IT Track

Cyber Liability Insurance for Law Firms: What You Need to Know
10:05 A.M. – 11:05 A.M.
A.J. Haugen, Executive Vice President of Assured Partners
Charles Caruso, Executive Vice President of Assured Partners
Rich Gatz, Claims Counsel with Coalition, Inc.
Matthew Massino, CPCU, RPLU, CPLP,. AU-M, AINS, AIS, Business Development at Coalition, Inc.

While law firms continue to grapple with a potentially long-term hybrid work environment, opportunities for increased risk are growing with data being stored both in the office and at the home office. Moreover, carriers, having faced substantial claims in the face of record-breaking data breaches, are reexamining their policy limits and raising premiums. However, technology security companies have become new players in the insurance industry. They are breaking boundaries by challenging the traditional approach to coverage policies through their security expertise, helping prevent breaches before they happen.

During this session, we will discuss the rapidly evolving cyber risks faced by law firms today, including current threats and claims trends. We will explore strategies for building an effective cyber insurance program by reviewing common coverage issues and clauses in the average policy. Moreover, we will provide actionable items you can take today through risk management policies and procedures to put your firm in the best position to secure a favorable policy and prevent potential claims.

CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hr (60 min) in the category Legal Industry/ Business Management OR CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hr (60 min) in the Subject Area of Legal Industry/ Business Management.

A.J. Haugen joined Assured Partners Jamison in 2005 and has spent the majority of his time since then developing relationships with medium and large size law firms throughout the U.S.  His responsibilities include co-managing Assured Partners Jamison’s Legal and Professional Division which is a division made up entirely of medium and large law firms located throughout the U.S.  In addition to his management role, A.J. works hands on with all of his law firm clients to secure insurance coverage and risk management consultation.  A.J. has played a key role in helping Assured Partners Jamison to expand its partnerships with the Association of Legal Administrators, the American Association for Justice, and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.  He is a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society and is currently working on his RPLU designation. A.J. is a 2000 graduate of Johns Hopkins University and current member of Johns Hopkins Lacrosse Advisory Board.  He was a three-time All American Lacrosse player and was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2018.

Charles Caruso has been with the Assured Partners Jamison organization for over 25 years and currently manages the day-to-day operations of the unit.  He also is responsible for maintaining all carrier relationships within the Brokerage Division.  He is a graduate of Monmouth College in West Long Branch, NJ and has earned a B.S. in Business Management as well as an A.A.S. in Business Administration.

Charles has concentrated his work entirely in the Professional Liability area since joining the firm.   The main focus of Charles’ work continues to be in the Lawyers Professional Liability field.

Charles is the Immediate Past President of the Professional Insurance Agents of NJ (PIANJ), a member of the Board of Directors on their Executive and Finance Committees.  In addition, Charles serves on the board of a number of other related organizations.

Charles holds a CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor) Designation as well as the Designation of CPIA (Certified Professional Insurance Agent).  He is a member of PLUS (Professional Liability Underwriting Society), a member of the New York City AIFA (Alliance of Insurance and Financial Advisors), and is a former member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Challenge Advisory Committee.  Charles is currently pursuing Registered Professional Liability Underwriter (RPLU) designation.

Rich Gatz joined Coalition as Claims Counsel in 2020. He has spent the last thirteen years working in the professional liability and financial lines claims departments of several global insurers. He has extensive experience with complex claims in various lines of insurance, including: Non-profit/Private and Public D&O, Financial Institutions E&O, Employment Practices Liability, Professional Liability, Cyber, Technology E&O, and Crime. Rich is a cyber insurance and privacy subject matter expert and a distinguished Fellow of Information Privacy with the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Rich’s primary focus is to help Insureds by simplifying the complexity of the insurance claims process and working aggressively to reduce their claim exposure and actual loss.  A professed “coverage geek” he enjoys crafting policy language that solves risk for Coalition customers. Rich has spoken on various panels and at industry conferences regarding cyber claims and coverage, data breach response, and privacy issues in technology. He is a graduate from The Ohio State University and the DePaul University School of Law. Rich is a member of the State of Illinois Bar.

