MGC's practice area leader for litigation is this year's Outside Counsel Professional of the Year
Following Father’s Footsteps
Keister says he found insurance defense in his own backyard—literally. His dad was a small-town attorney who focused on a few different areas of law, one of which was handling defense work for several carriers. Working for his dad’s firm growing up, Keister knew when he graduated law school that he wanted to focus his attention on litigation firms and says he was fortunate to find a then 20-lawyer MGC.
“Having friends across the country in this industry will help you in more ways than you can imagine.”
Keister, offering advice to younger professionals. He adds that, in addition to forming connections, being willing to learn from others is a key to success.
Risky Business
Does Keister think the world is becoming more or less risky? He says with some of the cyber issues out there and knowing what we know about social inflation, it’s tough to say it is less risky these days. However, he thinks there are some positive signs in certain parts of the country when it comes to litigation. The challenge he and his firm have now is partnering with their clients to find the right cases to be aggressive on and take to trial.
“I think the turnover and talent exodus in our industry is an issue for both firms and carriers, and has been a disruption to claims handling.”
Keister, who says it’s a dangerous world out there for the wrong case, but opportunities still exist for finding the right cases to try.
Trends in Litigation
Keister says the continued confidence of the plaintiff’s bar is the biggest trend that he is seeing. Because of this confidence, he says even getting to resolution on cases they don’t try is becoming more difficult. His solution? Triage quickly, find cohesion in strategy, and try to find ways to resolve cases early in order to avoid seeing the double-spike of indemnity and defense.
“Finding an industry organization that allows me to connect and give back—and to do it with so many great people—was just the perfect mesh.”
Keister, describing what he loves most about CLM. He has been a Member since 2013.
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Eric Gilkey is vice president of content at the CLM, and serves as executive editor of CLM magazine, the flagship publication of the CLM. eric.gilkey@theclm.org
