SUMMARY
Senior attorney with diverse in-house and major law firm experience, including five years as a senior counsel for a major property and casualty insurance company. Demonstrated success in providing high-quality legal advice directly to senior management on litigation, regulatory and corporate issues in the commercial insurance and reinsurance contexts. Effectively supervised in-house legal staff, started new corporate litigation office and managed outside counsel.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
HUNTON & WILLIAMS/SHAW PITTMAN, McLean, VA 2002-Present
Counsel. Litigate and arbitrate complex insurance and reinsurance lawsuits and provide legal advice to insurance companies on diverse insurance-related issues. Analyze commercial insurance contracts issued to large corporate policyholders and work with underwriters in developing manuscript contract language.
• First-chaired reinsurance arbitration that resulted in award that saved client over $3 million.
• Reduced insurance client’s exposure to toxic tort litigation by analyzing key legal and factual issues, closely monitoring lawsuits, developing litigation strategies and preparing research memoranda and form pleadings.
• Served as lead attorney in federal district court litigation that culminated in favorable decision on complex reinsurance issue in face of contrary appellate case law nationwide.
• Received special written recognition from client’s general counsel for high-quality handling and successful resolution of software licensing lawsuit.
BOTTI & LAWRENCE, Ventura, CA 1999-2002
Founding Partner. Started new law firm with no existing clients. Provided advice on intellectual property, employment, corporate formation and litigation matters. Negotiated and drafted commercial agreements, including licensing, employment, partnership and buy-sell agreements.
• Quickly established strong client base of over twenty companies through direct mail campaign, legal seminars for businesses and networking with local companies.
• Successfully protected trade and service marks of national leather goods manufacturer through cease and desist letters, negotiations and litigation.
• Effectively addressed diverse legal issues and problems that clients faced by developing and mastering new expertise in areas such as trademark, copyright, employment, partnership and corporate formation.
CIGNA CORPORATION 1994-1999
Managing Attorney, Los Angeles, CA (1997-1999). Started and managed new corporate litigation office in Los Angeles. Hired, supervised and evaluated legal staff. Managed and handled major commercial lawsuits.
• Earned two off-cycle promotions during five year tenure at CIGNA.
• Addressed mounting outside legal fees by proposing Los Angeles office to senior management and obtaining approval. Formed office within several months and significantly reduced outside litigation costs in California and other states.
• Hired legal staff that had never worked together or represented CIGNA. Motivated staff through positive work environment, constructive communication and concern for professional development. Educated lawyers on CIGNA practices and procedures through staff meetings and seminars.
• Assumed responsibility for cases handled by major national law firm based in Los Angeles. Successfully litigated and resolved cases at fraction of law firm’s costs.
Senior Counsel, Philadelphia, PA (1994-1997). Worked directly with senior management in home office legal department. Provided legal advice on litigation, corporate and regulatory issues. Opened new corporate litigation offices and managed outside counsel.
• Reduced company’s outside legal fees by tens of millions of dollars by developing and implementing innovative cost-cutting strategies through in-house litigation offices and internalization of litigation tasks.
• As part of cost-cutting measures, opened and managed new litigation offices in Chicago, Illinois and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, which reduced outside legal fees by successfully litigating commercial cases in lieu of outside counsel.
• Negotiated and favorably resolved multi-million dollar business disputes and settled difficult cases through use of creative alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Name Partner, Howard, Racz & Lawrence, Savannah, GA
Senior Associate, Wiley, Rein & Fielding, Washington, DC
Associate, Hufstedler, Miller, Kaus & Beardsley, Los Angeles, CA
EDUCATION
University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1985
Notes Editor, Virginia Law Review
University of Virginia, B.A., 1981
BAR ADMISSIONS
California (1985), District of Columbia (1989), Georgia (1993) and Virginia (2003) |
