Senior Coverage Attorney

Encova Insurance has an immediate opening for a Senior Coverage Attorney (business title: Senior Claims Coverage & General Counselor). This opportunity is available as a remote, home-based position or hybrid basis from our Columbus, Ohio office. Candidates working remotely must reside in one of the approved payroll states listed in this posting. Our current policies are based on the laws in states in which we are registered for payroll.

Our current footprint includes:
Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

The Senior Claims Coverage & General Counselor serves as the Claims organization's senior legal and technical resource for insurance coverage, claim handling practices, coverage litigation, regulatory matters, extra-contractual exposure, legal process support, and emerging legal issues. The role provides practical guidance across all lines of business to promote timely, consistent, and technically sound claim decisions and outcomes. Partnering with Claims leadership, Legal, Underwriting, and outside counsel, this position strengthens coverage expertise and claim quality;

supports product development and regulatory response; manages significant coverage disputes and related legal expense; and reduces appropriate reliance on outside coverage counsel. The role complements the Legal Department by providing claim-focused coverage, regulatory, and technical expertise within Claims, while coordinating and escalating matters requiring enterprise legal advice, company representation, privilege oversight, or Legal Department ownership.

Provide timely legal and technical guidance on complex commercial and personal lines coverage matters, balancing applicable law, fair claim handling, and business considerations. Analyze policy language, endorsements, exclusions, claim facts, and applicable law; guide coverage investigations; prepare coverage opinions and related legal analyses; and review coverage communications. Advise Claims leadership on dispute-resolution approaches, extra-contractual exposure, bad-faith allegations, claim handling concerns, and other legal risks affecting claim outcomes.

Serve as Claims' senior technical resource for significant coverage litigation and declaratory judgment actions. Partner with Claims leadership, Legal, and outside counsel to develop and execute litigation and resolution strategies, including pleadings, discovery, mediation, settlement, budgets, and trial preparation. Evaluate outside counsel performance and legal expense to improve outcomes, reduce duplication, and manage allocated loss adjustment expense. Guide Claims responses to Department of Insurance complaints, regulatory inquiries, coverage disputes, market conduct examinations, and other regulatory reviews involving Claims operations.

Support responses to subpoenas, records and discovery requests, and other legal process involving claim files; coordinate with Legal on matters requiring enterprise advice, company representation, privilege oversight, or Legal Department ownership. Monitor regulatory developments and claim handling requirements, and develop guidance and training to promote compliance and consistent practices. Promote consistent, technically sound coverage positions and claim handling practices across all lines of business.

Participate in round tables addressing complex coverage, exposure evaluation, litigation strategy, reserving, settlement authority, and claim handling issues. Assist in the development and maintenance of claim handling best practices, technical standards, coverage guidance, templates, and playbooks. Identify recurring coverage issues, legal and regulatory developments, and claim trends requiring guidance, training, escalation, or operational change.

Attend mediations, arbitrations, depositions, trials, regulatory meetings, and other proceedings as appropriate. Represent Claims on cross-functional committees, projects, and strategic initiatives. Participate in industry conferences, professional organizations, and continuing legal education activities. Perform other duties as assigned.

Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school is required. Active license to practice law in at…