National Insurance Law Forum
National Insurance Law Forum is a public service intended to facilitate discussion and an exchange of ideas and information among insurance industry professionals, risk managers, attorneys, policyholders, students, and others with an interest in the development of American insurance law. Members of the Forum are attorneys who concentrate their practice in insurance and bad faith law and litigation.
Authors:
Kevin Merriman
Sara Thorpe
Michael Aylward
Diane Polscer
Christopher Martin
Shaun McParland Bladwin
Kevin Merriman is partner to Ward Greenberg Heller & Reidy LLP in Rochester, NY. He handles personal, commercial, and professional lines, and surplus/excess lines issues, providing coverage analysis and representing litigants in coverage disputes. He has been an active member of the Insurance Law Committee of the Defense Research Institute as chair of its publications committee. Kevin also writes and lectures extensively on insurance law issues.
Sara Thorpe is Managing Partner of Gordon & Rees' San Francisco Office.
Michael Aylward is a Senior Partner in the Boston office of Morrison and Mahoney, LLP. His national practice involves claims, lawsuits and appeals involving insurance coverage disputes. He serves as coordinating ,trial, and appellate counsel for numerous liability insurers in personal and commercial property liability cases. He is regularly retained as an expert witness on insurance issues and writes and lectures often on insurance coverage, legal ethics and bad faith litigation.
Diane Polscer is the Managing Partner of the Portland office of Gordon & Polscer, L.L.C. She specializes in insurance coverage and commercial litigation. She is a frequent speaker and author on a wide range of insurance coverage and litigation issues. She also serves on the faculty of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. She has served in several executive leadership positions with both the Defense Research Institute and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.
Christopher Martin is a trial lawyer who specializes in bad faith litigation and insurance coverage disputes. He is licensed in Texas and Oklahoma, and is the Founding Partner of Martin, Disiere, Jefferson, & Wisdom, LLP. He is the author of three legal treatises and more than 90 articles on insurance law and insurance litigation. He has served as the Professor of Insurance Law at the University of Houston Law School for ten years and is a frequent speaker at state and national insurance seminars. He frequently serves as an expert witness, mediator and arbitrator of insurance disputes.
Shaun McParland Baldwin concentrates her practice in the areas of insurance coverage, bad faith, reinsurance and other insurance-related services, as well as appeals. Shaun has handled insurance related disputes and bad faith litigation throughout the country and has served as a binding arbitrator on insurance related matters. 
