Dir Strategic Coverage Counsel
About the role
This internal legal team provides legal advice to CNA's claims lines of business. The successful candidate will have substantial experience analyzing complex specialty and commercial insurance coverage issues and advising on high-severity third-party claims.
This role offers a meaningful opportunity to work on CNA's most complex coverage matters. You will advise claims professionals and senior leaders on legal issues that affect high-severity specialty and commercial claims. The work is grounded in legal research, policy analysis, and coverage analysis. You will also support training, strategic projects, and legal guidance across other lines of business when needed, including first-party property, marine, and commercial healthcare.
Please note that this is not a claims handling role. It is also not a defense/staff counsel role.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
- Provide legal advice on the most complex and severe third-party claims. This includes coverage opinions, coverage advice, and litigation support for matters filed by or against the company.
- Oversee coverage litigation and related matters handled by coverage counsel or outside counsel.
- Monitor trials and track legal and regulatory developments.
- Advise management and claims professionals on key issues, legal trends, and business impact.
- Provide legal research, coverage analysis, counsel, and guidance in a fast-moving environment.
- Work closely with internal and external business partners.
- Analyze legal issues independently.
- Support sound dispute resolution strategies.
- Occasionally attend mediations, arbitrations, appraisals, settlement meetings, and conferences when business needs require. Bring sound coverage judgment to those settings.
- Help develop and deliver training for the claims organization.
- Perform other legal duties as business needs require.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree and J.D.
- Admission to the bar of at least one state required, along with the ability to obtain in-house counsel admission if required.
- Typically a minimum of eight to ten years of relevant legal experience with progressively increasing responsibility in a law firm and/or an insurance company.
- Insurance coverage and coverage litigation experience are required.
Skills, Knowledge & Abilities
- Senior-level knowledge of insurance coverage, claims-related legal issues, and coverage litigation.
- Strong technical and product-specific coverage knowledge.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong presentation, negotiation, consulting, and collaboration skills.
- Sound independent judgment.
- Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Comfort managing uncertainty.
- Creative approach to complex legal and business problems.
- Ability to take a long-term view of business goals and support strategic results.
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office, legal research tools, Teams, and other business-related software.
- Commitment to practical legal solutions and strong service to internal clients.
- Sense of ownership and urgency in advancing business priorities.
- Strong collaboration skills and ability to build effective relationships.
- Commitment to continued learning and broadening legal, industry, and technical skills.
Pay
In certain jurisdictions, CNA is legally required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. In District of Columbia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Washington, the national base pay range for this job level is $97,000 to $189,000 annually. Salary determinations are based on various factors, including but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and location.
Benefits
CNA offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to help our employees – and their family members – achieve their physical, financial, emotional and social wellbeing goals. For a detailed look at CNA's benefits, please visit cnabenefits.com.