Insurance Expert Witness, Appraisal and Umpire Services in Georgia
Georgia sees hail and wind through the interior and tropical systems moving inland from the coast. Expert witness retention, appraisal and umpire service, and ADR support. Engagements are handled personally by Chris Chambers, Executive General Adjuster.
What drives Georgia property disputes
Typical loss types. Hail, straight line wind, tornado, tropical systems moving inland, and water and mold losses.
Georgia disputes commonly involve roofing and envelope scope, matching, water intrusion causation, and whether an estimate reflects the repair the policy actually owes. Commercial and multi family matters raise business interruption and code upgrade questions alongside the physical damage analysis.
The firm handles commercial, condominium and homeowner association, and multi-building complex matters in addition to single structure claims.
Roles the firm accepts in Georgia
- Testifying expert. Written reports meeting the applicable disclosure rules, deposition, and trial testimony on scope, causation, valuation, estimating methodology, and claims handling and bad faith standards.
- Consulting expert. Non testifying analysis, early case assessment, estimate reconstruction, and support for examination of the opposing expert.
- Party-appointed appraiser. Competent and independent appraiser under the policy appraisal clause, separately stating actual cash value, replacement cost, and the amount of loss.
- Neutral umpire. By agreement of the appraisers or by court appointment, with disclosure of anything bearing on impartiality made up front.
- Mediation and arbitration support. Loss facts and scope gaps translated into a clear technical position and a damages narrative for the proceeding.
How to retain the firm
Send the caption, the parties, counsel of record, the carrier, the role you are seeking to fill, and the deadline schedule including expert disclosure and discovery cutoffs. Most conflict checks clear the same day, before any substantive discussion of the matter. A curriculum vitae, fee schedule, and testimony list follow on request.
Availability is subject to conflict clearance and to any licensure, registration, or appointment requirement of the jurisdiction and the policy at issue. The firm accepts one role per matter.
The panel, and the line it cannot cross
Appraisal is a valuation mechanism. It binds as to the amount of loss, and it stops short of coverage. Knowing where that line sits is most of the work.
The firm accepts one role per matter. A party-appointed appraiser in a dispute cannot also be the retained testifying expert in it. Full explanation of the appraisal clause
Why counsel retains this firm
A curriculum vitae, fee schedule, and testimony list are furnished on request.
- Executive General AdjusterThe senior adjusting designation, signifying authority over the largest and most complex property losses.
- More than 25 years in catastrophe and large loss claimsField, large loss, and supervisory experience across national property and casualty carriers and in independent practice, with multi-line supervisory and catastrophe special-claims authority.
- Documented large loss recordAn $85 million commercial property loss on the Gulf Coast, drawn from thousands of claims handled.
- NFIP certified at all four authority levelsRCBAP, commercial, homeowners, and mobile home.
- Balanced practiceRetention accepted from policyholder counsel and from insurer and defense counsel, and neutral umpire appointments accepted. The balance is itself part of the qualification.
Retaining the firm in Georgia
What kinds of Georgia property disputes does the firm take?
First-party commercial and residential property matters, most often involving hail, straight line wind, water intrusion, and commercial property losses. The questions are usually scope of repair, whether damage is storm created or the result of age and wear, valuation and depreciation methodology, code and ordinance requirements, and claims handling standards.
Can the firm serve as a neutral umpire in Georgia?
Yes, by agreement of the two party-appointed appraisers or by court appointment. Anything bearing on impartiality is disclosed up front, before appointment. The firm also serves as a party-appointed appraiser where it has not been engaged as a neutral in the same matter.
Does the firm work for policyholders or for carriers?
Both. Retention is accepted from policyholder counsel and from insurer and defense counsel, and the balance is itself part of the qualification. An expert who has only ever appeared for one side is easier to impeach than one who has not.
Is the firm licensed in Georgia?
Availability is subject to any licensure, registration or appointment requirement of the jurisdiction and the policy at issue. The firm holds multi-state property and casualty adjuster licensure with reciprocal deployment, and engagement is always subject to conflict clearance and to the requirements of the jurisdiction and the policy at issue. See coverage by state.
How long does a conflict check take?
Usually the same day. Send the caption, the parties, counsel of record, the carrier, the role you are seeking to fill, and the deadline schedule. The conflict check runs before any substantive discussion of the matter, and a curriculum vitae, fee schedule and testimony list follow on request.
Retain the firm in Georgia.
Send the caption, the parties, counsel of record, and the carrier. Conflict checks usually clear the same day, and the CV and fee schedule follow immediately.