A group of 12 attorneys who investigate and litigate fraud schemes and unfair and deceptive practices on behalf of insurance companies and other financial services companies has joined Holland & Knight. The group, including seven partners, a senior counsel, and four associates, has extensive investigative and trial experience. The team is led by David Spector, Sandra Heller and Adam Hodges. Formerly with Akerman, the group, while primarily based in West Palm Beach, handles matters for clients throughout all jurisdictions in the United States. Ms. Heller will be in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Mr. Detzel will be in Orlando, Fla.; and Mr. DiBlasi will be in New York.
In addition to Mr. Spector, Ms. Heller and Mr. Hodges, team members include partners C. Matthew Detzel, Matthew DiBlasi, Andrew Loewenstein and Nicholas Purvis. Additionally, James Duffy has joined as a Senior Counsel and Kayla Pragid, Caitlin Saladrigas, Darcie Thompson and Joseph Valdivia have joined as associates.
“The team primarily represents insurance and other financial services companies in investigating and recovering payments made in connection with complex fraudulent and other unlawful attempts to obtain insurance payments,” said Steven Sonberg, managing partner of Holland & Knight. “Their focus aligns very well with our existing financial services practices. We believe their addition will greatly benefit our firm and its clients.”
“I’m pleased that David, Sandy, Adam and their team are joining Holland & Knight,” said William Shepherd, executive partner of Holland & Knight’s West Palm Beach office. “The group has an outstanding reputation in this region and is nationally recognized in the insurance industry.”
“The strength of Holland & Knight’s insurance and investigatory practices was a driving factor in our team’s decision to move,” said Mr. Spector. “We’re excited to collaborate with prominent former prosecutors such as Bill Shepherd and Willy Ferrer, to work on shaping policy in the insurance industry with Mark Delegal, and to expose our clients to a multi-disciplinary team to combat fraud through the firm’s extensive national platform.”
The team is best known for representing casualty and health insurers, financial institutions and self-insured retailers in the United States. The group uses a multifaceted approach which encompasses a deep understanding of analytical data, integration of strategic prevention and proactive detection, and investigation. The team has led litigations throughout the U.S. that have resulted in precedent-setting rulings for the insurance industry. Through this litigation, the group has obtained significant recoveries for their clients. The team’s key clients include the nation’s largest property and casualty insurers and health insurers as well as smaller corporate victims of fraudulent schemes.
Source: www.hklaw.com
