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Posts Tagged ‘Reinsurance Mediation’

LinkedIn’s Commercial and Industry Arbitration and Mediation Group is now over 3,660 Members Strong!

July 2nd, 2014 ADR Social Media, Commercial and Industry Arbitration and Mediation Group Comments Off on LinkedIn’s Commercial and Industry Arbitration and Mediation Group is now over 3,660 Members Strong!

On May 19, 2009 the Loree Reinsurance and Arbitration Law Forum, Karl Bayer’s Disputing blog, Don Philbin Jr., Robert Bear and others formed a LinkedIn group called the Commercial and Industry Arbitration and Mediation Group. On May 21, 2009 we reported (here) that the group had “29 members with diverse backgrounds, all of whom are interested in commercial and industry ADR.” On October 28, 2010, we reported that the group was “now 1,008 members strong and is growing by the week.  Many different industries are represented, including the insurance and reinsurance industry.  The group enables members to share information; discuss and debate issues.  .  .; and network with others in the domestic and international ADR community.” (See here.)

Today the group has more than 3,660 members, and continues to discuss actively issues pertaining to domestic and international ADR, and continues to feature a distinguished and internationally-diverse membership of arbitrators, mediators, business people, attorneys, law professors, students, and other persons interested in ADR.

The group is co-managed by Don Philbin, Jr., Karl Bayer, Robert Bear and Philip J. Loree Jr. We welcome new members, and encourage (but do not require) active participation. The only requirement for membership is a bona fide interest in ADR.  The group is not a forum for, and does not permit, advertising or blatant self-promotion, so our members need not be concerned about being subject to sales pitches and the like.

If you are already a member of LinkedIn, please click here to apply for membership in the group.  If you are not a LinkedIn member, click here, and you will be guided through the process of creating a profile (which does not need to be completed in one step).  Once your profile is started, and you have a user name and password, you can apply for membership in the group (which entails no more than clicking on a button).  Joining LinkedIn is free, as is joining the group.

We hope you’ll join up!

 

HARRISMARTIN REINSURANCE SUMMIT: FRESH PERSPECTIVES ON THE REINSURANCE FRONT

August 22nd, 2011 Arbitration Practice and Procedure, Events, Reinsurance Arbitration, Reinsurance Claims, Reinsurance Mediation Comments Off on HARRISMARTIN REINSURANCE SUMMIT: FRESH PERSPECTIVES ON THE REINSURANCE FRONT

The frequency of reinsurance disputes, like most things in the insurance industry, is cyclical in nature, and over the last three or four years or so, the number of new disputes each year has declined fairly significantly compared to 1990 through 2005 levels.  I don’t have statistics to back that statement up, but it is informed by personal experience and numerous discussions with industry participants and their service providers.

Reduced dispute frequency is good news for the industry, but it doesn’t mean that industry executives should assume that reinsurance disputes are a thing of the past, ignore important developments that bear on their resolution, or become less proactive in their efforts to prevent them.  Keeping apprised of recent, pertinent reinsurance- and dispute-resolution-related legal, regulatory and economic developments is particularly important today, because there have been – and will likely continue to be – many that may bear on the nature and frequency of future reinsurance disputes.

To that end, a number of experienced industry executives and  in-house counsel, and a small group of outside counsel, have joined forces with HarrisMartin Publishing to put together a two-day conference designed to survey important, recent developments concerning reinsurance and reinsurance dispute resolution.  The conference — entitled “Reinsurance Summit:  Fresh Perspectives on the Reinsurance Front” — is scheduled to take place at the Lowes Philadelphia Hotel on September 22-23, 2011. Continue Reading »

Recently-Formed Re/Insurance Mediation Institute Holding a Cocktail Reception in New York City on November 11, 2009

October 31st, 2009 Mediation, Re/Insurance Mediation Institute, Reinsurance Mediation Comments Off on Recently-Formed Re/Insurance Mediation Institute Holding a Cocktail Reception in New York City on November 11, 2009

We previously reported that Peter A. Scarpato, Katherine Billingham and Andrew S. Walsh, in conjunction with others, recently formed the Re/Insurance Mediation Institute (“ReMedi”), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “foster the development of mediation as a means of resolving reinsurance and insurance disputes.”  (See our prior post here.)  More information about ReMedi can be found here, and you can read about Peter and Kathy here, here, here, here and here. 

The Founding Members of ReMedi, including Peter, Kathy and Andy, are hosting a cocktail reception in New York city to celebrate the establishment of the new organization. The reception will be held on November 11, 2009, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the offices of Chaffetz Lindsey LLP, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019 (6th Avenue and 55th — enter at 55th).

Peter asked the Forum to let those interested in reinsurance and insurance mediation know that, if you have not received an invitation, but wish to attend, then you should contact him at (215) 369-4329. Alternatively, you can contact me via e mail  (pjl1@loreelawfirm.com) or telephone ((516) 627-1720), and I will be happy to let Peter know that you are interested in attending.   

The event is sponsored by Chaffetz Lindsey LLP and Cozen O’Connor, and is free of charge.   The Founding Members of ReMedi (other than Peter, Kathy and Andy) are Paul Dassenko, Larry Monin, Jonathan Rosen, Jim Shanman, Jim Stinson, Kevin Tierney, Liz Thompson, David Thirkill, Vince Vitkowski, and Richard Waterman. 

Peter, Kathy, Andy and I hope to see you at the reception.

Guest Post — Mediating Reinsurance Disputes: A Case Study

May 14th, 2009 Guest Posts, Mediation, Reinsurance Mediation 2 Comments »

Introduction

I am very pleased that Phil Loree Jr. asked me to guest blog for the Loree Reinsurance and Arbitration Law Forum.  I have known Phil for quite some time and have worked with him on various matters over the years.  Phil suggested that I write something about my experiences mediating reinsurance disputes.  This guest post is a revised version of an article I published in the September 2006 edition of JTW News, a popular, U.K.-based reinsurance trade publication.    

As the aggravation, expense and amount of time required to arbitrate or litigate escalate, parties to reinsurance disputes are beginning to opt either by contract or ad hoc agreement to mediate reinsurance disputes. For them, depending upon the case, less is more; that is, compared to arbitration or litigation, mediation is a less aggressive, less costly, less damaging and less divisive alternative to tip the balance of power and opportunity in both parties’ favor.  A careful, experienced and patient mediator views disputes between parties, not as a battle, but as an opportunity to empower them to structure a resolution that best meets their respective short and long term needs. 

Despite this trend, many still claim mediation is unnecessary, expensive and unproductive — complaints based mostly upon its non-binding nature and prior “bad” experiences with ineffective mediators.  From my discussions with many satisfied client and lawyer participants and my own work mediating cases, I have found that parties and their counsel can and do benefit in many ways — even if no settlement immediately results — from mediating their reinsurance disputes before an effective mediator.  Continue Reading »