Insurance Agent / Broker - Standards of Care Consultants

Robert E. Underdown, AINS, SIA, AIC, ARM, CFLC, The Insurance Archaeologist ™, is an Insurance and Risk Management Consultant with over 30 years of experience in both private & public risk management. 

Consulting Services:

• Insurance - As a result of his background as a Claims Manager and Risk Manager, Mr. Underdown is in a position to provide coverage opinions based on real-world examples and on-the-job experience. He has developed a systematic method for bidding insurance programs
• Agent Broker - Mr. Underdown has decades of experience in the area of Agent/Broker (Producer) duty. In addition, Mr. Underdown has experience in the areas of Producer Compensation and Producer Contingency Commissions
• Coverage - Mr. Underdown has real-world practical experience in most areas of personal and corporate insurance coverage types from annuities to workers’ compensation
• Risk Management - As a Risk Manager for over twenty years, Mr. Underdown gained a wide variety of experience in several industries both public and private. He is experienced and knowledgeable in the areas of cost of risk allocation, loss control programs, risk performance measurements, and safety management
• Claims - With over ten years as a Claims Adjuster and Claims Manager and twenty years as a Risk Manager, Mr. Underdown has handled and supervised a great variety of claims beginning with investigating and adjusting property and casualty claims

Selected Background Experience - Mr. Underdown's past experience includes serving as Director of Risk Management for Rural/Metro Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ, where he managed $20 million risk management program and completed due diligence on 60 acquisitions in 48 months. As Assistant Vice President of Imperial Corporation, San Diego, CA, he managed special insurance for a $2 billion loan portfolio and implemented a risk management program for 60 branch offices. Mr. Underdown also served as Risk Management and Employee Benefits Manager for the City of Escondido, CA, where implemented risk management programs and completed self-funded health insurance, saving $750,000. 

View Robert Underdown's Expert Witness Profile.

T.R. Michaels Claim Consulting, LLC is a Property and Casualty Insurance firm offering:

Complex Claims Analysis, Negotiation, and Mediation for:

• Law Firms that have asbestos, environmental, toxic tort or other long tail claims
• Insured to determine the potential insurance coverage for claims against them
• Insurance companies or insured to attend mediation
• Mediation of claims between insurance companies or insurance companies and policyholders

Insurance Policy Interpretation and Retrieval:

• Review of Insurance policies to determine coverage available
• Search for and Assemble documents that provide evidence of insurance coverage

Claim File Audits for:

• Reinsurance companies for pre-quote and at-risk claim audits
• Corporations of third party administrators or insurance companies
• Insurance companies of managing general agents or underlying carriers

Principal, Tommy R. Michaels, CPCU, AIC, ARe, ARM is an Insurance Professional with over 45 years of experience in the Property and Casualty Insurance industry.

Mr. Michaels has worked in the Home Office of a large insurance company determining coverage obligation, providing coverage interpretation, and performing functions of an insurance archaeologist. He has taught insurance courses through Robert Morris College, University of Connecticut, and Society of CPCU, Memphis Chapter.

Mr. Michaels' experience in claims includes direct handling, supervision of adjusters and other supervisors, claim office administration and development of a system that integrated various technologies to eliminate paper within the claim office. He has unparalleled claim expertise in property and casualty claims developed from his years of direct handling and supervising claim handlers. Mr. Michaels has handled claims in several states including Arkansas, Connecticut, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. He also directly handled all Fidelity and Surety claims in the State of Oklahoma.

View Tommy Michaels' Expert Witness Profile.

Steven A. Eisenberg, FSA, MAAA, is a Consulting Actuary with 50 years of experience in the Insurance Industry. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (1973) and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (1975).

Background Experience - Mr. Eisenberg's experience includes actuarial design, administration and illustration of various life insurance and annuity products, including traditional and non-traditional insurance products, universal life (or excess interest products), and both general account and separate account variable insurance COI charges products. It, also, includes pricing these products and developing appropriate actuarial assumptions (e.g. mortality and life expectancy, interest and discount rates, compensation, profitability expense assumptions).

