Related Practices
Zelle Attorneys to Present at PLRB Western Regional Adjusters Conference
June 24, 2025Zelle attorneys, Lindsey Davis, Brandt Johnson, and Jessica Port will present at the PLRB Western Regional Adjusters Conference in Glendale, AZ on June 23 - 26, 2025.
Lindsey Davis, a partner in Zelle's Minneapolis, MN office, will present "Avoiding Bad Faith Allegations in the Adjustment of First-Party Property Claims".
It is crucial that adjusters and insurance professionals know what it takes not only to successfully defend against bad faith claims once they are brought, but how to better avoid them in the first place. This course is intended to give adjusters and insurance professionals a thorough knowledge and understanding of good faith claim handling practices and practical and effective claim-file management in the context of first-party property claims.
June 24, 2025, from 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm (MST) and August 25, 2025, from 10:30 am - 12:00 am (MST).
Brandt Johnson, a partner in Zelle's Dallas, TX office, will present "Full of Hot Air or a Legitimate Hail or Wind Claim?" with Howard Altschule (Forensic Weather Consultants) and Annette Tarquinio (Engle Martin and Associates).
Active weather patterns, including during El Nino and La Nina years, has caused the frequency and severity of hail, wind, tornadoes, derechos, and hurricanes to increase in different parts of the country over the past several years, including in 2024. Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused major wind, storm surge, and flash flooding damage from parts of Florida up through parts of the mid-Atlantic states. With so many perils and the deluge of insurance claims, the need for reliable, site-specific weather information from knowledgeable and experienced experts has never been more important.
Attendees will learn about the different sources of weather information that are available on the internet and how they’re frequently not representative of what occurred at the property location. We will also discuss automated vendor hail and wind reports, their accuracy, and how they’ve come under more scrutiny with the courts.
The presentation will take place on June 24, 2025, from 9:00 am - 10:30 am (MST) and June 25, 2025, from 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm (MST).
Jessica Port, a senior associate in Zelle’s Washington, DC office, will present “In Defense of the Insurance Adjuster: How to Navigate Written and Implied Duties.” Jessica will be joined in the presentation by Gene Strother (Adjust U).
This interactive class trains adjusters on how to defensively navigate the many ethical requirements of insurance adjusters. Attendees will learn to recognize the inherent conflict of loyalties in their career, and receive instruction on the claims-adjusting actions that are required and prohibited by various ethics codes, rules, and regulations. This instruction will then be applied through case studies, with full participation from the attendees.
The case studies are based upon real-life situations where courts scrutinized the actions of insurance adjusters during the claims handling process to determine whether the insurer acted in bad faith. Throughout, the presenters will identify “red flags” signaling potential bad faith scenarios and offer tips on avoiding and adjusting defensively against bad faith accusations.
The presentation will take place on June 24, 2025, from 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm (MST) and August 25, 2025, from 10:30 am - 12:00 am (MST).
