Events

COVID 19 & ITS IMPACT ON THE (RE)INSURANCE INDUSTRY
This meeting is being presented via Zoom Video Conference

Thursday, June 25, 2020

11.00 to 12.00 Noon Eastern Time

Join us for a Virtual Round Table discussion when the effects on the property and casualty industry will be explored and discussed by an industry panel of experts.  First-party, third-party, professional liability and workers compensation coverage, regulatory challenges as well as other issues will be examined.

Moderator:
Thomas Hettinger, Managing Director – Strategic Advisory
Guy Carpenter & Company LLC, Chicago, IL

Panelists:
Daniel Hojnowski, Vice President
Transatlantic Reinsurance Company, New York, NY

Gary J. Intoccia, Senior Partner
McGivney, Kluger, Clark & Intoccia, P.C., New York, NY

Susan E. Mack, Partner
Adams & Reese, LLP, Jacksonville, FL

Richard M. Sabetta, Co-Founder & Managing Principal
Risk Navigation Group, LLC, Morristown, NJ

William Wilt, President
Assured Research, LLC, Madison, NJ

Register Fees:
IRUA members:  $75
Non-IRUA members:  $95

Location:  Zoom Video Conference

A NOTE WHEN REGISTERING:
Registration For Members: The non-member rate is set as the default rate. You must be logged in as a member in order to receive the member rate.

First Time Registrants: If you are registering for an event for the first time and are from a member company, please email Jerry Wallis: jwallis@irua.org or Maria Sclafani: mcs@irua.org to be set up as a member so that you can log in and receive the member rate. Once logged in, the system will identify you as being from a member company and the non-member rate will automatically change to the member rate.

Registration For Non-Members: Please complete the registration form as it appears once you click on “To Register“.

IMPORTANT 2020 UPDATES IN ARBITRATION LAW

June 2, 2020

Michael S. Davis & Yoav M. Griver, Partners and Bruce S. Goodman, Of Counsel,of the Zeichner Ellman Krause LLP firm will provide a comprehensive update of activity in 2020 only so will be of interest to all engaged in arbitration, alternative dispute resolution or claims disputes generally.

Yoav Griver represents ZEK insurer clients in arbitrations and in court cases where arbitrability, and the appointment of arbitrators has been at issue. Prior to joining ZEK, Yoav was Litigation Counsel to Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where he litigated a variety of commercial and intellectual property matters for clients in the banking, credit, transportation, insurance, computer software and electronic industries. Before that, Yoav prosecuted banking conspiracy, stock fraud and other cases on behalf of the Israeli Ministry of Justice where he was a member of the Ministry’s Economics Unit. https://www.zeklaw.com/attorney/yoav-m-griver

Yoav is co-editor and author of the multi-year treatise, Dispute Resolution and e-Discovery, published by Thomson Reuters, which includes a chapter by Mike Davis on arbitration discovery.

Bruce Goodman  is Of Counsel in the Firm’s New York litigation group. Bruce focuses his practice on commercial litigation, and related matters. Bruce has helped spearhead the firm’s representation of Israeli corporate clients. In Tel Aviv, in February, 2005, Bruce and Stuart Krause addressed the Association of Corporate Counsel in Israel on the topic of “International Arbitration and Mediation.”

TO PERMIT NETWORKING THIS WILL BE IN A DIFFERENT FORMAT TO A NORMAL ZOOM VIDEO CONFERENCE.

WE WILL COMMENCE AT 12 NOON AND AFTER A BRIEF GROUP INTRODUCTION, EACH PERSON WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A “BREAKOUT ROOM” WHERE 4 TO 6 PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO “SCHMOOZE”.  AFTER 10 MINUTES WE WILL REASSIGN THE GROUPS RANDOMLY, AND AGAIN, 10 MINUTES AFTER THAT.

AT 12.30 PM WE WILL “ASSEMBLE” FOR A PRESENTATION WITH ACCREDITED CLE CREDIT FOR THOSE WHO REQUEST IT.

IF YOU REQUIRE A CLE CERTIFICATE, AFTER YOU REGISTER PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO MIKE DAVIS AT mdavis@zeklaw.com  ADVISING WHICH STATES YOU REQUIRE THE CREDIT FOR.  AFTER THE EVENT YOU WILL THEN HEAR FROM THE ZEK LAW FIRM REGARDING CERTIFICATE DELIVERY.

