Registration Information
| |
Member Pricing |
Non-Member Pricing |
| Regular Registration* |
$1,395 |
$1,695 |
| Group Registration (Non-Sponsored)** |
$995/person |
$995/person |
| Government
|
Government members will receive the applicable government rate for the seminar upon login. If the government rate does not appear after logging in, please call DRI directly at (312) 795-1101 to receive the discounted rate. Invoices can be sent after purchase upon request. |
*If your membership recently lapsed, please renew your membership prior to registering to ensure you receive your discounted member rate. If you would like to join DRI to receive the member pricing and see the benefits of becoming a member, click here to go to the Application page.
**Group registration is for registering 4 or more attendees, members and non-members. There is one free registration with every 10 registrations. You must lock in the rate three weeks prior to the seminar. If you want to register for the group pricing, please send an email to rstiner@dri.org (online registration is not available for this offering).
Networking Events
Premier Networking Reception | AceBounce
Sponsored by: Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP, Messner Reeves LLP
Date: Thursday, March 9 from 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Pricing: Free when you register for the seminar (guest tickets $100 each, available at check-out)
Location: AceBounce, 230 N Clark St., Chicago, IL
Join the Medical Liability and Health Care Law & Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute to reconnect with your DRI friends at Chicago’s AceBounce, sponsored by Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP and Messner Reeves LLP. Less than a mile from the seminar hotel, bounce on over to enjoy light appetizers and adult beverages while showing off your paddle skills. AceBounce is the perfect spot for a night of laughter and fun around a table.
Agenda with Speakers
*Schedule and Speakers subject to change
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
| Time (Central) |
Program |
Room |
| 1:00 p.m. |
Registration Opens |
|
| 3:00 p.m. |
The Full Integration of Claims Legal and Risk Mitigation in an Insurance Company
Claims Legal organizations regularly serve as a resource for coverage advice and as a defender of the organization in coverage and bad faith litigation. By virtue of the breadth and variety of its day-to-day work, Claims legal attorneys have an unique perspective on the overall operation of insurance carriers for the mitigation of risk. This session will focus on these perspectives and provide insights into the opportunities for Claims Legal to improve both loss ratios as well as claim handling/processes.
Arnold D’Angelo, Zurich North America, Schaumburg, IL
Jeff Chen, Swiss Re America Holding Corporation, Armonk, NY
Katie Roh, Travelers, Hartford, CT
|
|
| 4:00 p.m. |
Medicare Secondary Payor Act - Evolving Trends and Impact on Insurance Claims
This session will review the basics of the MSP law and address how Medicare Secondary Payer affects the resolution of first party and third party insured claims. The presentation will address some of the “pain points” experienced by insurers and their policyholders in resolving claims, including the complex reporting and repayment requirements of the law. We will also cover some recent changes to the MSP law, including evolving statute of limitations decisions, implementation of the PAID Act, resolution of Medicare Advantage claims, and other related topics, all of which will assist all counsel to a case in timely resolving settlements, and answering questions about judgments and award.
David J. Farber, King & Spalding, Washington, D.C.
Amy E. Bilton, Nyhan Bambrick Kinzie & Lowry, P.C., Chicago, IL |
|
| 5:30 p.m. |
Jump Start Your Seminar Networking Experience
Whether you are a new member, non-member, seasoned attendee or in-house counsel, join committee leaders and your fellow attendees to learn how to make the most of your networking opportunities this week. |
|
| 6:00 p.m. |
Networking/Cocktail Hour
|
|
| 7:00 p.m. |
Dine-Arounds
Join colleagues and friends at selected restaurants for dinner (on your own).
Sign up and select your dine-arounds.
|
|
Thursday, March 9, 2023
| Time (Central) |
Program |
Room |
| 7:00 a.m. |
DRI for Life – Scenic 5K Run Through Millennium Park and Grant Park
Join us for a beautiful scenic run from the hotel though Chicago’s Millennium Pack and Grant Park. This 5K run is a treat to run along the miles of allées of trees and paths, and provides a pastoral break from the elements along the Lakefront Trail. Other scenic highlights include the Buckingham Fountain and numerous outdoor sculptures and monuments. We will meet in the hotel lobby at 7:00 a.m. |
|
| 8:00 a.m. |
Registration and Coffee Service |
|
| 8:30 a.m. |
Coffee & Conversations
The early bird gets the most out of this networking session. Get to know the early risers in the group over a cup of coffee. Rise, shine, caffeinate and connect. |
|
| 9:00 a.m. |
Welcome and Introductions
Daniel W. Gerber, Gerber Ciano Kelly Brady LLP, Buffalo, NY
Jamie L. Hull, CNA, Chicago, IL |
|
| 9:15 a.m. |
The Impact of Nuclear Verdicts and Social Inflation on the Insurance Industry
Nuclear verdicts (typically defined as $10M and above) are on the rise. The impact to primary and excess insurers as well as the corporate defendants involved is significant. This presentation will review noteworthy nuclear verdicts and the lessons learned from debriefing those cases. This includes proactive defense strategies to recognize, respond to and neutralize the evolving plaintiff tactics, how the defense bar can help with advocacy efforts to level the playing field as to jurisdictional laws on liability and damages, and generally how the defense bar needs to better share information, similar to the plaintiff’s bar.
