Augment your insurance knowledge with the cutting-edge, concrete skills you need to avoid traps and reach your goal in the next bad faith case. Whether you're counsel for the plaintiff, the defense, or are an insurance professional trying to prevent bad faith claims, you won't find instruction this practical anywhere else.

1. Emerging Issues and Current Laws
2. Identifying the Type of Tort, Related Causes of Action and Damages
3. Gain a New Perspective of Pre-Trial Practice
4. Gather Information Critical to Your Case
5. Consider the Ethical Consequences: It's Legal, But is it Right?

1. EMERGING ISSUES AND CURRENT LAWS
   9:00 - 10:15, Patrick G. Rock
   1. Legislative Overview: What the Courts are Ruling
   2. New Case Law Development - Interpreted
   3. Other Emerging Issues
2. IDENTIFYING THE TYPE OF TORT, RELATED CAUSES OF ACTION AND DAMAGES
   10:30 - 12:00, Patrick G. Rock
   1. First-Party Claims
      1. Types of Claims
      2. The Insurer's Responsibility
      3. Settlement Issues
   2. Third-Party Claims
      1. Types of Claims
      2. Settlement Issues
   3. Exploring Related Causes of Action
      1. Fraud
      2. Negligence
      3. Breach of Contract
      4. Statutory Breach
   4. What to Consider When Figuring Damages
      1. Emotional Distress
      2. Interest
      3. Attorneys' Fees and Costs
      4. Punitive Damages
3. GAIN A NEW PERSPECTIVE OF PRE-TRIAL PRACTICE
   1:00 - 2:30, Francis J. Murphy
   1. The Plaintiff's Preliminary Steps:
      1. Communicate With Insurer and Thoroughly Review the Policy
      2. Choose the Cause of Action and Establish Damages
   2. The Insurer's Guidelines:
      1. Preliminary Negotiation Strategies
      2. Know the Types of Responsive Pleadings
   3. The Use and Selection of Experts
   4. Key Tactics in Arbitration and Settlement
   5. How-to's for Establishing Choice of Venue
   6. Potentially Explosive Traps to Avoid
4. GATHER INFORMATION CRITICAL TO YOUR CASE
   2:30 - 3:15, Francis J. Murphy
   1. Information You Absolutely Need - Where to Find It
   2. Eliminate Headaches When Drafting and Using Interrogatories and Related Documents
   3. Cover All Your Bases When Requesting Documents
   4. Utilize Requests for Admission and Save Time
   5. Your Obligation to Produce and Respond to Discovery
   6. When and Who to Depose and How to Prepare Witnesses
   7. Streamline Your Job With Sample Discovery Forms and Requests
5. CONSIDER THE ETHICAL CONSEQUENCES: IT'S LEGAL, BUT IS IT RIGHT?
   3:30 - 4:30, Francis J. Murphy
   1. Protect the Attorney-Client Privilege
   2. How the Advice of Counsel Defense Can Become an Issue
   3. The Ethical Pitfalls in Contacting Witnesses

FRANCIS J. MURPHY is a partner in Murphy & Landon and has 30 years of litigation experience. He has obtained several million dollar verdicts and arbitration awards in automobile and medical malpractice cases. Mr. Murphy also has successfully pursued several major bad faith claims on behalf of individuals for failure of the defense to settle within policy limits. He has litigated numerous insurance coverage actions for individual and corporate policyholders, including claims related to automobile, homeowners, environmental, directors and officers, asbestos, Y2K, and professional liability coverages. Mr. Murphy has tried cases in all of the trial courts in Delaware, including the Delaware Superior Court, the Court of Chancery, and the U.S. District Court. He is a member of the American and Delaware State bar associations, and the American Association for Justice and the Delaware Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Murphy earned his B.A. degree, with high honors, from the University of Delaware and his J.D. degree from the Dickinson School of Law and a diploma from the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.

PATRICK G. ROCK is an associate with Heckler & Frabizzio, where his main areas of practice are insurance defense, general practice and civil trial practice. Mr. Rock is a member of the Delaware State, Maine State and Massachusetts bar associations. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court District of Delaware and U.S. District Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit. Mr. Rock earned his B.A. degree from Thomas More College and his J.D. degree from Widener University School of Law.

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