| Time (Eastern) |
Program |
Room |
| 6:20 a.m. |
DRI for Life
Join your fellow attendees Thursday morning and get active before morning sessions start by participating in DRI for Life. We will meet downstairs in the lobby at 6:20 a.m. and walk to Central Park starting promptly at 6:30 a.m. Enjoy moving your body and sipping your morning coffee before heading back for top-notch education sessions. This is a great way to jump-start your day! |
|
| 7:00 a.m. |
Registration and Continental Breakfast |
Central Park East & West
|
| 7:00 a.m. |
First-Time Attendees Breakfast |
Riverside Suite |
| 8:00 a.m. |
Welcome and Introduction
Daniel W. Gerber, Gerber, Ciano, Kelly, Brady, LLP, Buffalo, NY
Melanie C. Lockett, Lowe, Stein, Hoffman, Allweiss & Hauver, LLP, New Orleans, LA |
Metropolitan Ballroom East Small
|
| 8:10 a.m. |
COVID Related Claims and Coverage Issues
While the world grappled with the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic, a wave of lawsuits hit courts across the country claiming that businesses devastated by shutdown orders were entitled to coverage for their income losses under a common provision found in most commercial property insurance policies. This session will address the manner in which these cases unfolded, the conflicting decisions that followed, and important lessons for insurance coverage litigators.
John B. Mumford, Jr., Hancock Daniel, Richmond, VA |
Metropolitan Ballroom East Small
|
| 9:05 a.m. |
Impact of Social Movements
Social Movements including #metoo #timesup #blacklivesmatter #lovewins, coupled with the recent landmark decision, Bostock v. Clayton County, ignited an increased awareness and spawned increased litigation of claims resulting from civil unrest and employment discrimination. This session will identify relevant policies, provisions, and exclusions and consider the effect on underwriting.
Atoyia Harris, Proskauer Rose, LLP, New Orleans, LA
Sarannah L. McMurtry, Acceptance Insurance, Nashville, TN
Elaine M. Pohl, Plunkett Cooney, PC, Bloomfield Hills, MI |
Metropolitan Ballroom East Small
|
| 10:00 a.m. |
Refreshment Break |
Central Park East & West |
| 10:15 a.m. |
Carrier v. Carrier Litigation - The Double-Edged Sword
Carriers are litigating subrogation and bad faith claims against other carriers when trigger and allocation issues are not amicably resolved. This session will focus on the issues giving rise to these conflicts, evaluate the risks of pursuing carrier v. carrier litigation, and explore potential alternatives.
Richard Cammett, Amtrust Financial Services, Inc., Ipswich, MA
William K. McVisk, Tressler, LLP, Chicago, IL |
Metropolitan Ballroom East Small
|
| 11:10 a.m. |
Diversity and Inclusion in the Insurance Industry - How are we Doing and Why it Matters...
Diversity and inclusion is a business imperative that drives innovation. Making it a top priority, creating opportunities and cultivating the right mindset is as important as ever. Recognizing the importance, insurance companies have learned in to implement diversity initiatives around the provision of legal services that incentivize employees and law firms for utilizing diverse legal talent and reprioritize relationships with those who do not. These initiatives further motivate law firms and the industry to attract diverse legal talent. Panelists will discuss how we are doing from the perspective of in-house counsel and law firm management, and how we can further advance these efforts. Encouraging interactive audience participation, panelists also will share their personal and professional stories to highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion and collaborate with audience participants around how we can all work together to further the goals of diversity and inclusion.
Melissa Lin, Righi Fitch Law Group, Phoenix, AZ
Ellen Fine, ProSight Global, Inc., Morristown, NJ
Floyd Holloway, State Farm, New York, NY
Gordon K. Walton, Walton Law Group, LLC, Chicago, IL |
Metropolitan Ballroom East Small
|
| 12:00 p.m. |
Lunch (On your own) |
|
| 1:20 p.m. |
Litigating the Bad Faith Failure to Settle Case
This session will provide practical tips on how to litigate bad faith failure to settle cases. It will also explore strategies to address privilege issues, difficult witnesses, and the critical need to memorialize advice to the insured about the extent of exposure.
Lee Murray Hall, Jenkins Fenstermaker, PLLC, Huntington, WV
Jeffrey Commisso, Sheppard Mullin, San Diego, CA |
Metropolitan Ballroom East Small
|
| 2:10 p.m. |
What is Privileged? An Examination of the Erosion of the Attorney-Client and Work-Product Privileges
Recent cases have challenged the discoverability of communications between coverage counsel and insurers. Policyholders and plaintiffs are pushing the boundaries of what is discoverable, which is particularly problematic when litigating bad faith claims. This session will help you understand the scope and utility of the privileges and how to preserve them for your clients.
Sean C. Griffin, Dykema Gossett, PLLC, Washington, D.C. |
Metropolitan Ballroom East Small
|
| 3:00 p.m. |
Refreshment Break |
Central Park East & West |
| 3:15 p.m. |
Appraisal & Loss Settlement/Assignments
Appraisal and loss settlement/assignments are not always appropriate and are often used and abused. This session will take a closer look at what can and cannot be resolved and provide insight into the insurer's rights when an appraisal award is issued.
Christopher W. Martin, Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom, Houston, TX
J. Mayer, Network Adjusters, Inc., Englewood, CO
|
Metropolitan Ballroom East Small
|
| 4:05 p.m. |
Strategies for Navigating Covered and Non-Covered Claims While Avoiding Bad Faith Failure to Settle Exposure
We are often faced with matters involving both covered and non-covered claims, which render carriers vulnerable to bad faith failure to settle exposure. Learn how to navigate these scenarious with affirmative procedural tactics, including declaratory judgments and interventions.
Charles A. Lynch, CapSpecialty, Hartford, CT
Joanna Roberto, Gerber, Ciano, Kelly, Brady, LLP, Buffalo, NY |
Metropolitan Ballroom East Small
|
| 5:00 p.m. |
Insurance Law Committee Meeting (Open to all) |
Metropolitan Ballroom East Small
|
| 6:00 p.m. |
Networking Reception |
Central Park East & West |
| 7:30 p.m. |
Dine-Arounds
Enjoy the holiday season in New York City and reconnect with your DRI friends at local Dine-Arounds after the networking reception. Sign-up for local Dine-Arounds. |
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