Allen Kirsh, Zurich North America, Schaumburg, IL
Stef Zielezienski, American Property Casualty Insurance Association, Chicago, IL
Heather Snider-Levinsky, Segal McCambridge, Chicago, IL |
|
| 10:15 a.m. |
Coffee Break |
|
| 10:30 a.m. |
Insurer’s Exposure to Excessive Property Appraisal Awards
This program will focus on the rapidly expanding and evolving area of appraisal under property insurance policies, including policy language, recent case law developments, appraisal protocol agreements, practical experience from the trenches, and various litigation issues arising with greater frequency, including vacatur of run-away awards and litigation remedies to consider in the face of unjust or corrupt awards.
Terence Ridley, Spencer Fane LLP, Denver, CO
Michael Nicholson, J.S. Held, New York, NY
|
|
| 11:30 a.m. |
Excess/Primary Bad Faith Claims and Time Limit Demands
"Pay by tomorrow, or else…" The time-limited demand is a familiar tactic used to pressure insurers to either settle claims or face a bad faith claim. This presentation will explore how courts treat such attempts to “set up” insurers for bad faith and discuss how insurers can evaluate and respond to time-limited demands. The presentation will also consider specifically how bad faith claims can arise in the context of claims by excess insurers against a primary insurer, including the ability to bring such claims pursuant to equitable subrogation or as a direct claim.
Shari L. Klevens, Dentons, Washington, D.C. |
|
| 12:30 p.m. |
Networking Lunch (included in registration)
Join the Medical Liability and Health Care Law & Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute seminar attendees for lunch and networking opportunities that are second to none. |
|
| 2:00 p.m. |
E-Discovery in Insurance Coverage Litigation
Including e-discovery considerations as part of a proactive litigation and discovery strategy in coverage matters increases your chances of a successful result and reduces the risk of sidetracking the resolution on the merits with protracted disputes on discovery issues. Discovery in coverage litigation often requires identification and production of electronic records, including claims files, communications, and other information that is often stored in proprietary or complex systems. Counsel for insureds are involving technical experts in some matters and expanding their requests to seek information about systems and processes used by insurance companies to handle claims. Affirmative discovery from insureds can also be an opportunity to gather information from insureds needed to achieve a successful result and identify deficiencies in their claims. This session will focus on practical tips for coverage litigators to consider to proactively plan for e-discovery and to prevail in common e-discovery disputes including defending against discovery into your systems and processes, proactively addressing scope and burden issues, and using e-discovery affirmatively to help develop the facts you need to be successful on the merits of your coverage matters.
Alison A. Grounds, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, Atlanta, GA
|
|
| 3:00 p.m. |
Insurance Law Committee Business Meeting (open to all)
|
|
| 3:30 p.m. |
Small Group Networking Opportunities
Sign up for one of these options and start building your connections and developing relationships!
For more details, click on the "Networking Opportunities" tab below.
|
|
| 6:00 p.m. |
Premier Networking Reception | AceBounce
Sponsored by: Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP, Messner Reeves LLP
Click here for more details. |
|
| 8:00 p.m. |
Dine-Arounds
Join colleagues and friends at selected restaurants for dinner (on your own).
Sign up and select your dine-arounds.
|
|
Friday, March 10, 2023
| Time (Central) |
Program |
Room |
| 8:00 a.m. |
Registration and Coffee Service |
|
| 9:00 a.m. |
Welcome and Announcements
Matthew J. Lavisky, Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP, Tampa, FL
|
|
| 9:10 a.m. |
BREAKOUTS: Skills Based and Emerging Issues in the Insurance Industry
For more details, click on "Skills Based and Emerging Issues in the Insurance Industry Breakouts (Wednesday)" tab.
|
|
| 11:30 a.m. |
How Broadway Can Help You Become a More Ethical Coverage Counsel
Whether its addressing claims involving difficult insureds and their representatives, working with consultants and experts, or addressing intercompany pressures, outside and in-house coverage counsel routinely confront a myriad of ethical challenges. This presentation will explore real-life scenarios, case law, and ethical claims handling practices while incorporating appropriate ethical guidance from successful theatrical productions.
