Schedule/Sessions

SESSION 1 - "Customer and Clients" Staff Counsel Relationship

• Speakers:

• Andrew Drayer, MAPFRE USA

• Suzanne Gryb, MAPFRE USA

This session will focus on staff counsel’s relationship with policyholders, claim handlers and claim management. Reporting structures, expectations, roles, responsibilities and auditing will all be examined in the context of providing quality representation. The Claims perspective will also be included in this session.

Break

SESSION 2 - Proving Staff Counsel Value with Data

• Speakers:

• Thomas Clark, Selective Insurance Company of America

• Catherine Pomiecko, Liberty Mutual

While general liability policies require insurers to provide policyholders with a defense there is no requirement that they do so with staff counsel rather than panel counsel. This session will explain the data and metrics needed to consistently make a compelling case for the use of staff counsel. Various examples of reporting formats and data collection will be discussed.

Break

SESSION 3 - Handling Speciality Cases: Unraveling the Mystery

• Speakers:

• Anthony Andersen, Berkley Alliance Managers

• Joseph Carolan, CNA Insurance

• Brian Granstrand, CNA Insurance

Cases arising from “Specialty” lines of business have been perceived by some as unsuitable for staff counsel handling. In this session you will hear from staff counsel attorneys who are handling certain specialty line cases with success and to the satisfaction of both Claims and policyholders. There will be a review of the various types of specialty cases along with a discussion about which types are most suitable for staff counsel handling. The perspective of specialty claims handler will also be included in the presentation.

Lunch

SESSION 4 - Social Media

• Speakers:

• Judge John Braxton, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, County

• Denise Mandi, Selective Insurance Company of America

• Amber Racine, Raynes McCarthy

• Twanda Turner-Hawkins, Dematic Corporation

The use of social media in the defense of policyholders is becoming as common as its existence in everyday life. This session will focus on how social media is being used in the investigation, evaluation, discovery and trial stages of litigation. Particular emphasis will be placed on the use of information obtained from social networking sites including an analysis of the ethical boundaries that need to be respected by claims professionals and defense counsel.

Break

SESSION 5 - National Insurance Defense Staff Counsel Update and Discussion of Ethical Issues Impacting Staff Counsel

• Speakers:

• Thomas Clark, Selective Insurance Company of America

• Katherine Giddings, Akerman LLP

• Brian Granstrand, CNA Insurance

• John McGann, AXA XL

Industry experts will provide an update on pending challenges to staff counsel challenges that have arisen in bar proceedings, bad faith actions, employment related lawsuits and declaratory judgment actions.

The session will also focus on ethical issues in the tripartite relationship among insurers, insureds, and insurance defense attorneys, including issues unique to insurance defense staff counsel operations and interaction of attorneys with claims operations. Individual topics will include ethical issues associated with transitioning to the world of electronic documents; how to resolve conflicts of interest that arise during the course of representation including the proper disclosure of naming conventions for staff counsel operations; and protecting the attorney-client privilege in review of bills and audit of files. The session will highlight ways to avoid ethical minefields from the handling attorney’s perspective.

Break

SESSION 6 - Planning for the Future

• Speakers:

• Marillyn Damelio, Nationwide Insurance Company

• Toni Forge, Self Employed

This session will address the types of programs, initiatives and policies that need to be in place in order to recruit, train, retain and work alongside staff counsel attorneys from different generations. . Particular emphasis will be on the generational issues existing among Baby Boomers, Gen X-ers and Millennials.