Insurance Wrap Ups / OCIPs / CCIPs Expert Witnesses: 2

Mr. Beringer is the Principal of Beringer & Associates (B&A) and Liability Program Management (LPM). These Firms provide business liability program management, including analysis of current risk exposures involving Labor Code, Safety, and Regulatory exposures, litigation management, Workers' Compensation analysis, analysis of insurance conduct, analysis of risk exposure for self-retentions, and insurance contracts.  

Mr. Beringer, as their Liability Claims Manager, was responsible for various Joint Powers Authority organizations (including ICRMA, BICEP, PERMA, and ERMA). The membership included thirty-eight individual cities in Los Angeles County, Riverside County, and Orange County for administering and resolving their Joint Power program's liabilities. 

He also created litigation controls, risk retention mechanisms, and modified their Memorandums of Coverage for BICEP and ICRMA. Mr. Beringer has also provided talent for successfully overseeing Government Code matters, including dangerous conditions, FEHA/DFEH, excessive force, and Civil Rights violations on behalf of Joint Authorities. 

Responsibilities included significant case handling for exposures more than the client's self-insured retention through various levels of reinsurance in the United States/offshore venues up to and inclusive of $50.0 million in an exposure. Since January 2000, the firm has provided risk analysis, insurance coverage and claim handling analysis, and management services to the insurance, construction, and transportation sectors. He has also been engaged to provide analysis of construction defect exposures, including review of risk exposure coverage; Labor Code exposures, including assisting with the administration of prevailing wage in California; to assist with operational concerns, coordination, risk management, Workers' Compensation underwriting, and executive management.

Mr. Beringer has provided expert/consultant services to plaintiff and defendant counsel in insurance coverage, including EPLI, General Liability, Workers’ Compensation, Professional Liability, Reinsurance, D&O, and property coverage. Areas of expertise include claim handling, damage evaluation (personal injury and property damage), professional adjustment standards (via carrier and TPA), and evaluation of attorney fees in Lodestar and FEHA matters. 

Mr. Beringer started in the insurance industry with the Automobile Club of Southern California in 1969, completing his insurance career in 2000.  

Scott S. Margraves, CIC, has over 34 years of Commercial Property and Casualty Insurance experience. He is the Principal Consultant and Founder of Gulf Coast Risk Management, LLC (GCRM). GCRM provides research, analysis and advice to commerce, industry, government and individuals. 

GCRM operates COIs R Us, a certificate of insurance (COI) compliance and tracking company. COIs R Us compares the contractual obligations of a lease agreement with the COI. COIs R Us processes thousands of COIs for landlords and general contractors for compliance annually.

Litigation Support - Mr. Margraves has been designated as an expert witness in over 30 cases across 6 states in both state and federal courts, working with defense and plaintiffs on property & casualty insurance matters he believed in. Services include standard of care review, deposition question preparation, document review, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience - GCRM provides consulting services to attorneys, property managers, and general contractors regarding insurance placement, interpretation, and recommended contractual insurance requirements while explaining the relationship and alignment with indemnity and insurance provisions.

Mr. Margraves is well-versed in the placement of insurance policies from an insured's perspective. He produced thousands of commercial portfolios, along with personal lines, life, health, and other ancillary insurance products. As a front-line producer, he weathered forty-three (five major) hurricanes, three “five-hundred-year” floods and multiple catastrophic fire claims. Agency roles included insurance broker, claims facilitator, marketing, agency partner, and risk manager. Mr. Margraves developed extensive experience in all aspects of property & casualty insurance policy form interpretation, applications, claims, safety programs, and contract integration. He is familiar with bad faith, standard of care, claims handling, and errors & omissions. 

Mr. Margraves is Past President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Houston, Past Vice chairman of IIAT IMPACT Region 10, Member of Insurance Academy, and Lifetime Committeemen for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. He started his second career as a full-time consultant in 2020. He is an insurance industry expert that brings extensive experience in all aspects of property casualty insurance interpretation, policy forms, claims, safety programs, HR coordination and contract integration.

View GCRM's Consulting Profile.