He is also a co-inventor of several patents dealing with financial derivatives(swaps) relating to longevity and mortality mitigation.

In 1986, Mr. Eisenberg pioneered the development of large case COLI and BOLI and unwind strategies that are still used today. He is a renown expert in designing, developing, and evaluating Bank-owned life insurance (BOLI) and Corporate-owned life insurance (COLI) programs for insurance companies, banks, other financial institutions, brokers and litigation clients. This includes developing appropriate actuarial assumptions (mortality and longevity, COI charges, lapses and surrenders, expenses, taxes, interest and discount rates, compensation, policy dividends and life insurance company profitability and investment exposure (disintermediation)). He also developed administrative procedures, sophisticated illustration systems (for example, utilization of policy loans and partial surrenders) and insurable interest issues. His expertise also includes policy owner tax issues (e.g. Section 264, 7702, 7702A, 1035) and legislative changes. He has evaluated the appropriateness of these products (general or separate account including stable value) for corporate and bank policy owners, including the accounting and financial impact to the policy owners..

His services are offered to clients nationwide.

View Steven Eisenberg's Expert Witness Profile.

Paul W. Burkett, JD, CPCU, CIC, ARM,CRM, ALCM, has been CEO of Snoaspen Insurance Group, Inc., since 1995. He has extensive experience:

• Providing Insurance Risk Management Consultant Services and Policy / Risk Management Program Audit Services to Commercial Clients and Agents/Brokers
• Providing Personal and Commercial Insurance Policy Coverage training for Agents, Brokers and Risk Managers

Mr. Burkett began his career as a Loss Control Representative for SAFECO Insurance Company after serving as an Officer in the United States Air Force. During his career with SAFECO, he served as a Loss Control Supervisor, Loss Control Manager, Commercial Sales Representative, Division Commercial Lines Underwriting Manager, and Regional Workers Compensation Manager.

From Safeco Insurance Company, Mr. Burkett worked for Frank B. Hall & Company as a Vice President in charge of Risk Management Services. From Frank B. Hall, Mr. Burkett assisted in establishing the Meadowbrook of Colorado office and focused on developing specialized group programs.

Paul Burkett delivers seminars as a National Instructor for Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) Courses, National Instructor for Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) Courses and a Nevada Independent Insurance Agents Association Instructor for numerous Personal and Commercial Insurance coverage topics.

Areas of Expertise:

• Insurance Company Good and Bad Faith
• Agent / Broker Standard of Care
• Insurance Industry Customs and Practices
• Risk Management
• Business Contract Insurance Clause Analysis and Application
• Insurance Coverage Analysis
• Insurance Claims Disputes Analysis

View Paul Burkett's Expert Witness Profile.

Scott Stein, ARM, is an Insurance Industry Expert and Property Casualty and Professional Liability Insurance Broker with over 25 years of experience. He has served the last 18 years as an Agency Owner preceded by 7 years at two of the world's largest insurance brokers. Throughout his career, Mr. Stein has been negotiating and placing the broadest and most comprehensive Property Casualty coverage and Professional Liability Insurance with specific emphasis on Legal Malpractice Insurance and Directors and Officers cover; to also include Architects E&O, Accountant Malpractice Insurance, Employment Practice Liability Insurance, Medical Malpractice and Medical Defense coverage, and nearly every other specialty within the Professional Liability Insurance spectrum, as well as Worker's Compensation Insurance. Litigation Support - Mr. Stein provides expert witness services to counsel representing both plaintiff and defendant. He has been engaged in excess of 180 cases as an insurance industry expert in the past 15 years. Never disqualified or challenged as an expert by any Court, Mr. Stein has extensive deposition history and trial testimony experience. His cases involve all areas of Broker and Insurance Carrier Standards of Care and his services include depositions, Written reports, and trial testimony when necessary. Areas of Expertise:

