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May 2022: The 2022 Annual E&O Loss Control Webinars

May 2022 | Volume 37, Number 5

It is hard to believe, but this year marks the 35^th anniversary of the Big I NY annual E&O seminars. The very first of what would ultimately become the annual E&O seminars, was presented for Big I NY (which at that time was known as IIAANY) on March 6, 1987, by our good friend Herb Lustig. I still have the VHS video of that first E&O seminar if anyone is interested in watching it with me! During the thirty-five years that have passed since the first seminar was presented, approximately 50,000 New York insurance agents and brokers have attended the Big I NY annual E&O loss control seminars.

Based upon feedback from NY and CT insurance agents and brokers about the ease and convenience of attending webinars versus live seminars, the annual E&O presentations this year will again be provided virtually as webinars. The calendar for the annual E&O webinars has been released and five (5) dates have been set. The webinars will be presented on May 11^th (9:00 am), May 19^th(1:00 pm), June 7^th (9:00 am), July 12^th(1:00 pm) and September 12^th (9:00 am).

If you are interested in attending one of the upcoming E&O webinars, please contact either Big I NY or Big I CT to register. The webinar has been approved for continuing education credit in both NY and CT. Attendance at the webinar qualifies NY licensees for 3.0 continuing education credits for all New York licenses. Licensed Connecticut webinar attendees will receive 3.0 LRE (Laws/Regulations/Ethics) credits. During the annual E&O webinar we will provide important information regarding the trends and key issues that all New York and Connecticut insurance agents and brokers should be aware of.

As usual, this year's annual E&O webinars will be presented by me, Jim Keidel, along with my partner, Chris Weldon. In addition, as we have done for the past few years, Brian Bixby, the President of IAAC, Inc. for New York and the President of IAS for Connecticut, will join us in presenting the webinars. On each date when the webinar is presented, Brian, Chris and I will be available to answer any questions that anyone attending may have.

Depending on Agency size, and the number of people who attend the webinar, an insurance agency or brokerage may qualify for a ten percent (10%) premium credit if it is insured through Big I NY (IAAC) or Big I CT (IAS) with either SwissRe or Allianz. In addition to receiving continuing education and premium credits, as usual webinar attendees will learn essential and practical E&O loss control techniques that can help reduce the likelihood of an E&O claim or lawsuit. During the webinar we will also review “real life" E&O claims and lawsuits to help illustrate the issues that we are discussing. In our experience, discussing actual claims and cases helps the attendees better understand the impact of following the various E&O loss control practices. When used consistently by agencies and brokerages, these E&O loss control practices will not only reduce the likelihood of an E&O claim or lawsuit but will also help provide better customer service and additionally will frequently enable the agency or brokerage to sell more insurance.

During this year's annual E&O loss control webinars, some of the topics that we will cover include the following:

A review of the law affecting property and casualty and life and health insurance agents and brokers in New York and Connecticut
The legal duty of care for insurance agents and brokers in New York, Connecticut, and various other states
A review of some of the trends concerning how and where E&O matters arise
Several war stories about actual E&O matters and what can be learned from an analysis of each matter
Various issues that should be considered when employees of an insurance agency or brokerage are working remotely

We encourage all insurance agents and brokers to register as soon as possible for one of the scheduled webinars. You can register for one of the E&O webinars by visiting the education section of the Big I NY or Big I CT web sites or calling Big I NY at 800-851-8853 or Big I CT at 860-563-1950.

We are looking forward to this year's annual E&O webinars and we hope that all of you will be able to attend one of the scheduled sessions.

Submitted by:
James C. Keidel, Esq.
Keidel, Weldon & Cunningham, LLP

Keidel, Weldon & Cunningham, LLP concentrates its practice in the defense of insurance agents and broker's errors and omissions claims and litigation, errors and omissions loss control counsel and education, insurance coverage analysis and litigation and insurance regulatory matters. Please direct any comments or questions to James C. Keidel, Esq. by mail to the main office of Keidel, Weldon & Cunningham, LLP, at 925 Westchester Avenue, Suite 400, White Plains, NY 10604, telephone at (914) 948-7000 or e-mail at jkeidel@kwcllp.com. The law firm also maintains offices in Syracuse, New York; New York City, New York; Wilton, Connecticut; Fair Lawn, New Jersey; Warwick, Rhode Island, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Williston, Vermont and Naples, Florida.