In the wake of recent well-publicized public relations nightmares, your friends at PL Matters considered the impact of PR firms on professionals. Public relations are a critical aspect of maintaining status in the public eye, communicating a message to consumers, and helping to promote a positive image. As a result, professionals often rely on outside PR professionals, both for their own business needs and the needs of their clients. But have you considered the implications of disclosing sensitive information to an outside PR firm?…
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A Recap of 2016
There was considerable activity within the professional liability community in 2016. As a result, there was much to discuss. As we’ve done in past years, we’ve taken a close look at what was most interesting to you in 2016 with an eye toward maintaining your interest this year. Like 2015, thousands of you read about the risk management issues facing a response to legal audit letters. You were also very interested in the FLSA and FMLA. Many readers were interested in the tricky …
Continue ReadingThe New Fiduciary Rule: Are you Prepared?
The Department of Labor recently announced its new Fiduciary Rule – aka the “conflicts of interest rule.” This new rule expands the definition of fiduciary and alters how investment advice is delivered in retirement accounts. It won’t go into effect for at least another year, but it’s not too early to start thinking about how the changes will affect the professionals who render this advice.
In short, the new rule will require all financial advisers to act in their customers’ best interests. Contrary to popular …
Continue ReadingWe Need Your Vote! Round 2
Hello, blog readers! We told you last month that Professional Liability Matters has been nominated in The Expert Institute’s “2015 Best Legal Blog Contest.” We have good news to share: We’ve made it to round 2!
Over the past month, this contest received more than 2,000 nominations and has now narrowed the field to just 250 of the “most exciting, entertaining, and informative legal blogs online today.” Professional Liability Matters is among the 250 finalists and is listed in the “Labor and Employment” category.
To …
Continue ReadingWe Need Your Vote!
Attention blog readers! We are proud to announce that Professional Liability Matters has been nominated in The Expert Institute’s “2015 Best Legal Blog Contest.” To be officially named one of the best legal blogs, we’ll need your help! There is a two-step process to this contest: first, blogs need to be nominated by our readers. Then, the blogs that receive the most nominations make it to the voting round.
So, if you’d like to nominate Professional Liability Matters, click here for the official submission form! …
Continue ReadingNationwide Certificate of Merit Survey
A growing number of states have enacted some version of an “affidavit of merit” statute in professional malpractice matters. The intended purpose behind these laws is to reduce “unnecessary” or unsupported lawsuits against licensed professionals. In states such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and others, plaintiffs in malpractice litigation must certify through an impartial professional in the defendant’s field that there is a fundamental basis for the complaint. While the specifics of the particular statute in each state may differ in terms of scope and application, …
Continue ReadingNew Reinsurance Deskbook from Thomson Reuters and DRI Features Thomas Segalla as Editor, Seven Goldberg Segalla Contributors
Goldberg Segalla founding partner Thomas F. Segalla led the team of lawyers who wrote the inaugural edition of the Reinsurance Professional’s Deskbook: A Practical Guide, a new treatise co-produced by leading legal publisher Thomson Reuters and DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar, the largest organization of defense lawyers in the country.
The Reinsurance Professional’s Deskbook is a comprehensive resource that explores in depth traditional insurance and reinsurance concepts as well as emerging trends in today’s insurance markets, with a focus on …
Continue ReadingPL Matters Reaches 50,000th Hit
We’ve reached a milestone! PL Matters is pleased to report that we recently passed our 50,000th hit. We are humbled that thousands of professionals and employers (and our family members) decided to spend a few minutes — maybe more — on our site. Over the next 50,000 hits, we will continue working toward our goal of providing relevant and insightful content regarding the trends, legal developments, decisions, and breaking news impacting the professional liability community. Thank you for your time and your interest.…
Continue ReadingThe Inevitable Question: Who Hired You?
Invariably, during the representation of a professional, defense counsel may be asked by his or her adversary: who hired you? For a variety of reasons, opposing counsel may be interested in whether you were retained directly by the professional or you were appointed as defense counsel by an insurance company. A perfectly reasonable and appropriate response to this question could be: it’s none of your business.
In most scenarios, the identify of who pays an attorney’s invoices is not considered privileged information. In other words, …
Continue ReadingABA’s Blawg 100 – Nominations Due August 9th
The ABA Journal is putting together its annual list of the 100 best legal blogs, based on reader votes. As publishers of Professional Liability Matters, we are proud to be considered for this prestigious list — and we would be honored if you would help. If you enjoy visiting Professional Liability Matters, and believe it is worthy of industry recognition, please click here to visit the ABA Blawg 100 Amici page and nominate us before the August 9 deadline. Thank you!…
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