Matt Massino joined Coalition in January of 2020. With 10 years of experience in the insurance industry, Matt’s current role on Coalition’s Business Development team in the North East involves marketing, education, and creating / maintaining relationships with Coalition’s broker partners and customers. During his time in the industry, Matt has earned 7 distinct insurance designations including the CPCU (Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter), the RPLU (Registered Professional Liability Underwriter), and CPLP (Cyber Professional Liability Practitioner).

Remote Is Here to Stay: Evolving Our Technology to Meet the Needs of Hybrid Employees
2:10 P.M. – 3:10 P.M.
Ryan Conlan, National Practice Director, Legal IT Services for All Covered | Konica Minolta

A 2021 survey of US executives and employees conducted by PwC revealed that 83% of employers found the shift to remote work successful, with 55% of employees preferring to be remote at least three days a week. This shift in attitude towards remote work and The Great Resignation requires that employers reassess their approach to recruiting and retention by embracing remote work. Yet, working remotely presents its challenges; how do we remove barriers to mentoring, collaboration, cross-selling and overall engagement? How do departments meet effectively when some are in the office, and others are remote? Evolving our technology to meet these needs will be essential.

This session will focus on the critical technology pieces every firm should leverage to elevate their remote work support and make hybrid work more effective for your employees and clients alike. We will explore cloud-based solutions for document management, audio and video conferencing, secretarial support tools, and remote user tech support. We will also explore technologies that will provide users a more seamless experience as they move between their in-office and home office environments.

CLM® Application Credit: 1 hr (60 min) in the category of Information Technology OR CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hr (60 min) in the Subject Area of Operations Management.

Ryan Conlan is the National Practice Director for the All Covered Legal Practice and is responsible for the marketing, sales, and direction of the legal practice. As a former IT services consultant and network engineer, Ryan has over 20 years of IT experience.  The legal practice responsibilities include the direction of the legal vertical portfolio and key clientele relationships and the vendor relationships for a myriad of best-in-class legal applications.

In the past Ryan has led sales and support teams from a startup to large organizations.  He currently manages a portfolio that ranges from IT Services, various legal technologies, VoIP, legal DMS sales and integration as well as cybersecurity for law firms. Ryan holds various industry certifications, including Microsoft, VMware, Dell, VoIP, and is a thought leader in cloud technology. Ryan is a regular speaker for legal industry associations.

Emerging Technology
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Joseph Raczynski, Technologist/Futurist, Thomson Reuters

The world is moving at an exponential rate. In fact, by 2040 it is predicted that you will be able to buy a $1,000 computer which can process as fast as the brains of all 9 billion people at that time. Imagine the change that will occur to legal documents, search, and workflow with this power. All of this technological progress will absolutely have an impact on the Legal business. In this presentation you will see what effect the major emerging technologies will have on law firms.

We will have an open forum around the following topics:

CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hr (60 min) in the category Operations Management OR CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hr (60 min) in the Subject Area of Operations Management.

Joseph Raczynski is an innovator and early adopter of all things computer related.  His primary focus is around the future of technology, and speaks globally about Legal Technology, Cybersecurity, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Cryptocurrency, NFTs, and Robotics (drone technology).  He also writes about the future of technology as it impacts the crossroads of our personal and professional lives, especially in the legal sector. Under the umbrella of Thomson Reuters, The Hearing a Legal Podcast, Joseph hosts a show with a technology focus. He also serves as a mentor with the Columbia | IBM Blockchain Accelerator, a Cybersecurity Committee Member at the University of South Florida, and is a presidential committee appointee to the American Bar Association, Center for Innovation Governing Council. 

Joseph founded wapUcom, LLP, consulting with companies in web and wireless development. As a side project DC WiFi was created to help create a web of open wireless WiFi access points across cities and educate people about wireless security. Currently Joseph is with Thomson Reuters Legal managing a team of Technologists for both the Large Law, Corporate, and Government divisions in the US. Joseph serves the top law firms in the world consulting on thought leadership, technology trends, and customizing Thomson Reuters legal technology solutions for enhanced workflows. He graduated from Providence College with a BA in Economics and Sociology, and holds a Masters in eCommerce and MBA from the University of Maryland, Global Campus. 

You can connect with Joseph at JoeTechnologist.com or JosephRaczynski.com or on Twitter @joerazz