Experiencing the CLM Annual Conference

We asked CLM Annual Conference attendees two questions about their experiences.

As a First-Time Attendee, What Drew You to the Show?

“I have another coworker who is coming and I believe last year was my supervisor’s first time that she attended. My supervisor thought this would be a good conference for me to attend. I work in workers’ compensation as an adjuster for Houston’s metro transportation and I am looking forward to the sessions. I’ve been a member for maybe two years now. I attend local chapter events so I am getting acclimated and enjoying it.”

Tammy Nicholas, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas

“I’ve been a member for less than a year. I’m looking forward to meeting as many people as possible. I have also signed up for a lot of the [continuing education-approved sessions]—anything I could get my hands on, I signed up for.”

Brandon Best, Bush & Ramirez, PLLC

“I’m looking forward to networking and hearing other claims professionals’ opinions. I’m [also] looking forward to the technology in claims sessions. I just became a scrum master and a product owner on the tech side, so I’m interested to see how to combine the two fields.”

Danielle Banks, CIS Group of Companies

“I recently started at my law firm as a litigator and a number of the partners in my office are heavily involved in insurance, so one of the partners invited me to come check it out. I’ve only been a CLM member for a month; I’m a really young lawyer. I’m interested in doing more trial work, so I tried to pick sessions that were fitting that skill set.”

Zachary Jacobs, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP

After a Full Day of Educational Sessions, What Is Something New You Learned?

“I learned more about the impact that social inflation is having on settling and trying cases, and how the overall valuation of cases is changing. Being able to hear the different perspectives of both claims professionals and defense counsel was very helpful.”

Lauren Graydon, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

“I attended the session ‘Social Inflation: Navigating the Impact on Claims and Litigation,’ and one issue they talked about was nuclear verdicts. A big problem is how organized the plaintiff’s bar is versus the defense side, and how the messaging the public receives through social media, radio, and television is one-sided, making it really important to educate the public on that piece.”

Kelly Petter, Gerber Ciano Kelly Brady LLP

“I sat in on the session ‘Check Me Out, Check You Out,’ hosted by a number of women in the industry, and what I think was the most effective part of the conversation was how biased we are and don’t realize it, especially when it comes to hiring. I intend to take the information I learned back to my firm for our hiring committees and our managing partners to consider.”

John H. Toohey, Bremer Whyte Brown & O’Meara, LLP

“I went to a very informative session, ‘Beyond Words: Nonverbal Communications in Claims and Litigation,’ with five dynamic speakers coming from different perspectives, including an FBI agent. Nonverbal issues and signs were discussed along with how people may or may not be telling the truth. Some of the tips I learned could be used in depositions, certainly in trials, and hopefully in mediations.”

Tad Eckenrode, Eckenrode-Maupin