Every industry needs feedback from its end-users. The legal industry is no different. You need to know whether your clients are satisfied with your services. The only way to obtain that information is by asking, whether by a survey or some other form of case evaluation feedback. At the conclusion of a case, I like to communicate with the insurance adjuster I’ve been working with to make sure I’ve met her needs and expectations. More than that, I want to have exceeded her needs and expectations. But that sort of case evaluation feedback doesn’t usually come about passively. I have...
Minimum Financial Responsibility Requirements The Motor Carrier Act of 1980 requires that a commercial motor vehicle “has in effect the minimum levels of minimum responsibility,” in the form of liability insurance which ranges from $750,000.00 to $5,000,000.00 per accident, depending on the type of commodity being transported. Proof of the required financial responsibility must be maintained at the motor carrier’s place of business. The MCS-90 endorsement is the required proof that the motor carrier is in compliance with the federal regulations. However, “the endorsement is not a warranty by the insurer that the limits shown meet federal minimums; it is the motor carrier’s obligation –...
When your insurance client has assigned a case to you, they have an expectation that you are going to undertake certain courses of action with or without specific instructions. They are relying on you to handle the case in an efficient and effective manner. I have derived this list from talking points at a panel counsel session with one of my firm‘s insurance clients. What are nine things you should do after being assigned a case? 1. Establish prompt contact with the insured(s). You are the insured’s conduit to the legal system. Once you’ve been assigned a case, the insured becomes your...
Insurance companies and risk management services are becoming increasingly more savvy about performance metrics than are the attorneys and firms who are being measured against them. Many attorneys are unaware of the categories and parameters they are being evaluated against. And unless a lawyer has a particularly candid with his insurance client, he is likely in the dark as to how he compares to other panel counsel. Below are some common performance metrics categories being used to analyze attorney efficiency and effectiveness: How long are your files open? The cycle time can be an indicator of how efficiently attorneys are managing...
Without more, a medical payment made by an insurance company is not an admission of liability and is inadmissible as evidence.
A UIM insurer does not have a subrogation interest in Lambert advance; the recovery by the insurer from the tortfeasor of a Lambert advance does not create a common fund; and the UIM insurer should not be required to pay attorney’s fees for the recovery of the Lambert advance under the common-fund doctrine.
In Alabama, an insurer would not likely be liable to provide insurance coverage for its insured in instances of road rage or other criminal acts tangentially related to the use of a vehicle.
A trial court may abuse its discretion by allowing a plaintiff to amend his complaint in too-close proximity to trial.
The Alabama Insurance Code requires only that an insurable interest in a life insurance policy exists at which the time at which the policy becomes effective.
Whether an entity has apparent authority to accept notice of an insured’s claim on behalf of companies is an issue of fact that precludes summary judgment.
