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Hanna & Plaut: 25-Plus Years Defending Insurers, One Case at a Time

David Plaut has litigated insurance bad-faith defense cases for more than 25 years, and it shows in his written output: lectures and articles specifically on the duty to defend, residential foundation claims, and how to avoid summary judgment in bad-faith litigation — the kind of narrow, technical publishing record that comes from actually litigating these issues repeatedly rather than practicing insurance law generally.

Representation Disclosure

Hanna & Plaut represents insurance companies exclusively in coverage and bad-faith disputes — this is a defense-side firm, not a mixed-representation practice. The firm’s own materials describe an “extensive ‘bad faith’ litigation docket representing insurers” across personal and commercial lines, and its partners have “represented insurance carriers in first-party bad faith cases for over 25 years each.” Awesome Attorneys discloses this defense-side focus explicitly, consistent with its standard practice of naming representation posture in every Business & Corporate Litigation profile.

Origin and Background

Hanna & Plaut, L.L.P. was formed in February 1998 and is based in Austin. Co-founder David L. Plaut focuses his practice exclusively on insurance company defense, representing insurers in bad faith, coverage disputes, and related matters at both trial and appellate levels, along with personal injury defense, trucking litigation, and general commercial litigation. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Western, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of Texas and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Catherine L. Hanna, the firm’s other named partner, was named to the 2016 Texas Super Lawyers list alongside Plaut. The firm holds Martindale-Hubbell’s AV rating and is recommended by Best’s Directory of Insurance Attorneys, and currently has six attorneys holding Super Lawyers or Rising Stars selections.

Practice Concentration

The firm’s primary focus is insurance coverage and bad-faith litigation, along with workers’ compensation defense, general commercial litigation, and appellate practice in both state and federal courts throughout Texas, including the Texas Supreme Court and Fifth Circuit. The firm also provides insurance coverage opinions and in-house seminars for insurance company claims-handling professionals — a proactive, advisory service distinct from pure litigation defense. For a broader comparison of Austin litigation firms, see our Business & Corporate Litigation directory.

Notable Work / Track Record

As is typical for insurance defense litigation, case outcomes and settlements are frequently confidential, and Awesome Attorneys did not identify a published table of verdict figures for this firm. Awesome Attorneys is disclosing that gap rather than substituting marketing language for it. What is independently verifiable is sustained, specific expertise: David Plaut’s published lectures and articles on narrow, technical bad-faith litigation topics (avoiding summary judgment in bad-faith cases, the duty to defend, residential foundation claims) reflect genuine subject-matter depth built over more than two decades of focused practice.

Client Voice

One peer review on the firm’s Martindale profile specifically praised David Plaut: “He is outstanding. One of the best insurance lawyers in Texas.” Awesome Attorneys notes the firm’s Martindale profile states directly that “this firm’s attorneys do not have client reviews,” which is typical for a defense-side firm whose clients are insurance companies rather than individual consumers who post consumer reviews; Awesome Attorneys is disclosing that directly rather than presenting an incomplete review picture as comprehensive.

Beyond the Courtroom

The firm’s practice of providing in-house seminars to insurance company claims-handling staff reflects a preventive, educational dimension to its work — helping insurer clients avoid bad-faith exposure before it becomes a litigated dispute, rather than only responding after a claim has already been filed.

Recognition for This Austin Business Litigation Firm

Peer-reviewed and third-party credentials: Martindale-Hubbell’s AV rating and “Distinguished” peer-review rating; recommendation by Best’s Directory of Insurance Attorneys, an industry-specific credentialing directory; and six attorneys currently holding Super Lawyers or Rising Stars selections. Awesome Attorneys did not identify Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification documented for the firm’s named partners and notes that directly, since the firm’s insurance-industry-specific recognition (Best’s Directory) and peer ratings are independently substantial regardless.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Insurance bad-faith litigation in Texas — this firm’s core focus — operates under both the Texas Insurance Code’s prompt payment and unfair claims settlement practices provisions and common-law bad-faith doctrine established in cases like State Farm v. Simmons, which held that insurers act in bad faith when they deny or delay payment where liability is reasonably clear. Insurers generally must acknowledge a claim within 15 days, accept or deny it within 15 business days of receiving all necessary materials, and pay approved claims within 5 business days, under Texas Insurance Code §§ 542.055–542.057 — specific statutory deadlines that frequently become central issues in the coverage litigation this firm defends. None of this is legal advice; a specific insurance coverage or bad-faith matter should be evaluated by a licensed attorney based on the actual policy and claim facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Hanna & Plaut’s clearest, most specific differentiator is deep, narrow subject-matter expertise in insurance bad-faith defense — more than 25 years of focused practice per named partner, reflected in genuinely technical published legal writing rather than general commercial litigation marketing — combined with industry-specific recognition from Best’s Directory of Insurance Attorneys. The honest trade-off, disclosed directly above, is that this is a defense-side-only firm representing insurance companies exclusively, which means it is not an option for a policyholder pursuing a bad-faith claim against an insurer, and its client-facing review record is thin, consistent with an institutional insurer client base rather than individual consumers. For an insurance company or corporate policyholder facing coverage or bad-faith litigation as a defendant, this firm’s specific, decades-deep specialization is a strong basis for a shortlist.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from Hanna & Plaut, L.L.P.’s official website (hannaplaut.com), David Plaut’s Super Lawyers profile, the firm’s Martindale-Hubbell, Lawyers.com, and LawInfo profiles, and its listing with Best’s Directory of Insurance Attorneys via AM Best. The peer review quote is reproduced from a publicly posted, attributed Martindale-Hubbell review.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Hanna & Plaut, L.L.P. or its attorneys prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.