Legally Qualified

Insurance companies facing a bad faith claim are at risk for extra contractual damages—additional damages above the existing limits to a policy. RumbergerKirk insurance coverage attorneys Brett Carey and Candy Messersmith discuss good faith duties and strategies for preventing and defending bad faith claims.

In an effort to reduce litigation and improve communications between insureds and insurers in the state of Florida, the legislature enacted changes to increase transparency throughout the claims handling process. RumbergerKirk attorneys Allan Rotlewicz and Robert Barton discuss legislative changes to Florida Statutes and what those changes mean moving forward for insurers beginning in January 2023.

Florida has the most open public records law in the country so it is imperative that public entities and businesses that work with them have a thorough understanding of what constitutes a public record and how to appropriately respond to public records requests. RumbergerKirk attorneys discuss what public records are, outline the consequences when public entities mishandle or ignore requests, review specific examples and share what public entities can do to ensure compliance and protect themselves from costly litigation.

The past two years have been tough on economies worldwide and the future continues to be uncertain for a number of industries. From continued supply chain challenges and the effects of the pandemic, RumbergerKirk Bankruptcy & Commercial Litigation attorney Scott Williams talks with Jennifer Kimble, the 2022 Chair of the International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) and corporate restructuring attorney at Lowenstein Sandler in New York about the outlook for insolvency and restructuring in the year ahead.

In light of the recent Supreme Court decisions regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates, employment and Labor Attorneys Sally Culley and Chase Hattaway look at the legal implications of requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees and share key considerations in helping employers decide the best option for their workforce.

The education system in Florida has undergone a transformation over the last 50 years that has altered the relationship between management and unions. Employment and Labor attorney and RumbergerKirk partner Leonard Dietzen talks with Bill Graham, the recently retired Executive Director of the Florida Educational Negotiators, about the historical perspective that created the current situation and what educators and administrators can do to navigate the rough waters that lie ahead.

Attorneys Mike Forte and Vince Saccomando discuss defense strategies for automotive and trucking accidents in the U.S. with both foreign and U.S. defendants. They outline what insurers should know in handling these claims from types of damages to tools for resolution. Mike Forte, a partner in the Tampa office of RumbergerKirk, and Vince Saccomando, a partner with the law firm of Barclay Damon, both practice in the areas of trucking, casualty and product liability and often handle personal injury claims for Canadians, as well as US defendants.

RumbergerKirk employment and labor attorney Linda Bond Edwards talks with Janelle Lester who works as the Lead Compliance Officer at Marsh McLennan. They discuss the efforts of companies to embrace and improve diversity, equity and inclusion and specifically Marsh McLennan's DE&I initiatives as ideas to help companies incorporate these principles into their culture.

RumbergerKirk attorneys Pete Tepley and Rebecca Beers talk with Joe Borg, Director of the Alabama Securities Commission about issues related to both aging investors and securities professionals and what protections regulators and the industry have put in place nationally and in Alabama to safeguard against these risks. 

RumbergerKirk attorney Shenele Pettis Bright talks with LaShawnda Jackson, a partner at RumbergerKirk and the first Black president of the Orange County Bar Association and Judge Alicia Latimore, the first Black female Circuit Judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida about their inspirational paths to success and what others can learn from their journeys.

Attorneys Sally Culley and Chase Hattaway discuss legal implications of requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees and share key considerations in helping employers decide the best option for their workforce.

RumbergerKirk attorneys Carie Hall and Rebecca Arends talk about lessons learned along their journeys of becoming successful attorneys, challenges they've faced and advice for anyone looking to succeed in a legal career.