Education
Memberships
Professional Licenses
Bar Memberships
Background
Results-oriented professional with over 20 years of progressive experience in Surety Bond Claims, Construction and Government Law. Possesses superior negotiation skills especially in arbitration, litigation strategy, settlement conferences and mediation. Well versed in surety and construction law; effectively demonstrated. Proven leader, lawyer, manager, trainer and mentor, team builder and player.
Experience
Cashin Spinelli & Ferretti, LLC: Plantsville, CT: Regional Manager (2006-present)
Forcon International-N.E., LLC: Avon, CT: General Manager (1998-2006)
Liberty Bond Services: Plymouth Meeting, PA - Senior Surety Counsel (1995-1998)
Continental Insurance Corporation: Farmington, CT-Assistant Vice President (1992-1995)
Kirwan, Altergott & Cave: Kansas City, MO - Litigation Associate (1990-1991)
Margolin & Kirwan: Kansas City, MO - Litigation Associate (1989)
U.S. Army Legal Services Agency: Falls Church, VA - Branch Chief/Appellate Defense Attorney (1987-1989)
Office of the Staff Judge Advocate: Fort Leavenworth, KS - Trial
Counsel/Assistant Command Judge Advocate (1984-1987)
Publications
Southern Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference - "Discharge and Recoupment: Claims by a Surety Against an Obligee for Overpayment"- April 1996 ; and "Suggestions for Improved Surety Bond Claims Handling" - April 2001
Northeast Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference - "Issues and Practical Considerations for the Surety in Using Subcontractor Ratification Agreements" - November 2001 (Co-author); and "Change Orders and the Penal Sum of the Performance Bond" - September 2004
American Bar Association - "The Importance of Insurance Coverages for Sureties" - materials for the Mid-Winter Meeting of the ABA Joint Forum on the Construction Industry and TIPS Fidelity & Surety Law Committee (Co-author); January 2005
Northeast Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference - "The Surety's Salvage Opportunities Under Insurance Policies" - September 2005
American Bar Association - "Payment Bond Manual, Third Edition" - Co-editor; 2006
Surety Claims Institute - "The Role of the Consultant in the
Surety Performance Bond Default" - June 2006
Professional Achievements
Managed Northeast Offices of national surety bond consulting firms: duties included marketing, establishing budgets, training, supervising, and handling personal claim load.
Managed the handling of all of the Surety Bond Claims in the Southern Region for a large Corporation including budgets, administration, outside counsel, and operations; premiums averaged over $30,000,000. Instrumental in developing the infrastructure of a new Surety Claim operation and the response strategy for major account defaults.
Personally handled the vast majority of the claim load during the staffing up of a new operation; decision-maker on several multimillion dollar defaults.
Supervised senior claim adjusters (attorneys, accountants and other professionals.)
Investigated Payment and Performance Bond Claims on federal, state, municipal and private construction projects across the country.
Investigated, established, set and supervised the litigation strategy for all outside counsel, obtained related budgets and managed expenses of consultants.
Generated various legal documents including release agreements, repayment plans, completion and takeover contracts, notes and security agreements.
Supervised the Support Staff of large corporation; efficiently and effectively reorganized responsibilities and provided motivation for increased productivity through a team approach.
As a private lawyer, devoted practice to Surety Bond Claims and construction and government contract law.
Very knowledgeable in several legal fields including contracts, bankruptcy, municipal law, federal government procurement regulations, statutory interpretation, evidence, secured transactions, commercial paper, negotiations, appellate procedure, trial advocacy and criminal law.
Supervised and managed four attorneys representing clients on appeals before U. S. Army Court of Military Review up to and including the U. S. Supreme Court.
As private law practitioner, tried and arbitrated complex commercial litigation cases, took depositions and negotiated settlements.
Filed over l8O appellate pleadings and briefs; successfully presented oral arguments.
Speaker
Presented Seminars on Missouri Construction Law for Federal Publications, 1991
Southern Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference, 1996: "Discharge and Recoupment: Claims by a Surety Against an Obligee for Overpayment"
Southern Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference, 1997: "A Case Study of Documenting Contract Surety Financial Transactions"
Panelist at the National Bond Claims Association Conference, 1999: "Takeover By the Surety: The Obligations That You Forget About (And Wish You Hadn't)"
Panelist at the National Association of Independent Sureties; Fall 2000 Meeting, September 22, 2000: "What Obligees Expect When They Purchase a Surety Bond."
Southern Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference, 2001: "How Obligees View the Bond Product and How Claims Representatives Can Help Change That Perception"
Northeast Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference, 2001: "Issues and Practical Considerations for the Surety in Using Subcontractor Ratification Agreements"
American Bar Association (Fidelity and Surety Law Committee of the Torts and Insurance Practice Section) Spring Meeting in New Orleans, LA, May 9 and 10, 2002: "Takeover by the Surety"
National Association of Surety Bond Producers, Northeast Regional Conference, September 2002: "Surety Bond Claim Trends."
Northeast Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference, 2004: "Change Orders and the Penal Sum of the Performance Bond"
American Bar Association (ABA Joint Forum on the Construction Industry and TIPS Fidelity and Surety Law Committee): "The Importance of Insurance Coverages for Sureties" Mid-Winter Meeting in New York, NY January 27, 2005
Northeast Surety and Fidelity Claims Conference, 2005: "The Surety's Salvage Opportunities Under Insurance Policies"
American Bar Association; Co-Chair of Spring 2006 Conference in Scottsdale, AZ: Presenter of Six Payment Bond Claim Workshops
Surety Claims Institute, 2006: The Role of the Consultant in the Surety Performance
Bond Default