Cover Yourself (and Your Client): Critical Insurance Considerations When Prosecuting or Defending Civil Actions

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

5:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

(Cash bar at 5:00 p.m., dinner at 5:45 p.m., program at 6:15 p.m.)

A CLE cosponsored by the Connecticut Bar Association Sections on Insurance Law and Litigation and The Insurance Law Center

Janet M. Blumberg Hall

University of Connecticut School of Law

Hartford, CT

Speakers:

Leonard Isaac, Litigation Section Chair, Isaac Law Offices LLC, Waterbury

Peter Kochenburger, Executive Director, Insurance Law Center, University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford

Edward P. McCreery III, Pullman & Comley, LLC, Bridgeport

Elizabeth J. Stewart, Murtha Cullina LLP, New Haven

Ryan M. Suerth, Ryan Suerth LLC, Madison

Moderator:

Elizabeth F. Ahlstrand, Seiger Gfeller Laurie LLP, West Hartford

Program Schedule

5:00 Registration and Cash Bar

5:45 Dinner Buffet

6:10 Introduction

6:15 Is Insurance Coverage Available for Certain Causes of Action?

6:45 Ethical Issues for Defense Counsel

7:15 Break

7:25 CUTPA/CUIPA Claims

7:55 Duty to Defend

8:20 Concluding Remarks

This seminar is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys.

 

About the Program

1. Is insurance coverage available for certain causes of action? This presentation will include a discussion of intentional vs. negligent conduct,

volitional conduct with unintended consequences, and intentional torts that are nonetheless covered under personal/advertising injury coverage.

2. Ethical issues for defense counsel. This presentation will identify an array of circumstances that pose ethical dilemmas, including the tripartite relationship between insurer, policyholder and underlying defense counsel, the right of the insurance carrier to intervene in the underlying litigation, use of jury interrogatories, use of general vs. special verdict forms, and motions to strike or for summary judgment that obtain dismissal of covered claims but leave the defendant exposed on non-covered claims.

3. CUTPA/CUIPA claims. This presentation will provide an overview of existing law, including recent developments, and potential applications (such as for post-litigation conduct).

4. Duty to defend. This presentation will explore the tensions between the duty to defend and the duty to indemnify, such as why a policyholder’s success in obtaining coverage for defense can be the death knell to underlying plaintiff’s counsel when there is no duty to indemnify.

Seminar Code: IN030713

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