Randall (Randy) West has over 25 years of experience focusing on first and third party complex claims, litigation management and coverage issues from both the perspective of an insurer as well an attorney in private practice (both defense and plaintiff). In his current position as Claims Director with AmRisc, LLC (A Managing General Underwriter for commercial property risks) he is responsible for the oversight of all claims activities and outcomes surrounding AmRisc client American Coastal Insurance Company.He is admitted to practice before the state court of Colorado and the United States District Court, District of Colorado. He has been a member of CLM since its’ founding year in 2007 and has served as a state chair for Colorado and on the Organizations first education committee. He currently serves as a member on a number of CLM committees.  He is also a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.

Ms. Dagner practices primarily in the areaof civil litigation. Her practice currentlyemphasizes complex personal injury,premises liability, construction defect,product liability and insurance bad faith.She also provides evaluations and legalopinions regarding insurance coverage anddefense obligations under all varieties ofinsurance policies.Ms. Dagner writes, publishes and lectures through Grund, Dagner & Jung, P.C., as well asthrough various continuing legal education programs, providing comprehensive reviews ofvarious subjects pertinent to the law in Colorado. Seminar presentations in these areas have beenaccredited for continuing legal and claims education in Colorado and by the State of Wyoming.

Jessica C. Smythe is a Medicare Secondary Payer compliance consultant with ISO Claims Partners. Prior to joining ISO Claims Partners, Jessica was a workers’ compensation defense attorney.

Jessica is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer on the subject of Medicare compliance, including the impact of Medicare compliance on claim handling and litigation management. She also writes a bimonthly column, “Medicare Matters,” for Claims Management Magazine and was awarded the designation of CLMP (Certified Litigation Management Professional) in October 2012. Jessica also holds the designation of CMSP (Certified Medicare Secondary Payer Act Professional). 

Jessica is a graduate of Meredith College and the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, Campbell University. She is an inductee to the Order of the Barristers and is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the Wake County Bar Association, the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) and the National Association of Medicare Set Aside Professionals (NAMSAP).

Mr. Francis is an insurance professional with nearly 20 years of experience in practically every aspect of the insurance industry, including Management, Claims, Fraud, Litigation, Sales and Marketing, Compliance, and Legislation and Regulation. Mr. Francis began his insurance career working for an independent adjusting firm handling large commercial losses primarily along the Gulf Coast for Lloyds of London and other major multi-national insurance syndicates. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Francis held several management positions within Allstate in both the Claim Department and the Regional Office Marketing and Sales Support Department as the Customer Retention Manager. After managing litigation in Claim and Fraud units for over a decade, Mr. Francis earned his Juris Doctor attending the University Of Denver Sturm College Of Law in 2008. Upon becoming a member of the Colorado Bar, Mr. Francis worked as an Associate Attorney in the Office of Regional Counsel where his work focused on Regulatory Compliance, Election and Campaign Finance Law, and Legislative Process and Reform to benefit the Insurance Industry. Mr. Francis then accepted a position as a Claim Litigation Attorney in the Denver, Colorado Staff Counsel Office where he defended policy holders for Allstate and Encompass Insurance Companies. In addition to offering his services as an Expert in all aspects of Insurance and “Bad Faith,” Mr. Francis is a skilled litigation attorney. He has crafting all types of trial motions and discovery, taken and defended countless depositions, and is a formidable negotiator who has successfully resolved thousands of contested claims and law suits over his career. Mr. Francis is a seasoned trial attorney with a winning trial record handling both bench and jury trials throughout Colorado State Courts. Mr. Francis currently manages Claim Litigation and coordinates and drafts Coverage Opinions for a nine-state region for Allstate.

Michael Alper focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation with particular emphasis on insurance disputes and consumer class actions.  He has represented clients in connection with a broad range of insurance and consumer matters including:

Represented an insurance company in a putative class action lawsuit seeking reformation of all of the client's Colorado automobile insurance policies to provide unlimited lifetime medical and wage-loss payments to all insureds who ever made a claim for no-fault benefits.  After defeating the plaintiffs' attempt to certify a class, the WTO legal team settled the remaining individual claims very favorably. Represented insurance companies in numerous lawsuits alleging bad faith breach of the insurance contract, including cases involving catastrophic injuries. Represented reinsureds and reinsurers in reinsurance disputes. Represented commercial landlords and tenants in lease disputes, including the prosecution of actions to terminate leases and the defense of a lawsuit for alleged damage to a large industrial recycling facility. Defended consumer lawsuits under California Business and Professions Code § 17200, including cases involving allegations that a title insurance company allegedly retained "secret interest" on escrow deposits, failed to escheat unclaimed property to the state, and charged customers for services it did not perform or which cost far less than the amount charged. Represented a major oil and gas company in a wrongful death lawsuit arising from an accident occurring on an oil rig owned by the company.