance Defense Core legal representation for insurance companies in litigation matters, handling cases from inception through trial and appeal across multiple jurisdictions.
• Bad Faith Litigation Defense of insurers against extra-contractual liability claims and bad faith lawsuit defense.
• Construction Defect Defense Legal defense for contractors, subcontractors, and stakeholders in construction-related disputes and defect claims.
• Insurance Coverage Coverage opinions, declaratory judgment actions, policy construction, and litigation support for insurers.
• Premises Liability Defense against slip and fall, trip and fall, and other property-related injury claims for businesses and property owners.
• Tax Controversy Resolution of tax disputes with the IRS and tax court, including administrative and appellate representation for businesses and individuals.
• Settlements and Probate Estate planning, probate matters, wills, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and settlement dollar distribution services.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Haight Brown & Bonesteel: California-based regional insurance defense boutique with a similar model of multi-jurisdictional defense work for carriers. Directly comparable in size, practice focus, and carrier-client orientation.
• Cochran Cherry Givens Smith: Insurance defense and coverage boutique with multi-state carrier practice. Comparable in scale, geographic spread, and concentration on insurance defense as the core service line.
• Smith Freed & Eberhard: Pacific Northwest insurance defense boutique with growing multi-state presence. Similar boutique-versus-national-firm positioning serving insurance carrier clients.
• Clausen Miller: Long-standing insurance defense boutique serving carriers across multiple states with similar practice areas (bad faith, coverage, premises liability, construction defect). Closely aligned peer in niche and structure.
• Traub Lieberman Straub & Segry: Regional insurance defense boutique with multi-state presence serving carriers, reinsurers, and self-insureds. Closely matches GWD in target clientele, jurisdictional footprint strategy, and practice mix.
• Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney: San Francisco insurance defense firm focused on carrier defense and coverage work. Comparable as a mid-size, regionally anchored insurance defense boutique serving enterprise carrier clients.

Broad incumbents

• Cozen O'Connor: Large national firm with a prominent insurance coverage and defense practice. Competes for the same carrier clients and panel counsel engagements as GWD.
• Bressler Amery & Ross: Mid-Atlantic-rooted full-service firm with insurance defense and coverage capabilities. Overlaps GWD in target carrier clients and geographic footprint.
• Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith: National full-service firm with a substantial insurance defense practice group. Larger-scale incumbent serving many of the same insurance carrier clients as GWD.
• Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin: One of the largest U.S. insurance defense firms with hundreds of attorneys and broad geographic coverage. Represents the incumbent competitor GWD most directly competes with for carrier panel positions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gower, Wooten & Darnielle