Attorney Profile...
Scott Lawson
P: (440) 666-9735
F: (440) 333-4812
Practice Areas: Insurance, Corporate, Governmental Relations
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Scott
started the firm after a long and successful in-house career with two
leading insurance companies. Scott began his career as
Manager/Compliance and Regulatory Affairs for
Unity Mutual Life Insurance
Company,
a leading regional life insurer. Following his
departure from Unity, Scott served 12 years as Senior Regulatory Counsel for
The Progressive Corporation,
a Fortune 500 property/casualty holding company. His current practice encompasses both regulatory and transactional
matters. Throughout his career, Scott has successfully applied a unique mix of
legal expertise and solid business sense to solve a wide variety of challenging
issues for his clients.
Education and Admissions
Professional Affiliations
Community Service
Representative Experience
Corporate Restructuring ,
Redomestication and Cost Management
Redomesticated client’s property and casualty subsidiaries to reduce retaliatory
premium tax burden.
Negotiated and drafted a multi-million dollar contract for outsourcing of client
insurer’s call-center functions.
Negotiated and drafted a multi-million dollar contract between client insurance
carrier and a major bank for custodial and investment management services.
Negotiated and drafted complex
compensation agreements between a client property and casualty carrier and a
group of large regional agencies.
Negotiated and drafted IT service
contract to support expansion of company platform.
Counseled major p&c carrier in
dispute with national agent association concerning termination rights contained
in the company’s standard form agency agreement.
Company Formation, Licensing
and Taxation
Assisted
client insurer with obtaining state economic-development tax credits.
Assisted
client property and casualty carrier with implementing procedures to assure
compliance with state premium tax and assessment requirements.
Obtained
state licenses to support the growth and expansion of life insurer's
operations.
Obtained
state licenses to support growth and expansion of property and casualty
company's operations.
Obtained
state licenses to support growth and expansion of client life settlement
provider.
Obtained third-party administration
licenses for carrier -affiliated claims service provider.
New Products and New
Ventures
Assisted
client life insurer with the launch of a new whole-life program including the
review of all policy forms, reinsurance treaties and policy administration
outsourcing agreements.
Provided
a comprehensive survey of laws and regulations to support client insurance
carrier's plans for entry into a new state.
Assisted major property/casualty carrier with obtaining insurance department
approvals for a new commercial surety product.
Advised carrier on regulatory
notifications and filings in connection with acquisition of new subsidiary.
Made notifications and filings on behalf of carrier.
Designed, drafted and obtained
approval of state-specific policy forms for property and casualty carrier.
Designed, drafted and obtained
approval of state-specific policy forms for life insurance carrier.
Drafted and obtained approval of
state-specific contract forms for life settlement provider.
Negotiated and drafted agreements
for a national marketing alliance between a client carrier and regional
financial services companies.
Obtained necessary
court approvals to allow client life settlement company to broker sale of life
insurance portfolio held by federal receivership.
Governmental Relations
Worked with state regulators to propose and pass amendments
eliminating costly state security requirements for licensed insurance brokers.
Worked with state-wide industry committee to review and
successfully propose limits on costly financial services regulations.
Worked with regulators to reduce costly reporting
requirements for financial services companies.
Helped prepare corporate executives to provide testimony
ultimately resulting in favorable amendments to proposed legislation
Helped start up company track legislation in states
targeted for expansion. Made recommendations concerning timing of
expansion based on timing of new, more favorable legislation.
Helped company draft and gain passage of regulations
providing new tax credits.
Drafted position papers on a variety of topics for
corporation for distribution to media and other interested parties.
Helped company form and administer public-interest
foundation.
Met with state regulators to discuss policy matters concerning the life
settlement sector and successfully negotiated changes to proposed regulations.
Compliance, Market Conduct
and Disciplinary Actions
Designed
and drafted code of ethics and comprehensive compliance procedures for leading
regional property and casualty insurer.
Successfully defended client insurer in connection with a state insurance
department action attempting to force the implementation of additional, and
potentially costly, administrative procedures.
Successfully defended client insurer
in connection with a state insurance department investigation into certain
underwriting practices.
Successfully defended company in
connection with a state insurance department action attempting to require
licensing for non-insurance affiliate.
Advised
property and casualty carrier concerning agency appointment requirements.
Advised
life carrier concerning allowable commission-sharing arrangements.
Designed and implemented programs
for carrier compliance with Patriot Act and OFAC requirements.
Assisted life
settlement brokerage with establishing procedures to comply with law changes in
multiple jurisdictions.
Drafted state-specific compliance
procedures for life settlement provider.
Reinsurance
Negotiated a multi-million dollar reinsurance commutation agreement on behalf of
client property and casualty insurer.
Assisted
carrier in reviewing multiple reinsurance placement bids and assisted in
negotiating changes to proposed treaties.
Assisted
client life insurer with the launch of a new whole-life program including the
review of all proposed reinsurance treaties.
Disclaimer: Past success does not guarantee future results.
If retained, The
Lawson Firm does not guarantee the outcome of the engagement and cannot do so.
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Articles and Presentations
Panelist,
Life Insurance Settlement Association Compliance Seminar, Las Vegas, Nevada -
September, 2008.
Panelist, Insurance Regulatory Examiners Society (IRES) Career Development
Seminar, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - August, 2007.
Insurer Outsourcing Pros and Cons, Rough Notes Magazine, July, 2006.
Federal Hot Topics in Insurance Regulation, Association of Insurance
Compliance Professionals, Annual Conference, Dallas, Texas - September, 2005.
Ohio
Medical Malpractice Liability Insurance Reforms, ABA Torts and Insurance
Practice Section, Insurance Regulation Newsletter, Summer, 2005.
Identity Check: An Eight-Step Compliance Program to Help Insurers Avoid
the Consequences of Violating OFAC Regulations, Best's Review, May,
2005.
Managing OFAC Compliance,
Property Casualty Insurers Association of America's OFAC Compliance Seminar, Chicago,
Illinois - November, 2004.
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Cleveland-Marshall College of Law,
Cleveland State University (J.D., 1994).
Editor - Cleveland State Law
Review.
National Award for Outstanding Legal Writing.
State University of New York/Fredonia Campus (B.A., Political Science, 1985).
Dean's List, Honor Student Legal Internship Program
Admitted to Ohio Bar, 1994.
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American Bar Association - Insurance Regulation Committee
Member - Insurance Tax Conference
Former Board Member and Pro Bono Chair, Assoc. of Corp
Counsel (NE Ohio Chapter)
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Community Service
Board of Advisors,
Fredonia Alumni Lawyers Endowment Fund.
Co-Founder, Charitable Organizations
Representation Project (A Pro Bono Project for Corporate Counsel Sponsored by the American Corporate Counsel
Association and the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation).
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The Lawson Firm
