Expertise
Skilled in coverage analysis, particularly for "claims made" Professional Liability, Directors & Officers (D&O) and related insurance products. Also experienced in policy and application design, insurance program structure, reinsurance and marketing to insurers, including underwriters located outside the US, principally in Europe.
Professional Liability Insurance:
Broker and consultant since 1985 with major focus on attorneys, accountants and dentists, including formation, marketing, management and underwriting services for group captive insurers. Underwriter and ultimately underwriting manager from 1973 to 1985 for many professions, principally attorneys, architects, engineers and insurance agents.
Directors & Officers Liability Insurance:
Broad experience as underwriter and broker for full range of clients, emphasizing publicly-traded corporations, including those undergoing an initial public offering as well as those in bankruptcy proceedings.
Related Coverages:
Underwriter and broker for Employment Practices Liability (EPL), Fiduciary/Trustees Liability, Crime (including employee dishonesty, kidnap & ransom).
Litigation Experience
Fact witness in coverage litigation, including several cases involving the meaning of manuscript policy language for products and umbrella liability insurance. One denial of coverage case involving Professional Liability for an engineering firm required multiple depositions over several years before resolving during trial.
Consulting and Brokerage Experience
August 1990 to October 2009 - Marsh Risk & Insurance Services, San Francisco
Senior Vice President, responsible primarily for advising and placing professional liability and related coverages for a group of large national and international law firms as well as for the highly-reputed captive insurer owned by the firms. Advised and placed Directors & Officers, errors & omissions and related insurance for many large publicly-traded corporations and for a wide variety of other organizations.
While with predecessor firm Johnson & Higgins from 1990 to 1997, advised a dental association-sponsored captive insurer that J&H helped form, in addition to the brokerage and consulting roles described above.
March 1985 to August 1990 - Sedgwick James, San Francisco
Vice President responsible primarily for leading the brokerage teams that helped form and provide underwriting and marketing services for Professional Liability captive insurers, one for CPA's in California and another for law firms initially in more than a dozen states, with sponsorship by bar associations in those states. Additionally, provided advisory and insurance placement services to wide range of corporate and professional clients, primarily for Directors & Officers and related coverages. Also administered a specific excess workers compensation program offered to Sedgwick clients nationally.
Underwriting Experience
1973 to 1985 - L.W. Biegler Inc., San Francisco
Underwriter and, beginning in 1976, Resident Vice President for West Coast office of surplus lines insurer and wholesale brokerage company owned by Crum & Forster, principally underwriting Directors & Officers for corporations of all sizes and Professional Liability, heavily focused on law, engineering and insurance brokerage. Also underwriter for broad range of difficult-to-place property, umbrella liability, excess workers compensation, environmental impairment and other specialty coverages.
1970 to 1973 - Continental Ins. Co., New York and Puerto Rico
Following training in San Francisco, became property and casualty underwriter with international division of Continental Ins. Co. in New York. Ultimately became field agent in San Juan, Puerto Rico, responsible for helping Continental's general agents throughout the Caribbean place property and casualty insurance for wide range of business enterprises, primarily manufacturing companies.
Military Experience
1968 to 1970 - Officer, US Army, including service in Vietnam
Professional Affiliations
Professional Liability Underwriting Society
California Fire and Casualty Broker-Agent, License No. 0703149 expired
Society of Insurance Brokers - past president
State Bar of California, License No. 76138 (inactive)
Olympic Club's Insurance Committee 2001-2003
Education
BA degree from Santa Clara University, 1966
MS degree from Georgetown University, 1968
JD degree from University of San Francisco, 1977
RPLU designation from Professional Liability Underwriting Society, 2001