Litigation Attorney Job in Garden City 11530, New York Us
At Harleysville, we pride ourselves on being “Good people to know.” Many companies sell insurance, but we offer a level of responsive and flexible service our peers can't seem to match. It's part of the small-town heritage we never intend to outgrow.
It’s not just advertising. We know that people are the core of our organization. Our employees serve a wide variety of customers–from shareholders to agents to policyholders, and the community and beyond. To serve our customers successfully, we don’t just need people. We need the right people, and the right
people need the right environment to succeed. That’s why Harleysville offers:
• A positive working atmosphere, blending honesty, integrity and professionalism
• A wide variety of career opportunities through our network of subsidiaries and field offices
• A great benefits package
Harleysville is widely respected in the insurance industry. We hold an A.M. Best rating of “A” (Excellent), and we rank among the top 70 largest property/casualty insurers in the United States.
Litigation Attorney
Harleysville Insurance currently has an excellent opportunity for a Litigation Attorney in our Garden City Litigation office. This opening may be filled at either the Trial Counsel or Senior Trial Counsel level, depending on the selected candidate's
Qualifications.
Summary:
Provide legal representation on behalf of the company and/or its insureds before courts and tribunals in a wide variety of litigation matters, including cases involving significant exposure. Manage a substantial case load that includes both personal lines and large, complex, commercial lines cases. Advise company personnel on claims management and litigation strategies. May delegate and supervise the work of legal support staff and other personnel.
This position is collaborative; the incumbent will be expected to form excellent working relationships with clients and the claims department staff. Duties are performed within parameters of established company policy and procedure, with essential latitude for independent judgment in representation of its insured defendants, in accordance with the person's status as an officer of the court. Must be professionally responsible and practice law within the parameters of the Rules of Professional Conduct of the American Bar Association and other applicable rules of professional conduct.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Primary responsibility for conducting all phases of litigation for assigned cases, including legal research, fact and site investigation, witness interviews, conducting and/or participating in depositions, preparing and answering interrogatories and other written discovery; preparing witnesses for deposition, arbitration and trial; pursuing expert witness strategies and recommending and coordinating use of expert witnesses; preparing pleadings and motions, trial briefs, requested points for charge, other necessary pretrial submissions, and all other pertinent legal documents.
Analyze and evaluate files to determine degree of potential liability and damages. Proactively develop and advise company personnel as to appropriate defense and resolution strategy. Ensure and provide prompt reporting on litigation developments, assessing impact on defense and resolution strategy.
Try significant jury and nonjury trials. Will also represent clients at arbitration and all other legal and/or ADR proceedings.
Inform and advise claim personnel as to all aspects of pending legal actions and general matters requiring legal opinions, and prepare timely and thorough written reports where required.
In absence of senior managing trial counsel, take responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the law office, including monitoring work-product, strength and quantity of case load, and ensuring conformity with standards of professional responsibility and uniform case management policies and procedures of all staff counsel in office.
Conduct training of claims and other legal personnel.
Qualifications
Education, Credentials, Experience Knowledge:
Law Degree from an accredited law school and applicable State Bar Admission required.
CLE.
At least 5-7 years of insurance defense experience with substantial trial experience, including significant experience litigating large, complex commercial lines case files.
Significant experience in specific location and surrounding counties strongly preferred.
Experience in a mid-size or large insurance defense law firm strongly preferred.
Thorough working knowledge of company claim philosophy, techniques, procedures and policy contracts.
Thorough working knowledge of civil practice and rules of court including, but not limited to, rules of civil procedure and rules of evidence of state in which the individual practices law, together with the rules of the pertinent U.S. District Court for the district of such state before which the individual practices.
Thorough working knowledge of the subjects of tort law, civil procedure, evidence, contracts, and legal and equitable remedies, as well as the specific fields of automobile law, premises liability, products liability, construction law and insurance coverage.
Job Specifications (knowledge, skills, abilities and behavior):
High level of proficiency in litigation skills, including: case management and strategy, legal research, drafting significant dispositive and other motions, legal briefs and other legal documents, conducting depositions and defending client in depositions, and/or trial preparation and trial advocacy.
Excellent analytical and legal writing skills, including the ability to draft detailed documents to assist in preparing defense for assigned cases.
Ability to interpret and apply concepts based on law, case law, company policy and procedure.
Ability to formulate legal opinions and strategies on assigned cases.
Ability to accurately convey detailed, important, complex information to others.
Research and evaluation skills with respect to information from a variety of documents, including reports, law books, journals, and on-line data systems.
Strong oral communication skills via telephone and in person.
Ability to develop and apply proactive and creative litigation techniques.
Takes ownership of his / her work product and accepts responsibility for any oversights or problems taking steps to ensure that they are not repeated.
Holds him / herself to the highest professional and ethical standards.
Takes initiative to identify and implement actions that are designed to improve individual, departmental or corporate-wide performance.
Builds and maintains cooperative and mutually rewarding partnerships both internally and externally; cultivates strong relationships with claims personnel
Values importance of providing high-quality customer service.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, genetic information, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic.