• Agent and Broker Procedures
• Insurance Agent and Broker Liability
• Insurance Errors and Omissions
• Broker and Agency Standards of Care
• Failure to Procure Insurance
• Claims Management and Handling
• Insurance Coverage and Placement Issues
• Insurance Disputes-Sales Practices and Bad Faith
• Risk Management Practices and Procedures
• Insurance Contract Review
• Insurance Proposals- Brokers, Agents, and Agencies
• Umbrella Liability Exposure and Placement
• Insurance Compliance- Brokers and Agents
• Intermediary and Broker Procedures
• Risk Management Analysis
• Insurance Company Claims Management and Processing

David Stegall is the Principal Consultant and Founder of Risk Consulting & Expert Services since January 1, 2007. He has over 40 years of insurance, reinsurance, bond and risk management industry experience. He is a Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter, an Associate in Risk Management, an Associate in Reinsurance and a Registered Professional Adjuster. He has experience as an underwriter, an agent, a broker, a surety bond producer, a reinsurer, a managing general agent, a third-party administrator, a captive manager, a self-insured fund executive, a risk management consultant, an expert witness and has been retained as an arbitrator.

He was President of the Society of Risk Management Consultants in 2017 and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. Mr. Stegall is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Alabama Captive Association, a member of the Society of Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriters, the American Association of Insurance Management Consultants, the Association of Registered Professional Adjusters, ARIAS-US, Defense Research Institute, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association - Tort Trial and Insurance Section. Mr. Stegall has provided 112 expert opinions, been deposed 53 times testified in five trials and three arbitration hearings. His testimony has been divided between 65 for the Defense and 62 for Plaintiffs.

PozmantierWilliams Insurance Consultants, LLC is an Insurance / Risk Management firm that offers clients negotiating expertise and depth of knowledge to optimize their coverage while in many cases reducing costs. Services Include:

• Design / Implement / Audit Insurance / Risk Management Programs
• Contractual Review and Recommendations
• Lease Analysis
• Broker Selection / Broker Services Review Advice
• Competitive Marketing of Insurance Programs
• Merger and Acquisition Due Diligence
• Executive Insurance Review
• Claims Services
• Captive / Alternative Risk Planning Services

Joe L. Williams, CPCU, partner in PozmantierWilliams Insurance Consultants, LLC, has over 49 years of experience as an Insurance Agent / Broker and Insurance Consultant. From 1970 until 2007, he was a principal shareholder in a large Houston firm, Wisenberg Insurance + Risk Management, and was Chairman and CEO when the firm was sold to a subsidiary of Wells Fargo Bank. Mr. Williams is very familiar with all phases of the insurance industry, including consulting on bad faith, customs and practices, and standards of care. He has particular expertise in property coverage, business interruption, non-subscription, and risk transfer techniques. During the past several years, Mr. Williams has been a media contact for radio, television and news publications as an authoritative source of information about various insurance and risk management topics. He has taught numerous seminars on Business Insurance at the University of Houston. He has lectured and been a seminar leader on various insurance topics. View Joe Williams' Expert Witness Profile.

Daryll W. Martin, JD, MBA has a unique professional experience as a Lawyer, Insurance Broker, and Insurance Brokerage Executive. Mr Martin has over 30 years of insurance experience, serving nearly half of that time as corporate counsel for two international brokers, and the other half of that time as a senior insurance brokerage executive. 

Broad Coverage Experience: Property & Casualty; Employee Benefits / Life & Health (qualified and non-qualified); D&O / Employment Practices Liability / Fiduciary; Property / Business Interruption / Boiler & Machinery / Inland & Ocean Marine; Casualty: General Liability / Professional Liability / Workers Compensation / Umbrella / Excess. 

