E&O Prevention
AOA Newsletter Banner
April 2010
Agents of America

  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Benefits of AoA
  • Free eBook
  • Free Membership
  • Free Newsletter  
  • Meet the Experts  
      

  • AoA Industry Leaders

    __________________________________
     
  • Hales & Company
  • AOA Insurance Services


  • AoA Preferred Partners
    __________________________________
     
  • Insurance Tax Service
  • Mark Hunter
  • Mercer Systems, Inc.
  • Relevent
  • Robert Stuberg
  • S&A Event Services
  • ePlaceSolutions, Inc.
  • IEA Training
  • Insurance Networking News
  • WebCE


  • AoA Affiliate Partners
    __________________________________
     
  • Affinity Insurance Agency
  • E&O Pros


  • AoA Featured Articles - 
    February 2010

    __________________________________
     
  • March 4, 2010 
  • March 11, 2010
  • March 18, 2010
  • AoA Advertisers
    _______________________________




     
    Learn.com













    What is AgentsofAmerica.org?
      __________________________________
    AgentsofAmerica.ORG is an Insurance Agent's Association and indispensable resource for news, products, services, education, and industry information throughout America. The organization's Mission is to deliver the BEST people, products, information, and services to Agents on a daily basis all designed to help them manage and grow their business, increase their revenues and provide ongoing value to their clients. Our motto is "Bringing the BEST Together."

    AgentsofAmerica.ORG is offering a FREE MEMBERSHIP to anyone interested in learning about the valuable benefits the new organization offers. All members are eligible for additional discounts and access to an extensive array of other membership programs.
    Visit AgentsofAmerica.org for more information.

    AgentsofAmercia.org
    55 Meridian Parkway
    Suite 111
    Martinsburg, WV 25404

    1-877-70AOA4U
    AOA EBook Chapter 8
    Letter from the Editor
     
    This month, Chapter 8 of the AoA's eBook is available for download.  It is entitled "Employment Practices Summary," and is written by Paul J. Siegel, Esq. and Noel P. Tripp, Esq. of Jackson Lewis LLP.
     
    Hales & Company has two dates remaining for their full-day seminars - "Chart a New Course With Purpose and Passion."  Participants will come away from these seminars with the tools needed to create and enhance shareholder value. Seminars will be held at the following locations:
     
     
    May 12, 2010 - Dallas - Addison Marriott Quorum by the Galleria
    May 19, 2010 - San Francisco - San Francisco Grand Hyatt
     
     
    Hales & Company is very pleased to extend a special invitation to the members of Agents of America. The standard registration fee for the seminar is $499, but as a member of AOA, you are entitled to a reduced registration fee of only $200.  In addition, all seminar participants will receive a free copy of the book, "2010 Insurance Agency Sourcebook: A Comprehensive Analysis of Mergers & Acquisitions and Growth Strategies," a $275 value, with paid registration. The book includes 400 pages of detailed information related to M&A and best practices to create and enhance shareholder value. 
     
    To register, go to
     
     
    On April 1, 2010, AOA was pleased to co-sponsor a seminar on insurance agents and brokers at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.  Professor Andrew Whitman, an AOA member, spoke on "Agents, Brokers, Advisers and Consultants:  Retail, Wholesale, Underwriting Intermediaries and Managing General Agents."  Attorney Britton Weimer, an AOA member, spoke on "Agent Authority, Verbal Binders, Policy Reformation, and Risk Management."   We hope to have a link available shortly for AOA members.
     
        
    Finally, remember to tell your friends and associates that AgentsofAmerica.ORG is now offering FREE MEMBERSHIP, due to the support of our sponsors, advertisers and contributors.  This increases the networking possibilities for everyone involved with AoA. 
     
    Britton Weimer
    Editor
    Table of Contents

     

    Insurer vs. Insurance Agency E&O Lawsuits:

    When Your Company Is Not On Your Side
    By Colleen M. Murphy
     

    Effectively Documenting Employee Misdeeds:

    The Who What Where When Method
    By Kathleen M. Bonczyk, M.B.A., Esq.
     

