119 - Seizing Opportunities in Claims
The Defense Never Rests
Do you seize new opportunities when they are presented to you? Some of us can be skeptical when we are faced with an opportunity that may be too good to be true. Others jump on it. Story time… When I was looking for jobs during law school I was set on being a transactional attorney. I did not want to do litigation or anything like it. Why? Who knows, transactional work just seemed “cool”. But when the market was dry and there was not a transactional job to be found, I took a position as a litigation associate. Fast forward to today…I frankly could not imagine NOT being a...
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118 - Insuring Fido: Pets Need Coverage Too!
The Defense Never Rests
What do you think is an emerging area of claims? If we said pet insurance, would that surprise you? Probably! Most of us grew up in a time where pet insurance probably did not even exist! And let’s face, if the family dog fell ill and it was going to cost a lot of money, that treatment was probably not going to happen. But times have changed. Nowadays that does not need to be the case. This week on the Defense Never Rests we are joined by Dylan Whitehead Director of Claims at Pumpkin and discuss how pets are not just pets, they are part of our family. So why shouldn’t they have proper...
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117 - Hot Topics in Comp
The Defense Never Rests
What trends are you seeing in your workers’ compensation claims? Are you seeing a rise in certain types of claims… Or maybe you are seeing a shift in how claimants seek treatment… Or just a rise (or fall) in claims in general? This week on the Defense Never Rests we return to our worker’s compensation series and are joined by Andrea Emmett to dive into what is trending in WC right now. Spoiler – there are a lot of trends! And they keep evolving. We probably could make this a 5 part series. If you work in comp claims, this is a must listen. Even if you do not work in comp...
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116 - Raising Cane's One Love Approach to Claims
The Defense Never Rests
Do you immerse yourself into your claims? I mean, do you REALLY know your insured’s business inside and out? This week on the Defense Never Rests we are joined by LaToya Lee who is the Director of Claims at Raising Canes and she talks about the value of understanding the business operations when defending claims. This is down to how to operate the cashier to frying the chickens. Think about it…It pays to know the ins and outs of the operation. To really understand how the day to day operations go is essential to assessing each claim. Not to mention, LaToya is a joy to speak with – her...
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115 - Challenges in Insurance Startups
The Defense Never Rests
Do you work for a start up insurance company? It seems these days there are A LOT of new insurance companies coming onto the market. Each with specific products and visions and new philosophies as to how to best serve their insureds. Very exciting times indeed. To be somewhere on the ground floor and help build the company, your team, the philosophy is invigorating. But this is not without challenges. Today on the Defense Never Rests we are joined by Corrie Hurm who can speak first hand of the challenges she’s faced while heading the claims department of a start up. Nothing short of...
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114 - Litigation is a Team Sport
The Defense Never Rests
What was the last team sport you played? Before you answer…if you are in claims I think it was more recent than you may think. In fact, it was probably today. Because claims is a team sport! We are not just working on silos on our own. No way. There is a team involved with every claim. This week on the Defense Never Rests we are joined by Corey Jeffers to discuss how claims are very much a team effort. We are working with outside counsel, the insured, experts…even opposing counsel. Sometimes the team works really well together. Other times, we are out of synch. But if your team...
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112 - "Moneyball" Approach to Defending Claims
The Defense Never Rests
What does what do you look for in your defense counsel? I am willing to bet lots of attorneys are waiting in the wings to find out the answers! Let’s face getting on (and STAYING ON) panel is a giant hurdle. The process can be overwhelming, daunting and discouraging. Not only do you need to find the right person, build a genuine relationship, submit an impressive proposal and get to the point of being accepted on panel… But once you are on panel it does not mean you will see cases. This week on the Defense Never Rests we are joined again by @Matthew Queen who has a lot...
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111 - The Art of Serving Clients
The Defense Never Rests
What personal attributes are most important when serving clients? I think trust is far up there. Think about it, if a client or insured trusts you they are going to listen to your advice. This is especially helpful before you are even faced with a lawsuit and you are working on risk prevention. This week on the Defense Never Rests, we are joined by Anthony Guzman who is on the broker side of claims and often works with clients to develop the best insurance package for their needs. That includes assessing potential risk and designing a policy that works for that particular business. But he...
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110 - Forensic Accounting, Guns, and Prince William: The Unlikeliest of Bedfellows
The Defense Never Rests
What do you think of when you hear the term “forensic accounting”? I am willing to venture a guess that your first word associations would not be fascination or excitement. However, during this episode of the Defense Never Rests with Howard Silverstone you will learn that the forensic accounting world is far from mundane! In fact, he has encountered both guns and Prince William and thankfully not at the same time! After having the opportunity to sit down and hear Howard’s experiences from a visit to Buckingham Palace to uncovering fraud within an organization, I found myself wanting to...
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109 - Tackling The Learning Curve of Claims
The Defense Never Rests
What were some of the lessons you learned early in your claims career? For our guest this week on The Defense Never Rests, Michael Benson, he shares that he learned early on that facts are not always the most important. Which can be a shocking discovery at first. In fact he admits it was one of his biggest failures putting so much stock into facts but not some of the extraneous information that had a significant impact. Interestingly, however, Michael sought out a career in claims after first being a claimant! Having been in that position he learned that he has a passion for working to solve...
info_outlineHow are the risks of a public entity different? Or maybe the better question to ask is: how does one approach a claim against a public entity differently? This week on the Defense Never Rests, we are joined by Eileen Fay, SVP and Head of Claims at Berkley Public Entity and we dive into the nuances of public entity claims. In some respects, they are not all that different from claims against private entities or individuals. However, when we are talking about claims against townships or police and fire departments there is certainly a distinct finesse that is necessary in defending that claim. What we also often forget, a lot of these entities are in small towns or departments where everyone knows everyone. For that reason, the counsel is VERY important. Eileen weighs in on the specific nuances she has seen with public entities but also dives into her path that brought her here. Even if these types of claims are foreign to you, you do not want to miss this dynamic discussion.