Our thanks to long-time member Mike Davis and to his firm for hosting and presenting at this meeting.

Location:  by Zoom videoconference

Registration Fee:  SPECIAL COVID-19 RATE –     FREE OF CHARGE!!!

CORONAVIRUS: WHAT ARE THE INSURANCE IMPLICATIONS ARISING FROM A WORLD HEALTH CRISIS?

Although this is a FREE Webinar, registration is required. Connection details to follow shortly.

Friday, April  3 , 2020
3:00 – 4:00 pm EST

This presentation will address potential insurance coverage issues arising from the current coronavirus outbreak.  It will address the modern history of pandemics and their threat to humanity, the origins and current status or coronavirus and the insurance implications arising from coronavirus under commercial property policies, general liability insurance, life insurance, errors & omissions insurance, and directors & officer insurance.

 THIS WEBINAR HAS BEEN ARRANGED IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR FRIENDS AT BRMA AND WE THANK WILSON ELSER AND BRMA FOR BRINGING THIS TO OUR MEMBERSHIP AND THE INDUSTRY

KEY SPEAKER
Paul White, Partner
Wilson Elser

Paul White is a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles, California office and focuses his practice on complex insurance coverage and bad faith litigation and represents defendants in commercial litigation. His insurance coverage practice includes advising and representing insurers in bad faith litigation and insurance policy disputes, including first-party property policies, general liability coverage, errors and omissions insurance, and media liability insurance. He also advises and represents insurers in subrogation actions on property losses. In addition, he has litigated and arbitrated disputes throughout the United States involving domestic and foreign insurance agents and brokers in all lines of coverage. He has broad experience in the business practices of all types of insurance intermediaries, including brokers at every level in the broking process, from producers to managing general agents to London Market brokers.

In his litigation practice, Paul focuses on commercial business litigation, including professional liability actions brought against insurance agents and brokers. In addition to his insurance practice, Paul advises entertainment and technology companies on the management of intellectual property risks.

He is admitted to the Bar in California and to the Supreme Court of the United States and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

NOTE: The Capacity of this Webinar is 500 callers. If we exceed that number, this Webinar will be repeated in the not too distant future. Registration and call-in/ connection details to follow.

Registration Fee:  FREE

LUNCH & LEARN:  ALL ABOUT BIOMETRIC INFORMATION AND PRIVACY

February 13, 2020, Trans Re, NYC

There is a new wave of class actions being filed against employers and other companies who collect biometric information. What is Biometric Information? Biometric information includes eye scan, fingerprints, voiceprints, and face scans. The Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) regulates the privacy and protection of one’s biometric information. BIPA related class actions may impact General Liability, Professional and Management Liability policies, Cyber and Workers’ Comp policies. Underwriters and Claims professionals need to take into account new exposures created by BIPA.  Do you know everything related to BIPA exposures?

Lisa Handler Ackerman, an attorney in Wilson Elser’s Chicago office, will discuss BIPA and its potential exposures during this Lunch and Learn.  BIPA, which is currently the only state law protecting biometrics containing a private cause of action thus leading to a surge of class action litigation arising under the Act.  The discussion will cover the specific legal issues litigated under BIPA and liability for private entities such as Facebook, Shutterfly and Google; employers; and biometric time clock vendors.

Speaker Bio
Lisa Handler Ackerman is a partner in the Chicago office of Wilson Elser.  A significant portion of Lisa’s practice involves counseling employers on personnel issues and defending them in employment-related claims, including class actions and multi-party lawsuits. Lisa’s practice centers on “hot button” employment issues such as claims brought under the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), wage and hour laws, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as it relates to employees and equal access, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).  She also handles tort, contract claims, including covenants not to compete, and whistleblower claim.  Lisa represents clients before administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Labor, and various state agencies throughout the country.  Lisa regularly litigates cases in state and federal courts and has represented clients before the U.S. Supreme Court.

This program can be submitted for review to the Institutes®CPCU – Risk and Insurance Management for CPCU credit.

A NOTE WHEN REGISTERING:
Registration For Members: The non-member rate is set as the default rate. You must be logged in as a member in order to receive the member rate.

Registration For Non-Members: Please complete the registration form as it appears once you click on “To Register”.

