Robert (Bob) Burkholder Email & Phone Number

Pliladelphia, Pa

Coordinate litigation and claims management activities focusing on complex liability and insurance coverage issues. Evaluate coverage issues and determined appropriate case management actions to ensure positive resolutions/outcomes. Particular expertise in all aspects of claims involving environmental issues.

Established claims operation for new division including emergency reporting and response capabilities, establishing “backroom" operations with Home Office and within the division, developing claim handling protocols, signal reserves, and notice of claim forms and procedures.•Grew office to six claim attorneys and incorporated in-house technical support into claim processes while underwriting book of business grew to over $55MM.•Successfully handled and managed high exposure environmental, professional, and excess claims under environmental policies incorporating participation or active management of meetings between principals, arbitrations, mediations, and trials. Loss ratios remained below industry norms throughout tenure. Claims successfully resolved include: -Negotiated resolution of multi-million dollar mold-water damage claim involving multiple locations in major metro area for <$500K-Handled all aspects of ~$5MM loss of ice cream caused by refrigerant contamination to resolution where paid no damages and recovered significant portion of defense costs -Managed multiple contamination claims to optimal results including mold, chromium contamination, chinese drywall, VOCs, lead, asbestos, sewage, and ethylene glycol-Managed professional and pollution excess policy claims with total exposure well in excess of $50MM-Managed project-related death case to directed defense verdict•Built and strengthened relationships with brokers and insureds in coverage-related matters. •Using collaborative processes, leveraged claim trends to evaluate underwriting of specific accounts as well as overall underwriting risk evaluations and training initiatives for claim staff and underwriters. •Achieved successful results in reinsurance audits.•Represented organization and industry as speaker at various trade shows, professional associations, and brokers such as IRMI and ABA/TIPS.

Coordinated litigation and claims management activities focusing on complex liability and insurance coverage issues. Evaluated coverage issues and determined appropriate case management actions to ensure positive resolutions/outcomes. • Managed defense counsel and coordinated coverage activities in conjunction with third party carriers.• Assumed direct responsibility for negotiations, arbitrations, mediations and settlements.• Established remediation strategies working in conjunction with environmental consultants.• Consulted with underwriters regarding indemnification language regarding risk transfer for chemical plants and tank farm operatons.• Coordinated remediaton contractor emergency response for HAZMAT incidents. Included claims involving tank truck overturn/release which closed major interstate over summer holidays. • Actively managed strategy which obtained a favorable ruling from the South African Supreme Court upholding arbitrator’s ruling in favor of an international telecommunicatons company dismissing a damages claim in excess of $200MM.• Successfully coordinated defense team for three private entities in a $40MM engineering services lawsuit for a desal plant in Florida.• Spearheaded efforts to negotiate settlement of an infectious disease death case involving a regional hospital to avoid litigation for general contractor insured. • Successfully resolved death and serious burn claims from a solvent flashback for a regional solvent packaging insured at one-third of liability limits and one-tenth of demands.• Resolved over 700 property damage/business interruption claims and remediation/emergency response activities as a result of a gasoline release into a municipal sewer with total payouts at 50% of original claim estimate.

West Chester, Pa

Managed case and client requirements with emphasis on civil litigation, commercial/insurance defense, municipal law and development/environmental law.

Active duty US Navy JAG Corps from January 1983 to September 1986 serving at Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA and NWS Earle, Colts Neck, NJ. Naval reserve duty in Philadelphia, PA from October 1986 until 1991. Honorably discharged from Naval Reserves as a LCDR (04).

Jd, Law

Ba, Political Science