November 23, 2021
Living the Lesson
Young was law school valedictorian at St. Louis University in 2002, where he emphasized the need for civility during his graduation ceremony address. Nineteen years later, Young says the advice still holds up, since he credits developing good relationships with clients and opposing counsel as keys to his success.
“I see a disturbing trend in many jurisdictions towards tolerance of ‘consent judgments’ in liability cases with coverage issues.”
Young, who says insurers and their counsel need to better protect against this setup by identifying susceptible claims early on.
Finding the Silver Lining
What kinds of effects has COVID-19 had on Young’s work, either in terms of running a firm as partner or managing the companies his firm represents? He says a growing acceptance of video conferencing has meant that he actually gets to discuss insurance coverage and extra-contractual files with clients “face to face” more than ever.
“Claims professionals are documenting their files better than ever, but the need for training is still important.”
Young, who notes claims departments are growing younger and younger and require education on claims best practices.
Community in the Clubhouse
Young says he started posting insurance-related content on LinkedIn because he enjoyed it and hoped that the posts would generate conversation and education on insurance issues. He says the response from people in the industry on his near-daily postings has far exceeded his wildest expectations. Recently, his “I Love Insurance” Clubhouse has also attracted nearly 1,000 members.
“Navigating the ethical issues in the tripartite relationship when there are insurance coverage issues or potential excess exposure.”
Young, on what he says is the biggest challenge facing defense attorneys today.