Topic: Attorney and Expert Witness Perspectives
Speakers: Beth Coonan (Attorney) and Russ Sporer (Expert Witness)
Beth Coonan
About Beth:
Elizabeth A. Coonan is a member at BrownWinick. Elizabeth represents clients in the areas of employment, workers’ compensation and business immigration law. She assists employers in various aspects of their business including internal policy development and enforcement and workers’ compensation strategy and prevention. Elizabeth counsels clients regarding discipline and termination situations and compliance with local, state and federal employment and civil rights laws and regulations. She represents clients in proceedings in front of various administrative bodies, such as the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, the Iowa Division of Workers’ Compensation, as well as state and federal courts. Elizabeth also handles appeals to various agencies and courts and assists clients in dispute resolution using alternate forums.
Elizabeth is a member of the Polk County Women Attorneys, a member of the Blackstone Inn of Court and a member of the Polk County and Iowa State (Workers’ Compensation and Litigation Sections) Bar Associations. Elizabeth is active in the community as a Commissioner on the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women and a member of the Board of Directors of House of Mercy. She has also served as a member of the Board of Governors for the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute, Strategic Planning Director for the Junior League of Des Moines, President of the Board of Directors of the Young Women’s Resource Center, and has served other non-profit organizations in varying capacities.
Elizabeth received her B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and her J.D., with honors, from Drake University. She was admitted to the Iowa bar in 2002 and subsequently admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa and the United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
About Russ:
Russ Sporer is a former principal of NOEL Insurance and a current active partner in County Risk Management Services. NOEL is a prominent southern Iowa Independent Insurance agency with offices in Ottumwa and Osceola. He has been a member of the CPCU Society since 1979.
Russ Sporer, CPCU
Russ has been active in insurance industry affairs including such things as president of Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa, board member of the Iowa Small Employer Health Reinsurance Program and a variety of other industry related activities. He was inducted into the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame in 2012.
Over the past 20 years, Russ has been heavily involved in activities surrounding insurance agents errors and omissions claims. In this capacity he has served on a national task force for the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, is approved by both Westport Insurance Company and Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America as an Errors and Omissions Loss Control Auditor and has conducted E & O audits of independent insurance agencies throughout several mid western states; he has also conducted numerous state approved continuing education classes in Iowa and other nearby states.
Russ has provided litigation support to defense attorneys for over 75 errors and omissions claims involving insurance agents and has testified in court as an expert witness regarding insurance agents standard of care issues.
