American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel Forms

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The American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel been formed by industry lawyers in the United States and Canada to improve the quality of the practice of insurance law.

The College focuses on the creative, ethical, and efficient adjudication of disputes between policyholders and insurers over insurance coverage as well as extracontractual damages, which are a form of punitive damages awarded against an insurer in claims alleging bad faith or unfair claims-handling practices. Its members represent the interests of both insurers and policyholders.

The College’s mission includes educating all sectors involved in insurance disputes — including the judiciary, legal and insurance professionals, and businesses — on critical topics such as best practices in policy formation and claims handling, developing trends in insurance law and bad faith.

Thomas F. Segalla, a nationally recognized authority on insurance law and bad-faith claims and a founding partner of Goldberg Segalla LLP, is the College’s inaugural president.

Segalla said the College was formed to discuss both litigated and regulatory matters that are critical to policyholders and the industry.

The group is in the process of expanding and planning future educational events. The first members only event will be held May 7, 2013 in Chicago.

Another important component is the drive to increase civility and professionalism in the field, thereby improving relations between insurer and policyholder counsel and resulting in better representation for all clients. The College will engage in a wide variety of activities, including seminars and the sharing of scholarship, in order to promote these goals.

“The time seemed right to bring together the finest lawyers from the United States and Canada, who represent some of the best minds practicing in a wide range of legal and insurance disciplines,” Segalla said. “While our goals include providing education for the bench and bar as well as the insurance industry, we believe it’s the dialogue among our diverse members that will lead to creative resolutions and improved representation for all parties in a dispute. And with all the complex coverage questions that are already emerging in the wake of Hurricane Sandy as well as other recent events, we feel the mission of the College to improve the practice of insurance law is, perhaps, now more important than ever.”

Edward J. (Ned) Currie, Jr., a founding shareholder in Currie Johnson Griffin Gaines & Myers, P.A., is its secretary and treasurer.

The College’s founding Board of Regents is made up of the foremost practitioners in insurance coverage and extracontractual litigation. Its members are:

Michael F. Aylward, senior partner, Morrison Mahoney LLP

Michael J. Bidart, senior and managing partner, Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley LLP

Bruce D. Celebrezze, partner, Sedgwick LLP

Robert D. Chesler, shareholder, Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C.

Lewis F. Collins, Jr., partner, Butler Pappas Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

Fred A. Cunningham, partner, Slawson, Cunningham, Whalen & Gaspari, P.L.

Joshua Gold, shareholder, Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C.

Dan D. Kohane, senior member, Hurwitz & Fine, P.C.

Jean M. Lawler, senior and managing partner, Murchison & Cumming LLP

Lorelie S. Masters, partner, Jenner & Block

Mary E. McCutcheon, partner, Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Kirk A. Pasich, partner, Dickstein Shapiro LLC