Douglas M. McIntosh

Career & Expert Practice

Douglas McIntosh currently serves as a consulting and testifying expert in Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith litigation across multiple jurisdictions. After a distinguished career as a civil trial attorney with over 100 trials and 1,000 mediations on behalf of clients in a wide variety of practice areas, he founded Douglas M. McIntosh LLC in 2024 — dedicated strictly to expert witness work for litigants on both sides of insurance litigation disputes.

Prior to founding his LLC, Doug co-chaired the Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith practice group at one of Florida's leading defense firms. Before that, he was the founder of McIntosh, Sawran & Cartaya in Fort Lauderdale, which under his leadership became one of the premier boutique defense trial practices in the state. His steady, focused approach has saved clients millions of dollars and his record includes countless defense verdicts, appellate reversals and affirmances, and more than 1,000 successfully mediated disputes.

Expert Testimony

Doug has been qualified and has testified live as an authority in bad faith litigation, insurance coverage, and attorney fee disputes in state and federal courts in Florida and elsewhere. He is retained by both carriers and policyholders, providing objective and well-reasoned opinions on insurer conduct, claim handling standards, and coverage obligations.

He provides creative solutions to complex legal issues, particularly in situations involving catastrophic casualty events, significant towers of insurance coverage, and multi-party disputes with tight deadlines. Clients rely on Doug for innovative and effective analysis managing difficult liability and damages claims, especially when coupled with limited time to act.

Honors & Recognition

Over his 44-year career, Doug has received multiple honors recognizing both his legal excellence and his commitment to his profession and alma mater. In 2024, he was voted Alumni of the Year at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, in recognition of his volunteer work and leadership on various boards at his alma mater — the same institution where he earned his J.D. and now teaches.

He is the recipient of the Thomas Segalla Service Award for his work with the American College of Coverage Counsel, where he holds the distinction of being an elected Fellow. He has served as Past President of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association (FDLA) and as a former elected National Director with DRI — The Voice of the Defense Bar, the national association of lawyers defending business.

Academic Appointment

Doug teaches a 3-credit hour course in Insurance Law as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Nova Southeastern University's Shepard Broad College of Law, where he earned his J.D. in 1981. His academic engagement keeps him at the forefront of developments in insurance law and reinforces the rigorous analytical standards he brings to every expert engagement.

Appellate Experience

Over the course of his career, Doug has argued appeals in each of Florida's five District Courts of Appeal, before the Florida Supreme Court, and in the Fifth and Eleventh U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal. This appellate depth provides invaluable perspective on how coverage and bad faith questions are framed and resolved at the highest levels of the judiciary.

Insurance Expertise

Doug is fluent with all forms of insurance contracts, including automobile liability, commercial general liability (CGL), directors and officers (D&O), professional liability, excess and umbrella insuring agreements. He has represented reinsurers and performed audits of facultative and other reinsurance treaties, giving him comprehensive command of the full spectrum of insurance relationships and obligations.

Personal

A native Floridian, Doug lives in Plantation, Florida, with his wife, adult children, and grandchildren. When not in the office or the courtroom, he is likely on the golf course, at a Panthers hockey game, or out on the water fishing.