    Medical Malpractice Alert

    Illinois Strikes Down Verdict Caps
    By Michael L. Vittori, David M. Holmes
    and Melissa Murphy-Petros
     
     
     
     

    Your Web Site Talks While You Sleep

    By Charles T. Wilson, CMC, CRM, RPLU
     

    The Four Step Insurance Expert

    By Edwin L. Lamont CIC, CRM
     

    At the End of the Day

    By Ed Martinez, PHR
     
     
    murphy
    Insurer vs. Insurance Agency E&O Lawsuits:
    When Your Company Is Not On Your Side

    By Colleen M. Murphy 

    "Friendship is a ship big enough to carry two in fair weather, but only one in foul..." - Ambrose Bierce 

    Insurance agents once had solid, often longstanding, relationships with the insurers with which they placed business. To some insurance agents, these business relationships seemed more like friendships.  They believed that they could count on their insurers to stand by them, even by offering an agency accommodation, in problematic claims situations.
     
     
     
    bonczykEffectively Documenting Employee Misdeeds:
    The Who What Where When Method
    By Kathleen M. Bonczyk, M.B.A., Esq.
     
    There's an old saying in the human resources/compliance profession that goes something like this:  "If it ain't documented, it didn't happen!!"
    ________________________________________________
     Ernest Agent
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     ________________________________________________
     


     

    vittoriMedical Malpractice Alert                                          

    Illinois Strikes Down Verdict Caps

    By Michael L. Vittori, David M. Holmes and Melissa Murphy-Petros

     

    On February 4, 2010, the Illinois Supreme Court, by a 4-2 ruling, invalidated an Illinois statute which established caps on the amount of non-economic damages such as pain, disfigurement and loss of consortium, that can be recovered in medical malpractice actions.  In reaching its determination in Lebron v. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital (Ill. Supreme Court Docket Nos. 105741, 105745), the court determined that the statute violated the separation of power provisions stated in the Illinois Constitution by nullifying the court's inherent power to correct excessive jury awards.  In so doing, the court essentially echoed a rationale it used in Best v. Taylor Works, 179 Ill. 2d 367 (1997), striking Illinois' previous attempt to impose caps on medical malpractice awards.

     
    littleRisk Management Redefined?
    By Roy Little
     
    I came across a small article that appeared in "FINS" (by the Wall Street Journal) early this month.   The topic of the article was about standardizing risk manager certifications, and the four which were mentioned were...
     
     
    AOA Insurance Credit Card Offer 
     
     

    hunterThe Policy You Can't Close

    By Mark Hunter

     

     

    We've all been there. After countless calls, meetings and an endless amount of work, you just can't get the prospect to say "yes" and move forward.  There can be hundreds of theories and ideas as to why this happens more times than we care to admit.  Let's put all the theories aside and get to a solution you can use right now to determine if the prospect is serious.

     
     
     

    rosaManaging Your Career - Step Four: Interview Preparation

    By Ed Rosa

     

    Have you ever gone on an interview for a job that you were really excited about?  The kind of job that could be a breakthrough for your career?  Have you ever gotten there, finished the interview and walked out thinking to yourself, "I wish I would have told the company about... because it really would have made a difference"? 

     
    read more...
     
     

    wilsonYour Web Site Talks While You Sleep

    By Charles T. Wilson, CMC, CRM, RPLU

     

    If college grads get job refusals for "pranks" and wild photos on social websites, what do you think insurance companies will do when they visit your website?

    read more...  
     
     

    lamontThe Four Step Insurance Expert

    By Edwin L. Lamont CIC, CRM

     

    Insurance agent or insurance expert; who would buyers more likely trust to protect business operations, lifestyles, and dreams? How are you viewed by prospects and clients?  More importantly, how do you view yourself?  Professional insurance agents who separate themselves from competitors by positioning themselves as experts attract prospects who want the best possible value for every dollar invested in protection plans.

     
     
     

    martinezAt the End of the Day

    By Ed Martinez, PHR

     

    Have you ever heard the expression "at the end of the day" and pondered on what it really meant? Who actually coined this phrase anyway? In my quest to find its origin, I went to my favorite search engine Google and discovered a website called LawGeek with some interesting information. Jason Schultz states on this site the Plain English Campaign has announced the English language most irritating clich�s and the number one most hated is "At the end of the day". No further research required for me. I am convinced that this clich� is the most hated and "at the end of this article" it will "give us a clue" clich�s are all too common.

     

     

    This risk management newsletter is produced in conjunction with Agents of America, www.agentsofamerica.com.  The contents of this newsletter do not constitute legal advice, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of AoA.

    This newsletter is produced in conjunction with Agents of America, www.agentsofamerica.org. The contents of which may not be reproduced without the express written permission of Agents of America.