I Value Lawyers Mutual Because of its Claims Attorneys: Claire Modlin, Vice President of Claims

If you were asked what you value in a professional liability insurance policy, you’d probably start off with things like your coverage limits, deductibles, and premium costs.

And while those considerations are undeniably important, they only become relevant when you’re hit with a claim, or when it’s time to pay your bill.

Often overlooked is the everyday value your carrier provides.

One thing that makes Lawyers Mutual different from every other malpractice carrier in North Carolina is the everyday value provided by its seasoned staff of claims attorneys. They’ve been in private practice like you. They know what you go through every day.

And when trouble arises in a case you’re handling, they are just a phone call away. They’ll be able to objectively assess the situation and help you develop an appropriate strategy. They’ll work with you to repair the problem, prevent a claim from being made in the first place, or reduce the dollar amount of the loss.

All these services automatically come with your policy. Talk about everyday value!

To get a glimpse at how this works, we reached out to Claire Modlin, Vice President of Claims at Lawyers Mutual. She told us about a recent incident where she fielded a call from a worried insured:

How were you contacted by the insured? “By telephone.”

What was the insured’s state of mind? “The insured was feeling panicked, which is typical.”

What was going on? “The insured called me on Wednesday and had a case set for trial the following Monday. The main witness for his case had just informed him that she was going on vacation and would not attend the trial. The insured needed this witness’ testimony to prove his case. Unfortunately, the witness was not under subpoena as she was a friendly witness and had previously agreed to attend the trial and testify.”

What did you do or say? “We discussed the insured’s options, including (1) filing a motion for continuance of the case; (2) if that was not granted, going to the calendar call and explaining the situation to the judge; or (3) as a last resort, with the client’s permission, taking a voluntary dismissal of the case without prejudice and refiling within one year of the dismissal.”

What was outcome? “The insured was able to obtain a continuance of the case.”

How did insured feel afterward? “The insured was relieved to have a plan in place to deal with the issue.”

Do you enjoy helping insureds like this? “Yes, I enjoy talking insureds through a problem and trying to find a resolution. Attorneys often want to stick their head in the sand and hope a problem will go away. We encourage our insureds to call us at the first sign of a problem so we can hopefully determine a course of corrective action.”

So why do you value Lawyers Mutual? How can we provide even greater value? We’d love to hear from you.