On Demand
Audio
Basics of Insurance Law
Produced on May 20, 2019
Course Information
Course Description
The insurance industry infiltrates nearly every aspect of our personal lives and, for some of us, it influences nearly every aspect of our law practice. There are scores of lawyers whose practices are entirely and directly focused on insurance (i.e. coverage lawyers), and even more whose practices are at least indirectly dependent on the existence of insurance (i.e. insurance defense lawyers and the plaintiffs’ lawyers who are hoping and praying that the defendants they’ve sued have insurance). This program is not for those lawyers.
This program will cover the very basics of insurance and insurance law for lawyers who are either just starting out, or starting to think that they should know a little more about insurance based on the direction their practices are heading. The presenters take nothing for granted, explaining what insurance actually is before providing an overview of key topics that will give the viewer some basic fluency in the issues that recur over and over again in cases about insurance, or cases where one of the parties’ insurance becomes an issue. The course reviews different types of insurance policies, common clauses and definitions, areas where disputes frequently arise, and discuss some of the major splits in the ways that different states address common disputes regarding insurance policies and their terms.
Learning Objectives:
- Provide a working understanding of what insurance is, why it exists, and the type of legal issues that arise
- Offer an understanding of different types of insurance policies (i.e. CGL, EPLI), and different variations of coverage (i.e. occurrence based, claims made)
- Discuss key issues including the duty to defend, the duty to indemnify, reservation of rights letters, and the tri-partite relationship between insurers, insureds, and insurance defense counsel
Credit Information
Faculty
Steven Zakrzewski
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP
Steve Zakrzewski is Senior Counsel in the firm’s Tort & Product Liability, Professional Liability Defense, Employment Law, and Insurance practice groups. He has litigated cases of all sizes and levels of complexity in Connecticut’s state and federal courts, and he regularly works with local counsel to handle cases outside of Connecticut.
He has a deep knowledge of the Connecticut Product Liability Act, as well as Connecticut’s procedural rules, representing clients in both state and federal court. Mr. Zakrzewski also defends mass tort claims, including asbestos cases and, more recently, litigation regarding opioid medications. Additionally, he coordinates nationwide litigation defense strategies for clients facing cases in multiple jurisdictions and on the federal multi-district litigation docket. This includes direction and management of dispositive motions, large e-discovery projects, deposition coordination, and settlement negotiations.
In professional liability cases, Mr. Zakrzewski represents condominium associations, real estate professionals, insurance professionals, and attorneys. His approach consistently produces positive outcomes for his clients, both in court and in mediation.
In the employment context, Mr. Zakrzewski consistently produces great results for clients facing discrimination claims under Title VII, the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act (CFEPA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as wage and hour claims. He has resolved cases pending in Superior Court, the District of Connecticut, and before the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. He has won cases by dispositive motions, and has also reached many settlements for nuisance value, or less.
Greil I. Roberts
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP
Greil Roberts is a Partner in the firm’s Insurance, Class Action, and Tort & Product Liability practice groups. He has litigated complex cases, appeals, arbitrations, and resolved numerous matters throughout the country.
His areas of expertise include the following:
Insurance Coverage
Greil Roberts handles complex insurance coverage litigation in state and federal courts. His insurance coverage experience includes evaluating and addressing disputes with policyholders and among insurers in many areas, including:
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Bad faith allegations
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Business Liability and Comprehensive General Liability
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Managerial, Healthcare, and Professional Liability
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Venture capital / Private equity coverage
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Primary and excess exhaustion
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Additional insured issues
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Environmental and toxic tort liabilities
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Construction defect
Before joining Gordon & Rees, Greil worked for a major insurance company where he evaluated coverage and managed litigation for a diverse range of large loss matters including asbestos, environmental contamination, construction defect, lead paint, mold, carbon monoxide, and various toxic tort exposures. This experience gives him a unique perspective and understanding in working with insurer clients.
Class Action
Greil routinely handles complex class action litigation, including nationwide and state class claims arising under consumer protection statutes and false advertising or unfair competition statutes, including alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). He has represented Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) and solar electricity companies in a variety of class action cases.
Civil Litigation / Insurance Defense
Greil has considerable experience in successfully resolving a wide variety of civil actions.
