A number of our BatesCarey LLP attorneys participated in and presented at the 22nd Annual Railroad Liability Seminar in Oklahoma City, OK, held last month from June 23 to June 25, 2015.  The Railroad Liability Seminar is nationally recognized as a resource for shortline and regional railroads that confront liability, insurance, contractual indemnity, and other issues unique to...

Robert J. Bates, Jr. will be leading a panel discussion entitled, "The Wall: A Close Look at the Persistent Problems Facing In-House Law Departments Simultaneously Giving Direct-Side Coverage Advice and Monitoring the Company's Reinsurance Program." The panel discussion is hosted by the ABA on March 6, 2015 in Tucson, Arizona. The discussion will be led by Robert J. Bates of...

Michael T. Skoglund will be leading a panel discussion entitled, "Exploring the Excess Exposure Playbook: What to Do (and Not Do) When a Claim Presents Exposure in Excess of Coverage." The panel discussion is hosted by the ABA on March 5, 2015 in Tucson, Arizona. The discussion will be led by Michael T. Skoglund of BatesCarey LLP, Kelly Castriotta of Arch Insurance Group, Dana A. Ferestien of Williams Kastner & Gibbs, and William T. Um of Hunton & Williams, for the ABA Section of Litigation 2015 Insurance Coverage Litigation CLE Seminar.

R. Patrick Bedell will be leading a panel discussion entitled, "Transition from Primary to Excess Coverage: Effortless Step or Grand Canyon Leap?" The panel discussion is hosted by the ABA on March 5, 2015 in Tucson, Arizona. The discussion will be led by Patrick Bedell of BatesCarey LLP, Patrick J. McGrath of Navigant Consulting, William Howard of Zurich Insurance Group, and Benedict M. Lenhart of Covington & Burling, for the ABA Section of Litigation 2015 Insurance Coverage Litigation CLE Seminar.

BatesCarey LLP partner, Adam H. Fleischer, will present a webinar titled Independent Counsel: When Required & Strategies for Defense. The half-hour webinar is presented through the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) 2015 Webinar Series. It will take place on Wednesday, March 11 at 11 a.m. central. For registration, click here.

In recent months, courts have issued numerous decisions impacting both the liability exposures frequently seen on the professional liability front, as well as the insurance coverage issues arising from those liabilities. To keep you abreast of these developments, we provide below a summary of those recent professional liability decisions. As an overview, the decisions generally fall into these categories, addressing the following issues:

Robert J. Bates, Jr., Arthur F. Brandt, and Michael H. Passman contributed to the 2014 edition of "Commercial and Professional Liability Insurance," an Illinois insurance law handbook published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Robert J. Bates, Jr. and Arthur F. Brandt co-authored the chapter on the pollution exclusion. Michael H. Passman authored the chapter on declaratory judgment litigation. The book can be ordered here.

On September 17, 2014, Michael H. Passman presented on "Reservation of Rights and Estoppel" at "Handling Insurance Coverage Disputes," an Illinois insurance law conference in Bloomington, Illinois organized by the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Michael's presentation included a discussion of (1) the options available to an insurer upon receiving a potentially covered claim, (2) reservation of rights letters, (3) how a reservation of rights letter effects the relationship between the insurer and the insured (including a discussion of the independent counsel rule), and (4) the Illinois estoppel rule.

Maria G. Enriquez will be attending the Women's Business Development Center's 28th Annual Entrepreneurial Woman's Conference in Chicago on September 17, 2014. The Women's Business Development Center focuses on meeting the needs of women and minority business owners in the Midwest. The conference offers women the opportunity to build relationships with potential clients, business experts, and other women business owners. For more information, please click here. On-site registration is available beginning at 7:30 a.m. at McCormick Place-West, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL.

A new Illinois appellate decision clarified 35 years of confusing precedent, and shed light on a challenging coverage question: When an exonerated prisoner sues a public entity for malicious prosecution, is the public entity's insurance triggered in the year in which the wrongful evidence or coerced confessions were first fabricated, or is insurance triggered in the year when the exoneration occurs and the tort of malicious prosecution ripens? This coverage debate may be of growing significance, given that criminal exonerations seem to be increasing across the country.