Senior Counsel - Excess & Surplus/Specialty

Nationwide Mutual Insurance•Columbus, OH

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This role is for a Senior Counsel within Nationwide's Legal team, focusing on the Excess & Surplus/Specialty insurance market. The position requires significant experience and expertise in guiding businesses on legal, regulatory, and product issues pertinent to this specialized market. The Senior Counsel will collaborate with attorneys, business clients, and functional clients on a broad spectrum of legal, regulatory, compliance, and product issues across various commercial lines of business. The successful candidate will be a licensed attorney and a recognized subject matter expert in Excess & Surplus (E&S) insurance, with a strong focus on Programs and other delegated authority business. This individual will serve as a trusted advisor to business leaders, navigating the evolving E&S regulatory landscape and supporting key growth initiatives. The role involves providing top-quality legal services to support the goals and objectives of a Fortune 100 insurance and financial services company, delivering expert advice and counsel on highly complex legal matters to senior-level leaders, and creating valuable risk management recommendations by actively identifying and logically assessing potential legal risks in ambiguous, unique, or complex business situations.

Requirements

Juris Doctorate from an American Bar Association-accredited law school.
Fully licensed attorney in good standing and in compliance with all continuing legal education requirements at all times in the state(s) in which they practice.
Typically has 15 or more years of relevant legal experience.
Significant experience and expertise guiding businesses in addressing legal, regulatory and product issues pertinent to the Excess, Surplus & Specialty marketplace.
Experience in the Programs and other delegated underwriting authority segments of the Excess & Surplus industry, particularly with producer agreements and related profit sharing and alternative compensation agreements with distribution partners.
Ability to collaborate with other attorneys, business clients and functional clients on a broad spectrum of legal, regulatory, compliance and product issues across various commercial lines of business, including general liability, property, excess liability, inland marine, etc.
Extensive knowledge and experience on common Excess & Surplus regulatory issues, and the state regulatory schemes impacting the marketplaces in which our businesses write.
Recognized subject matter expert in Excess & Surplus (E&S) insurance, with a strong focus on Programs and other delegated authority business.
Significant experience in producer contracting and distribution partner arrangements.
Has significant experience with or knowledge of one or more areas of law, complex legal practices and procedures, project management concept and techniques.
Considered a subject matter authority within his or her areas of legal expertise.
Sound business acuity and knowledge of the business goals and objectives as they relate to the matter at hand.
Strong verbal and written communication skills for contacts interacting with all levels within OCLO and with business partners.
Analytical ability to interpret statutes, regulations, insurance policies and other contracts.
Decision-making ability to set work priorities and make recommendations.
Ability to lead cross-functional projects.
Ability to lead, initiate, organize and coordinate highly complex projects and/or cases.
Takes the lead role in negotiations that are complex, strategic, or sensitive in nature.
Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values.

Nice To Haves

May have management experience.
Supervisory skills useful.
Significant professional and/or civic involvement.
Other criteria, including leadership skills, competencies and experiences may take precedence.

Responsibilities

Provides the highest level of subject matter expertise for legal specialties on significant, high-risk, or highly complex legal matters.
Regularly attends business partner meetings to better understand business processes and needs.
Identifies and logically assesses potential legal risks.
Creates risk management/mitigation recommendations using sound risk assessment information to further achievement of business objectives.
Drafts necessary legal documents and develops conclusions and recommendations.
Regularly interacts with senior leaders in Office of the Chief Legal Officer (OCLO) or the company on legal matters within area(s) of legal expertise.
Has input into or influence on company decision-making.
Creates practical and effective solutions to the most complex legal issues with no established precedent; develops creative solutions to unique legal problems; has significant interaction with persons outside of the company.
Takes the lead role in matters that are highly complex, strategic, or sensitive in nature.
Understands the business partner's position and needs.
Keeps senior leaders and appropriate management of company informed of case law and new legislation, as appropriate.
Considers the long-term business and strategic consequences of possible outcomes.
Delivers difficult messages or news, and challenges business partners when necessary; responds to challenges to advice and counsel directly and effectively.
Brings a broad network of established relationships, both internal and external, to the organization, particularly in recognized areas of subject matter expertise.
Works independently and may lead teams to resolve highly complex legal and organizational issues.
Makes recommendations about and ensures compliance with approved outside counsel budget.
Hires and develops talent, provides consistent coaching and feedback.
May perform other responsibilities as assigned.