Listen in as Darren interviews two trailblazing women in the insurance industry. Rosemarie Marshall and Tanja Maffei Chan explain their respective paths to the insurance industry while giving advice to the next generation entering the workforce. Our workforce should be as diverse as the demographics of the businesses and individuals that we represent. As the testimonies of our guests explain, we have made progress in training women for leadership positions and there is still room for improvement. 

EPISODE SUMMARY
Tune in as Pat Eckler describes his path to law school and the broad foundation of business understanding he received. We cover the possibilities of becoming a litigator in the courtroom or a transactional lawyer. Insurance policies are based on contacts that determine which risks are to be covered. Pat says, “Insurance is the oil that makes things work”. If you are interested in how lawyers play a role in the insurance industry, this is for you!

EPISODE NOTES
Pat Eckler, a partner at Goldberg Segalla, builds superior client relationships to address their litigation needs and applies his wide range of skills to aid in resolving disputes. Pat handles a variety of civil disputes in state and federal courts across Illinois and Indiana. 

In addition to representing lawyers, Pat represents design professionals, accountants, and insurance brokers. His commercial litigation experience involves complex contract disputes and the defense of class-action lawsuits. Pat’s coverage practice for insurers and the insured involves commercial general liability and personal lines policies, issues involving the duties to defend and indemnify, bad faith, and the application of exclusions. His tort defense work involves representing spans the representations of product manufacturers and distributors, trucking concerns, and premises owners. 

Pat is active in the organized defense bar both at the state and national levels.  He is a committee chair, columnist, and board member with both the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel and the Professional Liability Defense Federation.  He focuses his recent work for the IDC on legislative activities.

Pat has published extensively in professional journals on a wide range of topics.  He has published on substantive areas of law ranging from products liability and toxic torts to premises liability and claims against accountants.  

Pat studied ancient Egyptian language at the University of Chicago, where he earned his degree in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.  After completing his undergraduate studies, he taught history and coached high school and college basketball for three years before attending law school at the University of Florida.

Pat is the co-host of the Podium and Panel podcast with Dan Cotter which is a weekly podcast focusing on oral arguments before courts of review in Illinois and Indiana, the 7th Circuit, and SCOTUS.

EPISODE SUMMARY

Tune in and learn from Tim Fletcher, Emerging Issues Leader for Gen Re. Darren asks about nuclear verdicts, why the general public is disconnected from the impacts they have, and career opportunities for the next generation. We cover when a carrier should settle or when it should take a case to trial. Tort reforms, industry-specific problems, and litigious societies are discussed. Tim talks about his day-to-day and how he keeps up with emerging trends in the industry. 

EPISODE NOTES

Tim Fletcher is the Emerging Issues Leader for Gen Re. Based in Atlanta, Tim identifies and communicates emerging issues and exposures to Gen Re clients and internal colleagues. In this role, Tim serves as a strategic thought partner with clients in creating underwriting responses to those issues and exposures.

Tim is a graduate of the University of Minnesota (Bachelor of Arts, Journalism) and the Mitchell Hamline School of Law (Juris Doctor). He has earned his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation and serves as a guest lecturer on Risk Management and Insurance at Georgia State University. He is admitted to the Georgia Bar.