Location: One Liberty Plaza, 165 Broadway, New York, NY 10006

Registration Fees:
Member: $95
Non-Member: $115

LUNCH & LEARN: ALL ABOUT REPUTATION RISK EXPOSURES (Webinar Registration)

January 8, 2020 – Mayer Brown, NYC

“In a market system based on trust, reputation has a significant economic value” noted former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan in 2008. Using that framework, Reputation Value is therefore the accumulated economic benefits of stakeholders’ expectations, and Reputation Risk is the peril of economic harm from stakeholders’ disappointment and anger amplified by social media.

To address these risks, parametric risk transfer solutions, quantification of reputation value and volatility was necessary to be built from scratch. Today we have about 18 years of data comprising synthetic measures of reputational value informed by behavioral economics. Hundreds of captive insurance companies, and insurers led by Tokio Marine Kiln use Steel City Re metrics as the basis of underwriting.

Peter Gerken, a Co-Founder of Steel City Re, a Managing General Agency, will discuss all the elements of reputation as well as the marketplace at this time on the buy and sell side. Further, he will outline the opportunity for participants to consider addressing intangible asset risks and being part of this expanding marketplace.

Speaker Bio
Peter J. Gerken, a certified property and casualty underwriter is our Senior Vice President, Risk Transfer Agency and Insurance. Mr. Gerken heads broker relations and client development, working with Brokers, Captive Managers, and Risk Managers. He jointly heads underwriting. A Vietnam veteran, Mr. Gerken has been in commercial insurance for some 40 years both on the underwriting as well as the broking sides of the business. Holding an MBA in Management, he has specialized in Intellectual Property, and Intangible Assets including reputation for many years. Mr. Gerken formerly headed the Intellectual Property practice at Marsh.

This program can be submitted for review to the Institutes®CPCU – Risk and Insurance Management for CPCU credit.

A NOTE WHEN REGISTERING:
Registration For Members: The non-member rate is set as the default rate.  You must be logged in as a member in order to receive the member rate.

First Time Registrants: If you are registering for an event for the first time and are from a member company, please email Jerry Wallis:  jwallis@irua.org or Maria Sclafani: mcs@irua.org to be set up as a member so that you can log in and receive the member rate.  Once logged in, the system will identify you as being from a member company and the non-member rate will automatically change to the member rate.

Registration For Non-Members: Please complete the registration form as it appears once you click on “To Register”.

Location:  Mayer Brown,1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

Registration Fees:
Member:  $75
Non-Member: $95

LUNCH & LEARN: ALL ABOUT REPUTATION RISK EXPOSURES (On-Site Registration)

January 8, 2020 – Mayer Brown, NYC

“In a market system based on trust, reputation has a significant economic value” noted former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan in 2008.  Using that framework, Reputation Value is therefore the accumulated economic benefits of stakeholders’ expectations, and Reputation Risk is the peril of economic harm from stakeholders’ disappointment and anger amplified by social media.

To address these risks, parametric risk transfer solutions, quantification of reputation value and volatility was necessary to be build from scratch.  Today, we have about 18 years of data comprising synthetic measures of reputational value informed by behavioral economics.  Hundreds of captive insurance companies and insurers led by Tokio Marine Kiln use Steel City Re metrics as the basis of underwriting.

Peter Gerken, a Co-Founder of Steel City Re, a Managing General Agency, will discuss all the elements of reputation as well as the marketplace at this time on the buy and sell side.  Further, he will outline the opportunity for attendees to consider addressing intangible asset risks and being part of this expanding marketplace.

Speaker Bio
Peter J. Gerken, a certified property and casualty underwriter is our Senior Vice President, Risk Transfer Agency and Insurance. Mr. Gerken heads broker relations and client development, working with Brokers, Captive Managers, and Risk Managers. He jointly heads underwriting. A Vietnam veteran, Mr. Gerken has been in commercial insurance for some 40 years both on the underwriting as well as the broking sides of the business. Holding an MBA in Management, he has specialized in Intellectual Property, and Intangible Assets including reputation for many years. Mr. Gerken formerly headed the Intellectual Property practice at Marsh.

A NOTE WHEN REGISTERING:
Registration For Members: The non-member rate is set as the default rate.  You must be logged in as a member in order to receive the member rate.

First Time Registrants: If you are registering for an event for the first time and are from a member company, please email Jerry Wallis:  jwallis@irua.org or Maria Sclafani: mcs@irua.org to be set up as a member so that you can log in and receive the member rate.  Once logged in, the system will identify you as being from a member company and the non-member rate will automatically change to the member rate.