Contract Review
Greil has significant experience in reviewing architects & engineers contracts from a risk management perspective.
Reviews
These guys were great. I thought the back and forth made it much more interesting. Any new lawyer would benefit from this program.
a great insurance overview
The speakers were great - very knowledgeable.
very helpful
Two presenters was nice.
Particularly useful course.
This is a lot of good information.
I liked the introductory aspect. I have learned all this the hard way and the seminar connected the dots.
Great course, thanks!
Excellent foundation for insurance litigation. Presenters make a great team!
Getting ready to lateral to an insurance defense firm as a third year after spending the last two years in subrogation. This was exactly what I was hoping I would learn!
Two person format worked well for what can be a dry subject (insurance). Covered a lot of ground.
both speakers were very knowledgable- presentation was well organized- I wish there had been a focus just on New York law
Faculty was both knowledgeable and interesting.
Excellent CLE for insurance defense attorney!
Not as boring as I feared! It was a good presentation. Should have had that 20 years ago.
Helpful information for understanding the insurance claim process.
Knowledgable and entertaining
I have practiced health care law for 40 years, and I learned a great deal.
it was good
Excellent presentation.
valuable insights and enjoyable
Awesome
I enjoyed the interview type format.
They handles the basics very well.
Very knowledgeable faculty. Good to hear from the insurance side of the bar.
Outstanding! Great content. Presenters were excellent.
Very articulate speakers. Content was thorough.
The material was very well organized, and the tag team presentation was engaging.
Good overview!
This tag team of presenters was easy to listen to
Well done by both gentlemen. I trust they will do more programs
Very good presentation
Superb! Would love to see more from this team!
Excellent course with excellent speakerproviding excellent practical insights
Excellent presentation
This was 100% a great course - well planned and well executed
Excellent overview of multiple insurance topics and issues. Great practice pointers.
Excellent discussion
Excellent. Top notch presentation
Loved this one.
Excellent overview and refresher.
Great presentation of the basics.
Very good presenters. Clear and concise.
Very good basic analysis
Very knowledgeable presenters
Very Informative
The instructors were the best! They made the information interesting and understandable. Great job!
This should be required for all lawyers in all areas of law.
would be good to see the other side of these issues from the insured's point of view.
The interaction between the two presenters contributed to an effective learning experience.
Really strong primer for an in-house lawyer
The guys did a great job: informative with the right amount of banter along the way.
Thank you!
Excellent presentation providing understandable overview of insurance and issues to be considered.
Great slides!
Good basic introduction to the topic of insurance.
Excellent
Great basics for insurance law. I recently obtained a position with an insurance company and this was a good foundational course.
Informative!
I liked the discussion format.
very good!
Very dry presentation
very good
Informative
Excellent overview of insurance law by both presenters.
Both presenters were knowlegable about the fundamentals of insurance law with respect to the manner the insurerer approaches possible settlement of a liability claim.
Excellent. Insurance law made interesting and practical. Well done.
good general course
These guys were great...especially for being so young!
Very informative and thorough in hitting the high points of insurance
Excellent
Nice overview.
Excellent beginning summary of insurance coverage law. I wish I had had the benefit of this course early on when the adjusters knew more than me.
Excellent and very clear presentation
Really good presenters.
Most effective use of two person presentation format that I've seen on Lawline
Well spoken
very good
Really entertaining and great overview. One of the best.
Excellent primer discussion
Very interesting and informative. The back-and-forth dialog between the two presenters was very natural and made the presentation more engaging.
Good presentation.
Very informative.
Lecture was clear and concise.
Great overview of the basics of insurance law in context of litigation. Good stuff.
In my opinion two presenters are better. It is informative when they ask each other questions
Entertaining. Very well done
excellent presentation!
Practical tips and information. Extremely useful to me.
Well presented and informative
Quite an interesting conversation.
I have 4 pages of notes! Extremely informative for attorneys who may have to deal with insurance in any way...especially advising clients about their insurance policy prior to occurrence of any claim
It was a great class!
Good basic approach. Covered a lot of material.
very good and very basic, needed for a non insurance attorney...
Great team...nice to see some humor and personality in presentation.
Loved the back-and-forth between presenters.