Workers’ Comp and Opioid Claims
Workers’ compensation defense attorneys are working closely with employers to deal with the impact of the opioid epidemic on the workplace. Claims managers and workers’ comp panel counsel members consider opioid use to be a high priority for 2018. More...
EPLI Claims Avoided by Mandatory Arbitration Clauses
A mandatory arbitration clause in a Waffle House employment contract prevented a New Orleans employee from pursuing claims against her employer for discrimination and harassment, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article. The employee’s contract prevented her from filing...
AIG to Acquire Validus
AIG plans to acquire Validus in a $5.56 billion transaction. AIG foresees benefits from an expanded reinsurance platform, a significant presence in the Lloyd’s market, as well as market share in the U.S. crop and excess and surplus (E&S) markets....
10 Steps to 2018 Legal Marketing Success
Here are 10 steps to help a managing partner or practice area chair connect with litigation panel managers at insurance companies and self-insured entities in 2018. Legal marketing for insurance defense law firms is a process, not an event. Slow...
General Counsel Seek Innovative Solutions
Law firms should be more proactive in pitching for work, according to corporate general counsel interviewed for an October 30, 2017 article in The American Lawyer. GCs would like to see their outside law firms show more initiative when it...
Hurricane Irma Claims as of October 20
Policyholders have filed a total of 772,934 Hurricane Irma claims as of October 20, six weeks after the storm left millions in the Sunshine State with a major clean-up and restoration effort. Areas such as the Florida Keys, where the...
Trucking Panel Counsel Campaigns
Motor carriers, shippers, and logistics companies often maintain a self-insured retention (SIR) program to cover a certain level of losses prior to coverage by a primary or excess insurance policy. Many of these self-insured entities maintain their own panel counsel...
AIG Panel Counsel Impact of CEO Change
AIG is under new leadership following Brian Duperreault’s appointment as president, CEO and director on May 14, 2017. Peter D. Hancock, who formerly held the positions, resigned concurrently. AIG panel counsel members will want to stay tuned to news from...
Meet Your Robotics Claims Adjuster
Zurich is testing robots to speed up claims processing, according to a Reuters news story. The global insurer is applying artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate personal injury claims, the bread and butter business for many Zurich panel counsel law firms....
Trucking Giants Knight & Swift to Merge
Knight Transportation, Inc. and Swift Transportation Company plan to merge, according to an April 10 announcement by the two publicly held companies. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc., the name of the new entity, will represent the industry's largest full truckload company....
Restaurant Liability & Meal Delivery
Panera recently announced that it expects to add more than 10,000 new in-cafe and delivery driver jobs system-wide as it expands delivery service to 35-40 percent of its cafes by year end 2017. Panera is hiring its own drivers in...
Distractions Drive Auto Claims Up
Auto accidents and claims costs are on the rise and insurer profits are feeling the pressure, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article titled, “Smartphone Use Lifts Car Insurance Rates.” Insurance defense law firms that serve as auto panel...