Larry D. Mason, Goldberg Segalla, Chicago, IL |
|
| 12:30 p.m. |
Adjourn |
|
Skills Based and Emerging Issues in the Insurance Industry (Friday 9:10–11:30 a.m.)
Skills Based (Breakout 1)
| Time (Central) |
Program |
Room |
| 9:10 a.m. |
Bad Faith Voir Dire is Here
This panel of experienced trial counsel will discuss how a voir dire in a bad faith case differs from one in an underlying case, and the reasons. We will discuss various voir dire techniques, objectives, and strategy considerations combining legal and psychological techniques and perspectives. This session will also include a discussion on how the strategy of defending an insurance company on trial includes a methodology which mitigates juror bias in order to extract specific information from jurors regarding perceptions of the claims handling process.
Shari Belitz, Shari Belitz Communications, New York, NY
Ronald S. Safer, Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP, Chicago, IL |
|
| 10:10 a.m. |
Coffee Break |
|
| 10:30 a.m. |
Retaining and Working with Experts in Insurance Coverage Disputes
Engaging consulting and testifying experts can help lawyers prevail in coverage disputes – including the typical experts on the custom and practice of claims handling. This program will address finding, vetting, engaging, and working with a wide variety of experts, including those with expertise in the sciences, trades, accounting, etc., to resolve coverage disputes effectively.
Michael Menapace, Wiggin & Dana, Hartford, CT
Rick Hammond, Insurance Claims and Litigation Consultants LLC, Lisle, IL |
|
Emerging Issues in the Insurance Industry (Breakout 2)
| Time (Central) |
Program |
Room |
| 9:10 a.m. |
The Impact and Risks of Artificial Intelligence on the Future of Insurance
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have changed the way much of the world operates, and insurance is no exception. Generative AI, which creates and generates content (think computer-generated images) demands greater understanding and awareness from the insurance community. Third-party data services and analytical models are using AI throughout different parts of the insurance life cycle. The ethical implications of artificial intelligence have yet to be explored, and regulators likely will not save us. This panel will share the success and failures of AI and machine learning, and provide a path forward for the insurance industry.
Sean C. Griffin, Dykema, Washington, D.C.
Rob Golden, Great American Insurance Company, Cincinnati, OH |
|
| 10:10 a.m. |
Coffee Break |
|
| 10:30 a.m. |
Issues that are Keeping Insurance Regulators Up at Night!
Amy Mass, Hanover Insurance Group, Howell, MI
Grace Arnold, Minnesota Department of Commerce, St. Paul, MN
Christopher R. Nicolopoulos, Commissioner of the State of New Hampshire Insurance Department, Concord, NH
Nathan Houdek, Commissioner of Insurance of the Wisconsin Office, Madison, WI |
|
Networking Opportunities
Dine-Arounds
Date: Wednesday, March 8–Thursday, March 9
Location: See RSVP link for restaurants and times.
Join colleagues and friends at selected restaurants for dinner (on your own).
RSVP for Dine-Arounds.
Gangsters and Ghosts Tour Outing
Date: Thursday, March 9 at 4:00 p.m. (3:45 p.m. meet up at registration desk)
Pricing: $30 with discount code N2FQ376W
Location: Gangsters and Ghosts Tour, 71 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL (on the corner of Wacker Drive and N. Wabash next to the Royal Sonesta Hotel)
Interested in exploring Chicago from the perspective of ghosts and gangsters? Want to really immerse yourself in the history of this great American city, right from the locations that started it all? You can get the best of BOTH worlds with this 2 in 1, history-based guided tour of Chicago’s gangsters and ghost stories, right from the famous Chicago Loop Vice District! The tour is about a 5 minute walk from the seminar hotel and lasts 2 hours with a 20 minute break at the Palmer House Hotel.
Click here to purchase a ticket for the 4 p.m. tour on March 9. Use promo code N2FQ376W to get $5 off per ticket. For any questions, please contact Rosa Tumialan.
Headquarters Hotel Information
A limited number of discounted hotel rooms have been made available at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, 200 North Columbus Drive, Chicago, IL 60601. Take advantage of the group rate of $159.00 Single/Double in one of two ways:
The hotel block is limited and rooms and rates are available on a first-come, first-served basis. You must make reservations by February 7, 2023, to be eligible for the hotel’s group rate. Requests for reservations made after February 7, 2023, are subject to room and rate availability.
