This comprehensive Understanding treatise can be used as the primary course text or as a supplement to any insurance law casebook. Understanding Insurance Law is designed to make the substance of insurance law accessible to students and general practitioners who are unfamiliar with the subject. Prior editions of the book have been widely cited as authoritative by federal and state courts.

The premise of this book's organization is that insurance law is best understood if its legal principles are arranged according to the various stages in the life of a contract. Part A considers the question, "What is insurance law?" Part B considers issues germane to the establishment of the contractual relationship between insurer and insured. Part C considers issues relevant to the performance of contractual obligations. In particular, this Part treats issues related to claim presentation in all lines of coverage and liability insurers' duties in a comprehensive fashion unmatched in any other single-volume treatise. Finally, Part D examines topics that defy easy categorization, including special problems in group insurance, special issues in automobile insurance, issues in reinsurance, and a chapter on excess and umbrella coverage.