PROFILE Insurance Defense Merits & Coverage Claims Litigation Management Bad Faith Litigation Jury & Bench Trials Settlement Negotiations Alternative Dispute Resolution Process Improvement & Training Accomplished attorney with twenty-three (23) years of experience focused on defense litigation matters. Skilled in handling all facets of the litigation process including jury trials, bench trials, and settlement negotiations in both state and federal courts. Scope of experience includes devising case strategy, managing discovery, drafting dispositive motions and briefs, conducting depositions, representing clients at hearings, mediations, and arbitrations, selecting expert witnesses, taking cases to trial, winning jury and bench trial verdicts, and negotiating favorable settlements. Scope of leadership includes litigation management, strategic partnerships and collaborations, electronic billing and budgeting, outside counsel management, and overall process improvement and training to increase efficiency. Able to look at legal issues from multiple angles, develop effective legal strategies, and resolve legal matters consistent with a client's strategic objectives.
Highlights:
Designed and implemented a process for negotiating firm rate increases that included the utilization of key metrics and an analysis of competitor rates to provide consistency across Acuity’s 26 state operating territory.
Collaborated with claims management in the design and development of presentations, procedures, and training programs on good-faith claims handling practices, low-velocity impact claims, and litigation management, providing ongoing counsel and guidance to enhance overall efficiency and results.
Partnered with the Workers’ Compensation division and a leading law firm to develop and implement a company-wide subrogation program across Acuity’s operating territories.
Created a process for reviewing and responding to subpoenas seeking claims files, underwriting files, and medical records, and a process for reviewing, evaluating, and negotiating firm rate increase requests.
Participated in the selection and evaluation of all potential legal counsels in states that Acuity added to its operating territories, including Nevada, Maine, Vermont and Texas.
Provided vision, strategic direction, and thought leadership in the handling of coverage and insurance disputes arising under both commercial and personal lines policies.
Advised the VP of Claims on litigation management matters, developed strategy together with lead counsels, and assisted outside counsels in the preparation of claims personnel for corporate witness depositions, and in providing documents to respond to corporate discovery requests in extra-contractual obligation claims, such as bad faith claims.
Led Acuity’s e-billing program, RFP process, and Preferred Attorney Network, evaluating and selecting electronic billing vendors and outside counsels that provided the best cost-containment opportunities, and prepared reports that included key metrics regarding attorney and firm performance to claims personnel.
Provided training to claims representatives on e-billing software, good faith claims handling, and litigation management, and served as a corporate witness on the same topics.
Served as the subject matter expert on applicable regulations and industry best practices, and provided technical and regulatory guidance to claims management and the VP of Claims in monthly reports outlining court decisions and legislative changes impacting the company in its various operating territories.
Supervised litigation in multiple states including Georgia, New Jersey, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky, providing legal strategy, legal defenses, case and statutory updates, and overall analysis to internal business partners on individual claims, policy language, and litigation management matters.
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