Registration For Non-Members: Please complete the registration form as it appears once you click on “To Register”.

Location:  Mayer Brown,1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

Registration Fees:
Member:  $95
Non-Member: $115

RINSURANCE NETWORKING GROUP LUNCHEON

Everything You Wanted to Know About How Arbitrators Are Selected
But Were Afraid to Ask

Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2019 – 12 Noon to 2 pm

Location
Meet in Place Midtown
675 3rd Avenue, New York, NY  10017

Presenters
Teresa Snider – Partner, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP
Teresa Snider is a partner at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP. She concentrates her practice in insurance and reinsurance arbitration, litigation, and related insolvency issues and is Co-Chair of the firm’s Reinsurance Litigation and Arbitration Practice Group.  She joined Butler Rubin in 1994 after a clerkship with Hon. Harry D. Leinenweber, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Butler Rubin merged with Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP in February 2019. 

Teresa co-chairs Porter Wright’s annual Women in Reinsurance program and she co-chairs the Quarterly Editorial Board of ARIAS-U.S.

Catherine Isely – Partner, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP
Catherine Isely litigates complex commercial disputes on behalf of local, national and global businesses, including insurers and reinsurers. She represents parties in sophisticated commercial contracts and relationships, where high-stakes disputes regularly require a multifaceted legal strategy across court and arbitral forums. In addition to appearing as trial counsel in courts nationwide, Catherine regularly represents clients at complex, multi-stage mediations, in high-stakes, commercial arbitrations and in related court challenges as to arbitrability, panel constitution or award confirmation.

Catherine co-founded Butler Rubin’s annual Women in Reinsurance Program, and now co-chairs Porter Wright’s annual Women in Reinsurance program.

As always, please click on our Schedule of events either in our posts under the news section on the home page or under the Events Tab on the navigation bar to see what events are coming up.

Registration Fee:  $55 per person
No username or password is required to register for this event.

LUNCH & LEARN: INNOVATION AND ITS EFFECTS ON INSURANCE/ REINSURANCE
This Event Will be Rescheduled for a Later Date

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

A NOTE WHEN REGISTERING:
The non-member rate is set as the default rate. If you are registering from a member company, you must log in to receive the member rate. Once logged in, the system will identify you as being from a member company and the non-member rate will automatically change to the member rate.

Insurers & reinsurers are hungry for innovation and have identified it as key to future business survival but face internal hurdles like legacy systems, existing distribution models and current company cultures that yet need to embrace change. IRUA’s President, Arlene Kern, is Munich Reinsurance America’s Senior Vice President- Strategic Innovation Leader, and co-presenting will be a Mayer Brown partner within the firm’s Insurance Industry group.

Speakers
Arlene Kern
IRUA President
Senior Vice President – Strategic Innovation Leader
Munich Reinsurance America

Mayer Brown Partner
TBD

Location:  Mayer Brown, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY
Time: 12:00 – 2:00 pm

Registration Fees:
Members:  $95
Non-Member: $115

“DE-CONSTRUCTING CONSTRUCTION” A CHALLENGING INDUSTRY FOR RE/INSURERS

September 12, 2019

This seminar is geared to insurance and reinsurance underwriters, brokers and claims professionals who today face challenges that construction industry exposures provide.  The morning session will provide a high-level overview of basic coverages, exposures and policy forms.  The afternoon session will provide a broad market update, construction defect issues and the implications of NY Labor Law and the current legal environment.

Click Here to download the agenda.
Click Here to download speaker profiles

Presentations
Construction Risks and Challenges
Construction Market Update

Location:  Mayer Brown,1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

Registration Fees:
Member:  $395
Non-Member: $495

A NOTE WHEN REGISTERING:
Registration For Members: The non-member rate is set as the default rate.  You must be logged in as a member in order to receive the member rate.

First Time Registrants: If you are registering for an event for the first time and are from a member company, please email Jerry Wallis:  jwallis@irua.org or Maria Sclafani: mcs@irua.org to be set up as a member so that you can log in and receive the member rate.  Once logged in, the system will identify you as being from a member company and the non-member rate will automatically change to the member rate.

Registration For Non-Members: Please complete the registration form as it appears once you click on “To Register”.