Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP Appoints Scott Seaman and Ronald Kammer to Lead the Firm's Global Insurance Services Practice Group
Commanding a New Generation of Thinking
In response to Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP being branded as a "category killer" representing insurance companies, Scott M. Seaman and Ronald L. Kammer as co-chairs to the firm’s global Insurance Services Practice Group (ISG) have big plans for the team of attorneys.
As of 2014, Hinshaw created a detailed strategy to deepen the firm’s insurance practice capabilities with professionals who are recognized leaders in their field. Hinshaw honored its commitment to the insurance industry by adding more than 50 such lawyers since that time. Hinshaw now boasts one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious insurance practices with approximately 100 lawyers in offices throughout the United States and in London. ISG will be building off of the team's recognized capabilities in insurance coverage; bad faith, extra-contractual, and market conduct; reinsurance and retrocessional law; litigation management; insolvency; fidelity and surety bonds; regulatory compliance and enforcement as well as in transactional and other insurance-related areas. Attorneys within ISG as early adopters of trends and emerging issues are using this strong platform to spring into the drones and self-driving cars and related coverage issues, cyber policies and trade credit insurance programs movement of the future. Scott and Ron, though both masters in their field, represent a new generation of thinking.
“I cannot imagine a better pair to co-lead our insurance practice than Scott Seaman and Ron Kammer,” said Hinshaw Managing Partner, Robert T. Shannon. “Apart from being a tremendous leader, Scott is a luminary in the field. He has been counsel in precedent setting cases and is a prolific author and frequent speaker on insurance and reinsurance law and litigation issues” added Mr. Shannon. “Ron, as co-leader and as an outstanding lawyer in his own right, also understands the firm’s history and practices, having practiced at Hinshaw for over 30 years.’’
Scott Seaman is an eminent insurance and reinsurance lawyer who brings important experience to this vital role, having served as chairman of the national insurance litigation and counseling practice group at his prior firm. His treatise, Allocation of Losses in Complex Insurance Coverage Claims (4th Thomson Reuters 2015), addresses many of the important issues driving contemporary insurance and reinsurance disputes and has been cited by state and federal courts across the country. Mr. Seaman has a long track record of successfully representing companies before trial courts, appellate courts, and arbitration panels across the country in high-stakes matters, including cases and cessions involving general liability coverage (primary, umbrella and excess), professional liability coverage, first-party property coverage, bad faith and extra-contractual matters, fee disputes and facultative and treaty reinsurance contracts. He has served as national coverage counsel, as well as trial and appellate counsel. He also advises companies on emerging issues and a wide range of case-specific and portfolio issues. Mr. Seaman also handles international, professional liability, tort and product liability, and business and commercial matters. Mr. Seaman, who has received numerous awards and recognitions, will continue to be actively engaged in his national insurance, reinsurance, and commercial litigation practice.
“We are honored by the confidence that the firm and our colleagues have placed in us,” said Mr. Seaman. “We take great pride in the quality of our lawyers and are well positioned to provide the creative, effective, consistent, world class representation and advice that our clients have come to expect.”
Ron Kammer represents insurers nationally. He has been involved in many significant coverage disputes, including cases involving bad faith and unfair and deceptive trade practices, as well as coverage obligations for construction defect, pollution, trademark and patent infringement claims, as well as breach of policy conditions and warrants, business interruption, misrepresentation and fraud. He regularly advises insurance carriers on issues involving policy interpretation, claims handling practice and procedures and the drafting of insurance policy provisions. Mr. Kammer also practices in general civil litigation including commercial litigation and legal malpractice. He has tried cases and handled appeals involving bad faith, coverage under property, commercial general liability, excess and umbrella, professional lines, commercial and personal automobile, homeowners, fidelity bond and life insurance policies. Mr. Kammer is a fellow of the American College of Coverage and Extra-Contractual Lawyers and Past National Co-Chair of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association. Mr. Kammer also has served as an expert in both state and federal courts in legal malpractice, insurance coverage, bad faith and attorney fee disputes. He earned his J.D. (1980) from the University of Miami School of Law and his B.A. (1977), cum laude, from Macalester College.