New York Partner Mercedes Colwin will moderate a three-person panel discussion titled "The Art of the Deal – Best Practices for Settling Management Liability Cases," on Thursday, April 6 at the annual PLUS Management & PL Symposium in Chicago, Illinois. Panelist include the Honorable Janis van Meerveld, Magistrate Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and insurance experts James F. DeDonato of the Beazley Group, and Joni F. Mason of Wells Fargo Insurance.
With more than 98 percent of management and professional liability cases being resolved before trial, Colwin will moderate an interactive panel discussion on issues surrounding mediation. This interactive panel discussion will include reviewing pre-filmed segments with the audience, and the expert panelists will discuss critical parts of a mediation and provide insight on the best methodology to use. The panel will also address when and how to effectively mediate; how to contain risks and costs of litigation and the interaction between carrier, underwriter and broker. Also, covered will be what happens when the Insured doesn’t want to settle; when there is friction between mediator and carrier; when there is a question on the value of the case and how are each of these, and other issues are resolved during the mediation process.
Mercedes Colwin is the Managing Partner of Gordon & Rees New York offices. She handles a wide variety of litigation including employment law, commercial litigation, products liability, civil rights violations and criminal law. Ms. Colwin has successfully tried 48 cases to verdict in various jurisdictions throughout the nation and regularly defends executives from Fortune 500 companies charged with allegations of wrongdoing, including claims of sexual misconduct. Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Colwin devoted several years in the public sector where she was a gubernatorial appointee as an Administrative Law Judge for the New York State Division of Human Rights. During her nine year service, while a partner at a major regional New York Law firm, she presided over three-thousand cases under the Federal and State antidiscrimination laws. Forbes Business American Airlines named Ms. Colwin one of the six most influential women in America's list that included former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Notre Dame Law School also presented Ms. Colwin with the prestigious Graciela Olivarez Award for her outstanding achievement as a leading Hispanic lawyer of the highest ethical and moral standards who exemplifies commitment to community service. Additionally, she was selected as one of the “Nations Most Powerful Employment Attorneys” by Human Resource Executive Magazine. Widely regarded as one of the top national legal analysts for the FOX News Network, she appears to discuss critical legal issues and high profile cases dominating the news.