Broad Brokerage Customer Industry Experience: Construction; Energy; Transportation; Manufacturing; Financial Institutions; Health Care; Public Entity / Not For Profit; and, Technology 

Extensive Insurance Industry Operational Experience: Executive officer of nationally ranked insurance brokers; Managed and handled a variety of international, national, and middle market accounts; Self Insurance / Large Retentions / Alternative Risk Transfer Vehicles; Foreign Placements; Wholesale Brokerage; Insurance Underwriting; Reinsurance; Technical Services / Loss Control / Actuarial/Risk Management Consulting; Actuary Services / Actuary Liability; Insurer Solvency / Market Security; Finance and Accounting; Mergers & Acquisitions; Insurance Sales; Client Service Standards; Technology Infrastructure; Human Resource Management; and, Insurer / Broker Relationship Management. 

Areas of Expertise:

Bad Faith Business / Employment Insurance Insurance Insurance Agency Insurance Agent / Broker

Insurance Customs & Practices Insurance Excess & Surplus Lines Life Insurance Property & Casualty Insurance Risk Management

Olie R. Jolstad & Associates L.L.C. is an independent insurance and claims consulting firm representing both policyholders and insurance carriers in approximately 200 lawsuits. Our guiding principals are based on a careful review of the facts and evidence of individual cases, consistent with insurance industry customs, practices, and standards.

Olie R. Jolstad & Associates L.L.C. specializes in:

• Commercial Insurance Coverage Analysis and Disputes
• Insurance Claims Handling
• Broker/Agent Standards of Care

Principal, Olie R. Jolstad, SCLA, FACFEI, has worked in the Insurance Industry for more than 37 years. Over the span of his career, Mr. Jolstad has worked with various types of civil litigation and forensic insurance policy reconstruction projects on behalf of policyholders.

His areas of skill, knowledge, and expertise include coverage disputes, unfair and deceptive claims, claim settlement acts and practices concerning general liability, property, commercial auto, personal lines, business interruption, builders’ risk, excess and umbrella liability, aviation, workers’ compensation, loss sensitive rating plans, professional liability, errors and omissions, directors and officers, third-party claims administration, and Lloyd’s of London coverage and analysis.

View Olie Jolstad's Expert Witness Profile.

Key Coleman, CPA, CFA, CPCU, ARe is Executive Director and Founder of Litigation Economic & Forensic Consulting Group LLC. While his firm is located in Greater Philadelphia, his practice is nationwide. Mr. Coleman focuses his consulting practice on forensic accounting, contract audits and investigative analysis. Mr. Coleman has a specialty in the Insurance and Reinsurance Industry, having worked in or around the industry for over 30 years.  Prior to starting his own firm, he spent the bulk of his career in Chicago where he was a partner at a Big Four accounting firm and subsequently held high level positions at other nationally recognized accounting and consulting firms. Prior to his consulting career, he spent more than eight years in the insurance and reinsurance industry. His major investigative work includes having spent 4 years on the then-largest insurance investigation in history.  He is one of the few experts nationwide who holds both the CPA and the CPCU designations; he has significant depth in reinsurance, as well, enabling him to gain the 'big picture' when dealing with insurance and reinsurance issues.  He performs inspections of MGAs, TPAs, ceding companies, and insureds. An abbreviated list of his investigative and insurance specialties include:

Accounting, Forenisic Accounting and Investigations Analysis of accounting records Forensic accounting Investigative analysis Contract audits Consulting Services in Insurance and Reinsurance MGA/MGU audits or inspections Underwriting audits

Claims analysis Ceding company audits Premium audit analysis Insolvency and run-off analysis Workers’ Compensation Professional Employment Organizations (PEOs) Damages Analysis in Inurance and Reinsurance

. View Key Coleman's Expert Witness Profile.

Lieberman Financial & Consulting Services, LLC provides high quality Financial Planning services and Insurance Investment to advice to clients in all walks of life. Principal, Maurice Lieberman, CLU, ChFC, RHU, LUTCF, has over 40 years of experience specializing in Life Insurance, Annuities, and Health Coverage.

Mr. Lieberman also offers Financial Planning Workshops and conduct large and small group seminars. He provides individual and family financial counseling sessions to active duty members of the United States Military (all branches.)

