Claim Counsel - Environmental / Professional Liability

Department: Claims Administration & Adjusting

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Home United States

Reporting To: Michelle Edborg

Compensation: $110,000 - $135,000 / year

Description

Davies North America is looking for a candidate that will be responsible for managing and resolving high-severity, complex insurance claims with a strong emphasis on coverage analysis, policy interpretation, and strategic claim resolution. The position focuses on Environmental Liability and Professional Liability claims, including exposures arising from pollution events, site contamination, and professional services.

This role serves as a key subject matter expert for coverage issues, advising internal teams and carriers on complex liability matters and ensuring claims are handled in accordance with applicable laws, environmental regulations, and company guidelines.

This role is well-suited for either an attorney with insurance coverage experience or a senior complex claims professional with deep expertise in environmental and professional liability lines.

Key Responsibilities

Coverage Analysis

• Review and interpret Environmental/Pollution Liability, Professional Liability (E&O), and related policies, including manuscript forms and endorsements.
• Analyze coverage issues including pollution conditions, gradual vs. sudden releases, remediation costs, third-party bodily injury and property damage, and professional services exposures.
• Evaluate applicability of exclusions, known conditions, prior acts, and allocation issues between covered and uncovered loss.
• Draft and issue coverage position letters, including reservations of rights and denial letters.
• Provide input on policy forms, wording, and emerging environmental coverage issues.

Claims Investigation & Strategy

• Oversee complex claims involving site contamination, environmental cleanup, regulatory actions, natural resource damages, and professional services errors or omissions.
• Coordinate with environmental consultants, engineers, remediation experts, and legal counsel to evaluate liability, causation, and damages.
• Analyze exposures related to remediation costs, business interruption, bodily injury, property damage, and long-tail environmental liabilities.
• Develop and implement strategic approaches for claim resolution, including oversight of litigation and regulatory proceedings.
• Provide carriers with independent, well-reasoned claim evaluations supported by expert analysis and investigation findings.

Negotiation & Settlement

• Evaluate exposure and make settlement recommendations, including complex cost allocation between remediation, defense, and indemnity components.
• Set and manage reserves reflecting long-tail and evolving environmental exposures.
• Negotiate settlements and participate in mediations, regulatory negotiations, and multi-party resolutions.

Regulatory Compliance & Documentation

• Ensure all claims handling complies with Department of Insurance regulations and applicable environmental regulatory frameworks.
• Maintain thorough documentation of coverage analyses, remediation strategies, and regulatory developments in the claims management system.

Collaboration & Communication

• Serve as a trusted advisor to internal teams and carriers on environmental and professional liability coverage issues and trends.
• Act as the primary liaison with coverage counsel, environmental consultants, defense counsel, insureds, brokers, and regulatory bodies.
• Provide clear reporting to carriers, including coverage analysis, exposure evaluation, and remediation strategy updates.

Skills, knowledge & expertise

Required (one of the following):

• Juris Doctor (JD) with active bar membership in good standing, or
• 7-10+ years of senior-level experience handling Environmental Liability, Pollution Liability, Professional Liability, or similar complex claims.

Also required:

• Active adjuster licenses and willingness to obtain and maintain additional licenses, as needed.
• Demonstrated expertise in coverage analysis and policy interpretation for environmental and/or professional liability lines.
• Experience issuing or advising on coverage positions, including reservations of rights and denials.
• Strong understanding of environmental exposures, remediation processes, and associated damages.
• Ability to evaluate long-tail claims, allocation issues, and multi-party liability scenarios.
• Excellent analytical, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple high-severity, complex claims independently.
• Proficiency with claims management systems and related tools.

Preferred:

• Direct experience handling pollution/environmental claims, including site remediation and regulatory matters.
• Familiarity with contractor pollution liability, environmental consultants E&O, or combined environmental/professional programs.
• Experience working closely with environmental consultants, engineers, and specialized defense counsel.
• Background in program business, specialty lines, or manuscript policy environments.

Benefits

At Davies North America, we are dedicated to supporting the well-being and future of our qualifying employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision plans to support your health and that of your family
• A 401(k) plan with employer matching
• Time-off policies, including Discretionary Time Off (DTO) for exempt employees and Paid Time Off (PTO) for non-exempt employees
• Paid holidays
• Life insurance and short-term and long-term disability coverage

Benefit offerings, eligibility, and required employer contributions may vary based on role, classification, and applicable federal, state, and local laws, including those tied to an employee's primary work location.

Where required by law, the Company provides paid sick leave, paid family and parental leave, and other mandated benefits in accordance with applicable state and local requirements.