Tom Player is participating in the Blue Water Strategy Survey sponsored by the Society of Actuaries’ Futurism, Marketing and Distribution and Technology Sections. The survey exams future distribution alternatives for the U.S. life insurance industry.
On February 15, 2008, Joe Cregan testified before the House Insurance Committee in opposition to pending HB 378, which was opposed by a number of insurance companies, trade associations and agent groups.
Skip Myers lectured at the RRGs 101 course at the Captive Insurance Companies Association annual conference in Scottsdale, AZ on March 5.
Mac Hunter, a partner in the firm’s governmental practice group, engaged in a point/counterpoint with Senator Charles Grassley (R. Iowa) in the January 6, 2008, edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Senator Grassley is the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee and is questioning the tax-exempt status of media-based ministries. Mac represents the New Birth Baptist Church with respect to Senator Grassley’s inquiry. His article emphasized the importance of governmental neutrality in applying the Constitution’s Free Exercise Clause and questioned whether the investigation was a disguised deprecation of the church’s advocacy of personal prosperity.
In November, Tom Player participated in the Fasano Life Settlement Conference held in Washington, D.C.
On December 13, 2007, Joe Cregan spoke at the annual luncheon meeting of the Georgia Surplus Lines Association in Dunwoody Georgia, addressing the status of pending federal legislation affecting multi-state surplus lines transaction taxation and regulation.
Donna Fuller participated in the Life and Health Compliance Association (LHCA) meeting January 23-25, 2008, held in Panama City, Florida.
Skip Myers will be speaking on the captive aspects of insurance taxation to the Federal Bar Insurance Taxation conference in Washington, DC on May 22.
As a guest of Bill Rabel, who is now a professor at the University of Alabama, Tom Player presented a lecture to the Alabama Insurance Society entitled, “Terrorism: An Insurable Event or a Social Liability.”
Our friend and colleague Bill Megna has started a new insurance management office in Princeton, NJ, which will be known as Definitive Insurance Management Services, Inc. (DIMS). The firm will specialize in government relations, the formation and management of insurance entities, and product development. All of us at MMM wish Bill the very best.
Skip Myers will be one of the instructors in the ICCIE course on Risk Retention Group law and practice. The course will be on-line and will start on April 1.
On March 6, Joe Holahan spoke at the 2008 Law Forum sponsored by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). The topic of Mr. Holahan’s presentation was “Legal Considerations for Designing an Employee Wellness Program.”
On March 7, 2008, a Preliminary Injunction was issued by the U.S. District Court (Sacramento, CA) against the State of California prohibiting the Department of Insurance from enforcing its Cease and Desist Order against Auto Dealers Risk Retention Group. Skip Myers, as General Counsel for the National Risk Retention Association, with help from Cindy Chang, filed an amicus curiae brief with the court that was frequently cited in the opinion.
Skip Myers and Lew Hassett to Co-Chair Insurance and Reinsurance Group at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
January 14, 2008
Robert H. (“Skip”) Myers and Lewis E. Hassett have been named Co-Chairs of the Insurance and Reinsurance Group at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP. Mr. Myers specializes in insurance regulatory and antitrust matters and is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Hassett focuses on insurance and reinsurance litigation and arbitrations and is based in the firm’s Atlanta office. Tom Player, formerly Chairman of the Group, will continue as a Senior Partner.
“This is a natural evolution of the Group’s leadership. Skip and Lew bring a broad scope and focused strength to the direction of the Group,” said Player. Player will continue practicing with the Group, concentrating on judging arbitrations and multi-state regulatory matters.
“We have some big shoes to fill,” said Hassett, “but are well-positioned for the future.” Adds Myers, “We are fortunate that Tom will continue to lend his knowledge and judgment to our Group.”
The Group represents insurers, reinsurers, agencies, program managers and administrators in a broad array of matters, including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, corporate governance issues, corporate reorganizations, litigation and arbitrations, coverage matters, agency liability, regulatory matters, insolvencies, captives, and tax and securities issues. For example, during 2007, attorneys for the Group represented private equity firms, Texas Pacific Group and Calera Capital in securing regulatory approvals for the $635 million acquisition of Direct General; represented Lincoln Financial Group in its comprehensive reorganization of its insurance companies; and represented Goldman Sachs in a major life insurance assumption transaction.
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