Mr. Lieberman holds three professional designations from the American College, Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, and Registered Health Underwriter. He is a Life Insurance Training Council Fellow, and a member of the American College of Financial Services Professionals, Forensic Expert Witness Association, and the American College of Forensic Examiners International.

Background Experience - Mr. Lieberman started as an insurance agent for Metropolitan Life and then advanced in his career to manage brokers. He successfully built agencies for Aetna, and Principal Financial Group. He was later promoted to Regional Director for New England Financial, and CSAA Life. Over the years he mentored hundreds of insurance agents, brokers, financial planners and agency managers to build their own successful careers and agencies. He was also a member of the Million Dollar Round Table and utilized his selling and management experience to train insurance agents, brokers and financial planners in advanced areas of estate, business insurance, and financial planning.

View Maurice Lieberman's Expert Witness Profile.

Jim Leatzow has 43 of "hands-on" practical, property / casualty insurance agency experience. Leatzow has literally worn "every hat there is to wear in the P/C insurance business. He provides expert & arbitration services nationally & internationally with no charge for travel time. He is articulate, efficient & equally comfortable within the U.S. & in foreign venues. His experience includes:

• 44 years national Property/Casualty insurance industry experience
• 30 years national, Property/Casualty insurance Agency Owner
• 23 years national, Property/Casualty Managing General Agent (MGA)
• 20 years national, Third Party Administrator (TPA) insurance claim adjuster
• 26 years Reinsurance experience & Company Founder/President
• 17 years Certified insurance Arbitrator (U.S. / U.K. / Bermuda) 
• 56 years Licensed Pilot with Commercial, Instrument, Multi & Seaplane Ratings 
• Still licensed in Illinois (44 years) & Wisconsin (37 years) 
• Licensed in all states for 20-25 years until 2005 (agency sold)
• Rule 26 Report specialization on complex cases 
• Bad Faith Expert nationally 
• History of representing plaintiff & defense equally
• No charge for travel time "coast to coast"

Leatzow's specialties include: Agent-Broker-MGA standards of care / Bad Faith / Coverage    / Agent-Broker E&O Claims / Agent-Broker custom & practice / Professional (E&O) Liability / Claims adjusting Standard of Care / Claims-made coverage / Surplus Lines issues / Underwriting / Licensing / Property / General Liability /Aviation Insurance

Guy O. Kornblum has specialized as a trial and appellate lawyer for 40 years. He is certified in Civil Trial Advocacy and Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy by the prestigious National Board of Trial Advocacy, and is a Fellow of the American College of Certified Attorney Specialists.

Mr. Kornblum has handled over 4,000 litigated matters to conclusion and has several million dollar plus cases to his credit. He has represented hundreds of clients, small businesses, individuals, and large Fortune 500 corporations during his 40 plus years of practice in his practice. He is highly regarded for his courtroom and appellate skills, and his representation of his clients in mediations, where he has a strong track record of successful settlements.

Areas of Practice:

Personal Injury Wrongful Death Insurance Law Insurance Coverage / Bad Faith Claims Medical and Legal Malpractice

Punitive Damage Actions Commercial Disputes Class Actions Nursing Home Negligence & Abuse Elder Abuse

Guy Kornblum is a Life Member of the Multi-Million Dollar and Million Dollar Advocate’s Forum, for those attorneys who have achieved multi- million dollar awards or settlements for their clients. He is also a Charter Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America Trial Lawyer Honorary, a Platinum Member of The Verdict Club, recognized for his “professional excellence in litigation,” and is a Legends Society “Top Lawyer” in the personal injury field and a Silver Member of the Elite Lawyers of America.

Mr. Kornblum is the author of: Negotiating and Settling Tort Cases: Reaching the Settlement, published by the Thomson West Publishing Company and American Association for Justice, Second Edition, 2013; and co-author of Litigating Insurance Claims: Coverage, Bad Faith and Business Disputes (Wiley & Sons, 1991); and the California Practice Guide: Bad Faith (The Rutter Group, 1986). He also is a contributing author to the California Continuing Education of the Bar’s “Alternative Dispute Resolution in California,” which was published in 2005. He has authored over 200 published articles on trial practice, discovery, civil procedure, and insurance law and related topics.

