Social Inflation – Emerging Tactics and Best Practices for Public Agency Liability
Kristin Smolek
Vice President, Pooling, Sedgwick
Will Portello
Director, Litigation Claims, Sedgwick
On this week's podcast, Will and Kristin will share the six main factors that contribute to social inflation. They will also expand on the impact of public distrust, negative public sentiment and the generational influence of Millennial jurors. Some of the topics that that will be discussed are:
- The areas of public entity practice that pose the greatest risk
- The best tactics in mitigating an inflamed jury
- How to be proactive in taking risk control measures
As a public risk practitioner, the best means of protection is creating and reinforcing a culture of safety, locating the cause of an issue, sharing data from claims and providing hands on training in order to curb the social inflation impact.
Kristin Smolek
Vice President, Pooling, Sedgwick
Summary of Qualifications
Kristin is a licensed attorney who began her career in the private sector, handling civil matters. She then joined the Litigation Management team at York Risk (subsequently acquired by Sedgwick), where she managed complex liability claims involving all lines of casualty coverage for 15 years. Kristin now oversees the management of the Litigation, Risk Control, Underwriting and Marketing teams for the Sedgwick Michigan Pooling office.
Business Experience
Kristin worked for the law firm of Garan, Lucow and Miller, P.C., handling civil litigation matters, prior to joining York Risk which was subsequently acquired by Sedgwick. Kristin has been with the Sedgwick organization for over 19 years, beginning her career with the Litigation Management team. She began managing complex litigation matters involving general liability, police professional, employment, public official and zoning cases for six municipal risk pools in the midwest including Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and Pennsylvania. During her 15-year tenure with the Pooling Litigation Management team, Kristin worked directly managing the claims of the local claims offices, and overseeing defense counsel throughout the litigation process.
Professional Affiliations
State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association
Education
Kristin graduated in 1992 from Albion College, earning her Bachelor of Arts. She earned her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in May 1995, and subsequently passed the Michigan bar.
Will Portello
Director, Litigation Claims, Sedgwick
Summary of Qualifications
Will graduated from the University of California, Davis in 1989. He received his law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1993. He subsequently passed the bar in both California and Oregon. After several years with the Sacramento-based insurance defense law firm of Thompson, Meade, & Nielsen, in 1997 he joined a San Francisco Bay Area firm, Guichard, Teng & Portello, where he practiced until joining Sedgwick in 2017. As the director-litigated claims, Will provides oversight and management of the defense of litigated cases on behalf of seven self-insured joint powers authorities throughout California, including transit districts, special districts, and municipalities, overseeing defense counsel and third-party administrators.
Professional Affiliations
State Bar of California, Certified Litigation Management Professional
