Job Title

Litigation Attorney, APO

Location

Hybrid (Manchester, NH or Rockville Centre, NY) or Remote

Purpose and Importance of Position 

This position reports to the Leader, Litigation & Legal Reform and requires an attorney experienced in complex, high exposure litigation and with a strong background in insurance coverage and/or insurance defense. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and executing strategy for each assigned litigated matter, legal issue, and/or category of exposures (e.g., emerging liabilities or specific trends), and managing internal and external resources towards a position/resolution that recognizes the unique aspects of the matter, issue, or exposure. The Litigation Attorney consistently displays an understanding of the role’s core objective: to effectively defend policyholders and affiliates in the context of complex, high exposure claims and to timely resolve Affiliates’ exposures on commercially reasonable terms, with particular focus on creatively and effectively addressing novel theories of liability, claims grounded on thin fact and/or expert evidence, and claim types and issues that represent the potential for significant liability for policyholders and/or Affiliates.

To this end, and embedded within all aspects of this position, the successful candidate must reflect the highest level of ethical conduct and communicate effectively with all stakeholders on a variety of insurance coverage disputes and complex, high exposure claims, including with APO, Reinsurance, Finance, and Executive leadership. This role demands the consistent ability to manage company resources, boost the performance of other associates, and apply disciplined legal financial, and strategic analysis. The Litigation/Strategy Attorney role also requires a consistent display of good judgment and impact to Affiliates through material and timely positive results. The successful candidate will champion and exhibit RiverStone commitments at all times and seek to continually improve themselves and demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement in policies and processes, innovation, and a commitment to working as a team member within the unit and the broader Company.

Essential Functions

• Consistently delivers positive and timely results for RiverStone Affiliates, including by evaluating and positioning Affiliates with respect to complex, high exposure matters and resolving such matters on commercially reasonable terms
• Consistently evidences excellent judgment concerning objectives, action plans, other associates, outside partners, and adversaries
• Effectively represents RiverStone externally, including in coordinating RiverStone initiatives with co-carriers
• Provides legal counsel and support for making informed and timely decisions regarding complex, high exposure claims and claim types
• Ensures development and implementation of consistent company positions on key issues and key claim types
• Consistently evidences disciplined analysis (legal, financial, and strategic/tactical) and displays a mastery of substantive litigation-related responsibilities, including:
  • Actuarially-assisted modeling (sizing and valuation) of Affiliate’s exposure
  • Defining and executing resolution plans on complex, high exposure claims and claim types
  • Effective management of outside counsel, including budgets and plans
• Prepares cogent, high quality reports setting forth application of underlying facts to relevant legal concepts and contract provisions, potential risks involved in a given matter, recommended strategy and value
• Effectively manages internal and external company resources, including overseeing, inter alia, discovery, motion practice, trials and appeals
• Tracks relevant legal developments and advises appropriate associates of such developments
• Displays a strong commitment to RiverStone:
  • Has a developed understanding of RiverStone’s history, departments and business processes
  • Mentors, guides, and boosts the performance of other associates
  • Has a demonstrated commitment to continuously improve employee relationships as well as business practices, with documented results
• Operates independently with little management oversight of day-to-day functions
• Maintains the highest degree of confidentiality and ethics

Required Skills

• Ability to drive results, calculated risk taking and continuous improvement
• High caliber professional judgment
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills
• Experience with insurance coverage and defense issues, preferably with respect to latent claims
• Familiarity with the insurance industry
• Disciplined, structured and logical approach to problem solving
• Skill in litigation and claim management
• Ability to manage multiple projects successfully
• Proven record of delivery against deadlines
• Ability to challenge the status quo and push for constant improvement
• Customer service-oriented with the ability to develop long lasting relationships with internal and external business partners

Organizational

• Develops creative ideas and solutions to business problems and/or business opportunities
• Takes reasonable, calculated risks even if failure is possible
• Empowers self and teammates to continuously improve RiverStone’s business processes/ systems and develops and escalates ideas and solutions
• Consistently delivers superior customer service to both internal and external business partners
• Demonstrates alignment with RiverStone’s Commitments
• Prioritizes and organizes work in self-directed manner
• Performs other duties as required, including supporting and coordinating with other RiverStone associates
• Fosters an environment such that innovative thinking is encouraged
• Deepens strong customer service focus of the organization and ensures the consistent delivery of superior customer service
• Consistently demonstrates collaborative, team-based behaviors in all interactions with associates and outside counsel
• We empower people to make decisions, in a supportive environment, with accountability for outcomes

Experience

10 years of insurance coverage or defense litigation experience, whether as outside counsel or through employment in the insurance industry.

Required Education

Completion of law school with a Juris Doctorate and licensed to practice in any state or District of Columbia.

Preferred Education or Certification

• Financial training desirable
• CPCU courses desirable

Supervisory Role

The Litigation/Strategy Attorney directs the work of outside counsel (and other vendors) and also paralegals and support staff (and other internal resources) assisting on assigned matters subject to existing standards, protocols and practices.

Travel

Varies. Frequent travel at times depending on business demands, mostly domestic but occasionally international.

Work Environment / Physical Demands

This position operates in a professional cubicle based collaborative environment and must have the ability to timely produce thorough, accurate work with many competing demands, deadlines, and distractions. The position uses standard equipment such as phones, computers, copiers/printers and filing cabinets. Noise level is moderate. Other Duties (Disclaimer Statement) RiverStone retains the right to change or assign other duties to this position as needed.

Core Competencies

Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.

Problem Solving: Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; probes all fruitful sources for answers; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at the first answers.

Process Management: Good at figuring out the processes necessary to get things done; knows how to organize people and activities; understands how to separate and combine tasks into efficient flow; knows what to measure and how to measure it; can see opportunities for synergy and integration where others can’t; can simplify complex processes; gets more out of fewer resources.

Sizing Up People: Is a good judge of talent; after reasonable exposure, can articulate the strengths and limitations of people inside or outside the organization; can accurately project what people are likely to do across a variety of situations.

Ethics and Values: Adheres to an appropriate( for the setting) and effective set of core values and beliefs during both good and bad times; acts in line with those values; rewards the right values and disapproves of others; practices what he/she preaches.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

RiverStone Resources, LLC is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, LGBTQ+, national origin, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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