2026 Curriculum

The College provides an opportunity for insurance professionals to engage in a rigorous study of a diverse insurance coverage curriculum. The College features ten general sessions with one closing presentation that will highlight the top ten liability coverage cases of all time.
Coverage College Agenda

Agenda

9:00 AM

Welcome to the 20th Annual Coverage College

Patricia B. Santelle, Dean of the College

9:15 AM to 10:00 AM

AI’s Insurance Reckoning:  Rising Contractual and Extra-Contractual Risks for Insurers

Gabriel E. Darwick, Barbara S. Carra, John Farley (Gallagher)

Claims professionals will benefit from this presentation by learning about potentially covered risks created by artificial intelligence, the types of coverages implicated by these risks, and the coverage issues involved with these risks. The presentation will also identify potential exposures that may arise when insurance companies utilize artificial intelligence in their underwriting and claim processes. It will close with practical pointers and best practices when handling novel AI-driven risks.

10:00 AM to 10:30 AM

What’s in a Name? Well-Known Insurance Coverage Concepts All Claims  Handlers and Insurance Professionals Should Know

WW Coverage Attorneys

As in other areas of the law, the insurance field has important coverage concepts that are referred to by their seminal case names. It is important for claims handlers and insurance professionals to be familiar with these concepts. This presentation will provide insurance claims professionals and counsel with practical guidance on not only the names of the cases but the significant concepts that accompany them and their impact on day-to-day claims handling and coverage assessment.

10:30 AM to 10:45 AM

Break

10:45 AM to 11:30 AM

Looking Back/Looking Ahead: Trends in Underlying Mass Torts

James Hogan (The Elam Group), Peter Kelso (Roux), Brendan Gray (MDD)
Moderated by Patricia Santelle


A panel of technical experts will provide both a look back and a look ahead at the trends that drive mass tort claims. Claims professionals and attorneys will benefit from this presentation by learning about the impact of these trends on underlying claims handling, defense strategy and coverage determinations.  The presentation also will provide insight on how claims professionals and their counsel can assess current and future risks of exposure for mass tort claims.

11:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Recent Mass  Tort Decisions Impacting GL Coverage Issues

Daniel E. Bryer, Brendaliz Minaya Ruiz

Claims professionals will benefit from this presentation by learning about recent national decisions in both coverage and underlying lawsuits and how those rulings impact both coverage issues and claim handling. The presentation also will provide an overview of whether policyholders or insurers have been prevailing in mass tort coverage litigation, and an analysis of how rulings in mass tort lawsuits impact claim handling issues.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

Lunch

1:00 PM to 1:30 PM

Managing the Difficult Claim:  People, Personalities, Threats, and Technology

Edward M. Koch, Wesley R. Payne, IV, Peter R. Meggers

Difficult adversaries, whether claimants or counsel, can turn routine matters into costly, time-consuming disputes. This practical session will cover strategies for handling threats, unreasonable conduct, challenging adversaries, AI-generated filings, and effective file documentation. Attendees will learn how to stay strategic, control costs, and protect the claim without becoming part of the problem.

1:30 PM to 2:15 PM

Engineering Better Property Claim Outcomes

Mark McGivern, CCA, Gavin O'Hare, CED Technologies, Gretchen Druck, Rimkus
Moderated by Marc Penchansky


This presentation will provide insurance claims professionals and their attorneys with practical guidance on effectively using engineering experts in property claims. The program will examine best practices for engaging engineers, developing focused assignments, conducting efficient investigations, evaluating causation issues, and obtaining engineering reports that support accurate and defensible claim decisions.

Through discussion of real-world claim scenarios and lessons learned from litigation, attendees will gain insight into how engineers approach property damage investigations, what information they need to render reliable opinions, and how claims professionals can improve collaboration throughout the claim process. The presentation will also address common challenges encountered in property investigations and emerging trends affecting engineering evaluations.

2:15 PM to 2:30 PM

Break

2:30 PM to 3:00 PM

Solving for Insolvency: Implications for Excess Insurers & Other Carriers on the Risk

Adam M. Berardi, Elizabeth L. Ferguson

This presentation will provide insurance claims professionals and their attorneys with practical guidance on effectively using engineering experts in property claims. The program will examine best practices for engaging engineers, developing focused assignments, conducting efficient investigations, evaluating causation issues, and obtaining engineering reports that support accurate and defensible claim decisions.

3:00 PM to 3:30 PM

Long-Tail and Environmental  Coverage Update 2026

Robert F. Walsh, Paul Briganti, Lynndon K. Groff

Claims professionals will benefit from this presentation by learning about key coverage decisions over the past year, and ongoing coverage litigation, involving issues implicated by long-tail and environmental claims. The presentation will provide an issue-by-issue overview of recent developments across jurisdictions so as to bring claims professionals up to date and keep them apprised of the status of the legal landscape.

3:30 PM to 4:00 PM

Best of Randy Maniloff’s  Coverage Opinions Newsletter

Randy Maniloff

In this entertaining presentation, Randy Maniloff will look back at the past 14 yearsof his Coverage Opinions newsletter and share some of his favorite cases and articles. 

4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Cocktail and Networking Reception