Senior Counsel - Insurance Regulatory

Are you looking to make an impactful difference in your work, yourself, and your community? Why settle for just a job when you can land a career? At ICW Group, we are hiring team members who are ready to use their skills, curiosity, and drive to be part of our  journey as we strive to transform the insurance  carrier space. We're proud to be in business for over 50 years, and its change agents like yourself that will help us continue to deliver our mission to create the best insurance experience possible.

Headquartered in San Diego with regional offices located throughout the United States, ICW Group has been named for ten consecutive years as a Top 50 performing P&C organization offering the stability of a large, profitable and growing company combined with a focus on all things people. It's our team members who make us an employer of choice and the vibrant company we are today. We strive to make both our  internal and external communities better everyday! Learn more about why you want to be here!

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Senior Counsel is to provide insurance advice and regulatory support for underwriting, claims, product management, actuarial, and other business units within ICW Group. This role will provide legal support to workers’ compensation, difference-in-conditions, commercial package, reinsurance and excess & surplus lines of coverage. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Provides insurance regulatory support for commercial insurance operations.

• Provides legal support for all insurance operations, including those associated with workers compensation, difference-in-conditions, commercial package, reinsurance and excess & surplus lines of business.

• Provides advice and counsel on product, underwriting, claims, actuarial, reinsurance and agency distribution issues.

• Conducts research, provides alerts, and issues opinions on Company legal matters to department and company leaders.

• Monitors legal, legislative, and regulatory developments related to insurance and reinsurance.

Provides advice on insurance regulatory and compliance issues.

• Provides advice on regulatory issues, including interpretation of insurance code provisions, insurance regulations, regulatory bulletins, and other insurance department notices and directives.

• Advises affected departments concerning legislative and regulatory developments at the state and federal level. Helps develop procedures to comply with legislation and regulations. 

• Provides legal advice on underwriting guidelines, rating plans, and related documentation.

• Advises on claim handling procedures and legal considerations associated with claim related disputes.

• Reviews treaties and other documentation related to ceded and assumed reinsurance and advises on related legal issues.

• Reviews marketing materials, web site wording, and press releases in partnership with Corporate Compliance and Enterprise Marketing business units.

Assists with developing and gaining approval for commercial insurance products.

• Drafts insurance policy forms and endorsements for Commercial General Liability, Commercial Property, Inland Marine, Commercial Auto and Excess policies.

• Provides advice and counsel to product management team on the development and implementation of policy forms.

• Monitors competitor filings and emerging regulatory trends to provide proactive advice on revisions to policy forms.

• Revises insurance policy forms and endorsements in response to department of insurance objections to facilitate regulatory approval.

Interacts with departments of insurance on regulatory issues and expansion of lines of business.

• Interacts with state insurance departments on market conduct exams, regulatory inquiries, data calls, department of insurance complaints, and other insurance regulatory matters.

• Assists with issues involving the filing of rates, rules, and forms with state insurance departments. Coordinates with departments of insurance and internal business areas as necessary to gain approval of filings.

• Prepares and files applications for state admission and amendment of Certificates of Authority.  Investigates and resolves legal issues associated with admission to other states and foreign countries. Prepares and files other insurance related licensing applications as needed.

• Coordinates with departments of insurance and internal business areas on new insurance commercial lines products in jurisdictions where ICW’s underwriting subsidiaries are expanding their writings.

Assists and supports the Corporate Legal team.

• Assists General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel with insurance regulatory and corporate legal issues.

• Provides support for the management of litigation and pre-litigation disputes arising out of insurance products and company operations.

• Assists in analyzing, reviewing, and distributing information on new legislation, regulations, and court decisions.

• Reviews and assists in responding to subpoenas, documents, and business records requests.

• Provides legal advice as needed regarding corporate strategy.

• Provides legal advice and research to corporate departments by providing written or oral opinions on complex legal issues.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This role does not have supervisory responsibilities.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university and Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from ABA accredited law school required. 

• Minimum 3-5 years of related experience in an In-House Counsel role, Law Firm role, or counsel or regulatory role in a state department of insurance required. 

• Specializing in insurance is required.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

Properly authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction in which the candidate resides as either a member of the bar or as a registered in-house counsel required. 

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Knowledge of commercial insurance products and coverage issues, including those relating to Commercial General Liability and Commercial Property insurance – required.

• Experience with insurance regulatory issues, including insurance company licensing, new product approvals, market conduct exams and consumer complaints – highly preferred, but not required.

• Familiarity with excess and surplus lines legal issues – preferred but not required.

• Familiarity with ceded and assumed reinsurance legal issues – preferred but not required.

• Knowledge of workers compensation underwriting and premium audit issues – preferred but not required.

• Ability to discuss legal, business, and insurance issues with executive audiences, and employees in all departments as well as insurance regulators, insurance producers and outside counsel. 

• Ability to assist in handling sensitive personnel or corporate matters. 

• Must be able to write clear, concise, and grammatically correct legal documents, correspondence, memoranda, and opinions.

• Work with diverse personalities in every company department, including management, officers, employees, regulators, attorneys, and vendors. 

• Ability to handle multiple projects at the same time and negotiate resolutions of problems.

• Ability to apply principles of logic to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS 

Office environment – no specific or unusual physical or environmental demands and employees are regularly required to sit, walk, stand, talk, and hear.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This position operates in an office environment and requires the frequent use of a computer, telephone, copier and other standard office equipment. This position allows for a hybrid work schedule with a combination of in-office and remote work.   Occasional travel may be required.

We are currently not offering employment sponsorship for this opportunity

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The current range for this position is

This range is exclusive of fringe benefits and potential bonuses.  If hired at ICW Group, your final base salary compensation will be determined by factors unique to each candidate, including experience, education and the location of the role and considers employees performing substantially similar work.

WHY JOIN ICW GROUP?
•    Challenging work and the ability to make a difference
•    You will have a voice and feel a sense of belonging
•    We offer a competitive benefits package, with generous medical, dental, and vision plans as well as 401K retirement plans and company match
•    Bonus potential for all positions
•    Paid Time Off with an accrual rate of 5.23 hours per pay period (equal to 17 days per year)
•    11 paid holidays throughout the calendar year
•    Want to continue learning? We’ll support you 100%

ICW Group is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. ICW Group will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

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