CLE and CE Information
Earn up to 9.00 hours of continuing legal education hours (CLE), including one (1) hour of ethics from this seminar.
Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute CLE by State
Earn up to 8.00 hours of continuing education (CE) claim adjusters' credit in Texas from this seminar.
Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute CE Details
DRI's Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute is proudly sponsored by:
Thank you to our Official Supporter: TBD
If you would like to contact DRI about seminar sponsorship opportunities, including pricing, or to reserve a spot, please go to Advertising and Sponsorship.
DRI Cares
Open Books
DRI Cares and the Insurance Law Committee is proud to work with Open Books at this year’s seminar. Open Books provides literacy experiences for tens of thousands of readers each year through inspiring programs and the sale of donated books.
This year’s project will be a virtual book drive – Gift of Books – that will provide high-quality and culturally-relevant books to amplify the importance of literacy and reading across Chicago. Through the Gift of Books program, The Open Books team is able to curate classroom and whole-school libraries with books that better reflect the communities they partner with so that all readers can see themselves and their cultures in the stories they read. As youth read and discuss books with more representative characters, research shows that they are more likely to see increased academic achievement and reader engagement.
There are two ways to participate in the book drive: (1) select specific titles you would like to donate; or (2) make a general donation ($3/book) and Open Books will order popular titles that Chicago youth will love.
Donate Online
On-Demand
NEW in 2023 – Four Additional On-Demand Programs Included With Every Seminar!
CLE Credit will be sought from every state requiring CLE hours in elimination of bias/diversity and inclusion, ethics, substance abuse/mental health, and law practice management. The CLE grid will provide updated information concerning hours that have been approved by each jurisdiction and for which credits. For states not requiring these special credits, general education credits will be sought. Access to these on-demand programs will expire 30 days after the seminar ends.
View On-Demand Library
Diversity/Elimination of Bias in the Profession
Invisible or Mixed-Visible Diversity – Combatting Bias
Often diversity programs and initiatives are focused on visible traits such as gender or race, but bias exists related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and some disabilities that are not readily visible to the eye. This panel will discuss how to address these biases and to create an environment where those with invisible or mixed-visible diversity can operate at the highest level.
Stacy Douglas, Everett Dorey LLP, Irvine, CA
Gary Howard, Bradley, Birmingham, AL
Ronna Kinsella, Glassman Wyatt Tuttle & Cox PC, Memphis, TN
Law Practice Management Credit
Succession Planning: Failing to Plan Is a Plan to Fail
Succession planning is considered one of the most pressing issues facing not only law firms but also clients. Senior partners are working into their golden years and can sometimes be reluctant to engage in a succession plan, but clients want to know that there is a plan for the transition of their work without interruption. Join us to learn:
- the importance of succession planning for the benefit both the law firm and its clients;
- how succession planning impacts retention and continuity of the firm and client relationships;
- how to approach the subject with senior attorneys; and
- strategies for implementing a successful succession plan.
Marie E. Chafe, Conn Kavanaugh, Boston, MA
Matthew Cairns, Textron Inc., Providence, RI
Elizabeth M. Brotten, Foley & Mansfield PLLP, Minneapolis, MN
Meade Hartfield, Bradley Arant, Birmingham, AL
Ethics
Technology, Ethics & Remote Work: What You Need to Know Now
The Rules of Professional Conduct regarding competence and diligence require all lawyers to keep abreast of changes in technology. This webinar will provide you with tips and information on new issues related to technology and the practice of law, including the challenges of the remote work environment. You will learn the ethics and professionalism considerations when using technology in your practice and your ethical duties when it comes to “keeping abreast of changes” in technology.
Amber Garcia, Deutsch Kerrigan LLP, New Orleans, LA
Alyssa Johnson, Barron & Newberger PC, Milwaukee, WI
Clare Roubion, Louisiana Legal Ethics, LLC, Lafayette, LA
Mental Health & Attorney Wellness
Lessons for Lawyers from the Science of Well-Being
This presentation will focus on the practical steps that we can take as individuals to improve well-being, drawing on recent research from cognitive science and beginning with the preface that happiness can be learned and applied. Specifically, we will provide an evidence-based arsenal of practical tools that lawyers can apply in their own lives to improve their well-being.
Emma Ross, Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum, Chicago, IL
Shayna Cook, Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum, Chicago, IL