Claims Litigation Consultant

Company Details

 

Berkley North Pacific is rooted in the Pacific Northwest offering personalized commercial insurance solutions through collaborative efforts for ultimate customer experience. We do this by empowering our people and being 100% customer obsessed. Additionally, we offer the reassurance to our customers that their insurance investment is sound, as we are backed by the resources of a Fortune 500 company, W. R. Berkley Corporation.

 

At BNP we believe in our core values of Integrity, Ownership, Collaboration, and Innovation.  We recognize our employees for their outstanding performance in establishing a workplace where employees can thrive, enjoy their work, and help our company grow. 

 

This position may be fully remote but for you must reside within BNP's territory:

• Idaho
• Oregon
• Utah
• Washington

For those within a commutable distance to our Meridian, ID office, we offer a hybrid work schedule with 4 days in the office; and 1 day remote where it makes sense to do so. 

 

The Company is an equal employment opportunity employer.   #LI-AV1 #LI-remote

Responsibilities

The Claim Litigation Consultant (CLC) resolves claims at the highest authority levels on commercial casualty claim assignments reflecting the highest degree of technical complexity, in the most effective, efficient way while delivering a customer-centric claims service. This position is responsible for analyzing coverage, liability, damages, evaluating reserves and negotiating settlement or conclusion of complex claims.  CLC demonstrates a proven ability to handle complex coverage, liability and damage issues across multiple jurisdictions. 

 

You’ll be a critical part of our succession plans as you provide technical advice, coaching and mentoring to a team of high-performing Claims colleagues on complex commercial casualty claims.  We’ll trust you to act as a technical expert- collaborating with the claims staff on claim files in litigation, construction defect, commercial auto, and general liability. As an internal business partner, you'll also contribute to profitable growth by providing risk insight, information and trends to help improve product offerings, risk assessments and policy language.  

 

What you can expect:  

• Culture of innovation, teamwork, supportive colleagues and leaders willing to invest in talent
• Internal mobility opportunities 
• Visibility to senior leaders and partnership with cross functional teams
• Opportunity to impact change
• Benefits – competitive compensation, paid time off, comprehensive wellness benefits and programs, employer funded health savings account, profit sharing, 401k, paid parental leave, employee stock purchase plan, tuition assistance and professional continuing education 

We'll count on you to:

• Examine and analyze policies, contracts and claim forms to determine coverage on complex and multi-party claims
• Use judgment to determine liability by gathering and analyzing relevant facts, utilizing applicable law and establishing basic principles of negligence
• Investigate loss in a prompt manner by telephone, correspondence or on-site investigation to determine the extent of the Company’s liability. Negotiate settlement or conclusion of claim.
• Request necessary reports, e.g., police reports, fire reports, medical records, property damage inspections, etc.
• Review and hire potential liability and medical experts needed to defend litigated and pre-suit claims
• Utilize independent adjusting services to assist in the claim investigation as appropriate. 
• Establish accurate claim reserves and re-evaluates exposures and reserves during the life of the claim
• Manage litigation by assigning counsel within the approved panel where applicable, establishing litigation plan and budget, coordinating defense lawyer activities, continuously reviewing the potential for settlement with claimant, reviewing litigation expenses and authorizing payments
• Correctly enter claim data into claim and related systems for reporting purposes 
• Conduct full Medicare lien analysis, data integrity and negotiates Medicare liens when applicable
• Recommend appropriate outside legal counsel to coordinate the defense of each suit.  Strategize and evaluate, with assistance of outside defense counsel, to determine direction of defense, e.g., defend to conclusion; compromise; or negotiate a fair and equitable settlement.  Assigns tasks, sets completion dates and establishes costs 
• Attend settlement conferences, depositions, medications, pre-trial hearings and trials when advisable
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, staying current with industry trends, establishing personal networks and participating in professional societies
• Maintain and update legal and coverage trend knowledge across multiple jurisdictions
• Present high value complex claims to senior claim leaders for authority and strategy

Qualifications

What you need to have:

• Bachelor’s Degree and 15+ years of experience in the Claims Technical area ORJuris Doctor and 4+ years of experience in the Claims and Litigation Management area 
• Must obtain and retain required adjuster licenses
• Advanced insurance coverage interpretation skills
• Understands, analyzes, and applies the component parts of an insurance policy for complex claims
• Ability to analyze contracts and other legal documents and take positions on claim issues
• Proven litigation management skills
• Advanced negotiation experience
• Strong analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Ability to determine the scope and exposure for complex claims
• Excellent verbal, written communication and presentation skills to effectively communicate coverage determinations to customers/clients/brokers for complex claims
• Ability to follow reserving process for indemnity and expense in analyzing the potential exposure of complex claims
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite

What makes you stand out:

• Knowledge of insurance regulations, markets, and products (construction defect, commercial general liability, bad faith, severe injury, wrongful death, product liability, commercial auto trucking, liquor liability, class action)
• Advanced insurance education desired, e.g., AIC, CPCU, SCLA
• Ability to leverage trends and relationships to provide high-quality customer service
• Experience collaborating in a team environment and building cross functional working relationships
• Proactively shares and promotes sharing of insights
• Well-versed in identifying, understanding and explaining complex financial and/or actuarial trends/concepts
• Ability to gather unique perspectives from other teams/functions to optimize outcomes

Additional Company Details

We do not accept any unsolicited resumes from external recruiting agencies or firms. The company offers a competitive compensation plan and robust benefits package for full time regular employees. The actual salary for this position will be determined by a number of factors, including the scope, complexity and location of the role; the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; and other conditions of employment.

Sponsorship Details

Sponsorship not Offered for this Role