View Guy Kornblum's Expert Witness Profile.

Janice A. Ramsay founded the law firm of Ramsay and Johnson, ALC in 1984. She merged her practice and that firm with Berger Kahn LLC in 1999. Since the late fall of 2007, she has primarily worked independently as an expert witness and consultant to other attorneys.

During her career, Ms. Ramsay has given advice on coverage questions, underwriting procedures, rescission rights, claims handling, and insurers legal and policy obligations. She is experienced with both commercial and personal lines policies. Ms. Ramsay is familiar with the business of insurance and the legal framework of that business and has performed the procedures that are unique to the claims process such as examinations under oath, and appraisals. She has drafted or revised insurance policies for several insurance companies and has handled coverage litigation.

Litigation Support - Ms. Ramsay has been retained in over 150 matters as an expert work during her law practice beginning as early as 1989. She has testified frequently in both deposition and trial on the standards and practices of the insurance industry. She has testified for insurers, insureds,brokers, and agents.

Types of Losses:

Fire Losses Organized Insurance Fraud Landslides Earthquakes Water Damage / Mold Defective Construction

Latent Defects Riots Acts of Civil Authority Business Interruption Suit Limitation Issues Mortgagee Rights

Speaking Engagements - Ms. Ramsay has frequently been a speaker and/or panelist for the Orange County Bar Association, PLRB Annual Conference, the Combined Claims Conference, and many more. She has also given in-house seminars for several insurers.

For 34 years, Steven Plitt has represented policyholders / insureds in litigation and trial as well as representing insurance companies in Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith matters. During his career, he has reviewed thousands of claim files from more than 100 insurance companies. He has regularly consulted with all levels of claim department management from claim adjusters, supervisors, branch claim managers, claim-legal personnel and executive level insurance company management.

Mr. Plitt has also consulted with underwriting departments and participated with insurance company product development units and claims-legal to draft insurance policy language. He has reviewed and analyzed a broad spectrum of testimony from claims adjusters, claims management, claims attorneys, underwriters and other insurance company management as well as other insurance experts. He has reviewed an extensive variety of claims manuals, claims guidelines and other claims directives and practices.

Mr. Plitt is a nationally recognized expert witness in insurance claim handling and bad faith cases and has been retained as an expert in hundreds of cases nationally. He has qualified in both state and Federal Courts as a claims handling and insurance expert. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Arizona where he teaches insurance law.

Areas of Expertise:

Insurance Extra-contractual Bad Faith Claims / Breach of Contract Claims Claims Handling Practices Unfair Claims Practices Policy Interpretation Coverage Denials

Property & Casualty Insurance Personal & Commercial Lines Surplus Lines Excess & Umbrella Insurance Insurance Agent / Broker Errors & Omissions Miscellaneous Coverage

Mr. Plitt has an LL.M. in Insurance from the University of Connecticut. He is the current successor author to COUCH ON INSURANCE 3D where he and his team are rewriting and revising the entire treatise. He has written other books on insurance law. He has published in excess of 320 law reviews and other professional publications on insurance law in addition to his books. Mr. Plitt has been cited by the Supreme Courts in 32 states, the Intermediate Appellate Courts in 23 states, 10 of the Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal, 54 Federal District Courts, the Federal Court of Claims and Federal Bankruptcy Court. Mr. Plitt has been cited in the Code of Federal Regulations. Mr. Plitt has also been cited in 91 scholarly articles.

Steven Plitt has been continuously listed as a top 50 lawyer in Arizona (2007-2014) by SOUTHWEST SUPER LAWYERS®, has been listed in BEST LAWYERS® since 2007 (insurance), and was named the Insurance Lawyer of the Year by BEST LAWYERS® in 2012 for Phoenix. He is a Fellow in the American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel and a Member of the American Law Institute where he is a consultive member on the development of the RESTATEMENT OF LIABILITY INSURANCE.