The newly formed American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel (ACCEC) brings together leading lawyers from the United States and Canada to raise the proverbial bar on the practice of insurance law.

Designed to represent the interests of both insurers and policyholders, the ACCEC focuses on the creative, ethical, and efficient adjudication of disputes about 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.

The main goal of the organization is to educate all sectors involved in insurance disputes—including the judiciary, legal and insurance professionals, and businesses—about critical topics, such as best practices in policy formation and claims handling. Another important component, organizers say, is to continue increasing civility and professionalism in the field, thereby improving relations between insurer and policyholder counsel. The intended result is better collaboration and better representation.

“The time seemed right to bring together lawyers who represent some of the best minds practicing in a range of legal and insurance disciplines,” said 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. “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.

“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,” he adds.

Edward J. (Ned) Currie, Jr., a founding shareholder in Currie Johnson Griffin Gaines & Myers, P.A., will serve as ACCEC secretary and treasurer, while the college's founding Board of Regents members are as follows:

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
Richard T. Phillips, partner, Smith Phillips Mitchell & Scott LLP
Gale White, partner, White and Williams LLP

For more information about the organization and its aims, visit americancollegecec.org.

Special Reports /

ACCEC Aims To 'Raise The Bar' In Insurance Law

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