Practice Group Team Leaders -  Joe Donley, Thorp Reed and Armstrong, Pennsylvania, jdonley@thorpreed.com

Group Profile
More than a dozen participants joined in the first call and nearly as many could not join but expressed their in participating. The participants included lawyers from Canada, Germany, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, France, South Korea, as well as from Washington DC, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Columbus (Ohio), Jackson (Mississippi) and Seattle. The call was convened at 12:00PM EST (US), thereby making it inconvenient to for participants from China, Australia, and Japan unable to participate. I will attempt to find a convenient time to join with our members in Eastern Hemisphere so that everyone may participate; I may even alternate the timing of calls. I am open to suggestions on how to accommodate everyone, especially from those not able to make the first call.
Group’s Purpose
The purpose of the group is to first assist each other with foreign disputes and then perhaps assist each other’s clients with their foreign disputes. For example, if I have a multi-national client here in Philadelphia who is served with notice from the Serious Fraud Department in England or the equivalent of a subpoena in Italy, I may wish to call on a Mackrell member in one of these countries simply to get an understanding of what my client is in for. I would then be able to share with my client at least a cursory understanding of what they have been served with and how the process in that foreign country is likely to play out. Conversely, an Italian or Australian reinsurance company served with an insolvency notice from a US regulator may wish to call a US Mackrell member to determine the content of the notice and how to proceed. That communication can be extremely helpful for the company served and will enhance that company’s opinion of its local lawyer who has been able to give the company insight into a foreign proceeding in the first instance. Depending on the circumstance, that exchange may turn into work for the foreign firm that has provided insight to the proceeding or it may not. Either way, it is a job well done and a favor deserving reciprocity.
Implementing Group’s Purpose
The only way for this to occur, however, is for us to grow comfortable with each other’s professional expertise, responsibility, and integrity. This will take time, and it will be facilitated by attending Mackrell conferences (where we might meet each other face to face), sharing developments in the law (made possible by sharing information on Mackrell insurance webpage), and then finally reaching out to each other for assistance on legal matters. The group will hold a tele-conference once every 12 weeks. The calls typically will be short and to the point: we will (i) announce any developments at our participating firms related to insurance, (ii) announce any additions of note to the participating firms’ insurance group, and (iii) discuss any shared matters between Mackrell members. In time, we hope that #3 will come to dominate the calls. These calls are to facilitate some interaction between the members but there are severe limitations on time and patience of those listening. Ideally, participating members will post relevant articles or summaries of the law on the Mackrell insurance page. Participating members can browse this information at their convenience. This will give the group as sense of your firm’s work and its area of expertise. Currently, Scott Hall (Calgary) and Thorp Reed (Philadelphia) have posted information on the site. I invite all of you to (i) learn how to post article and similar materials and (ii) to post materials from your firm. This will inform the group of your firm’s strengths.

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Insurance Practice Group cases, papers and information

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