Kelly Kubiak at Merlin Law Group for Ten Years
Everybody at the Merlin Law Group has been blessed to have Kelly Kubiak working with them for ten years. Every policyholder she has represented has been fortunate she decided to take their case. Insurance companies are the worse for it.
Kelly Kubiak has passion and it is demonstrated everyday in her practice of law. In The Value Of Valuation Clauses--Gold Exists In The Small Print Of Your Property Insurance Policy, I noted a little of her winning and passionate style:
Kelly Kubiak burst into my office jubilant in her recent victory over Great American Insurance Company. She received an Order granting her Motion for Summary Judgment in a case where the central dispute involved the interpretation of the valuation clause of an insurance policy. We so often talk about the problems of causation that we fail to spend enough time talking about how many benefits insurance policies are supposed to provide. It has been our experience that many policyholders think they have obtained a fantastic settlement from their insurance company until we explain how much money was left on the table through lack of knowledge and experience.
In Experience and Passion Count When Selecting Insurance Lawyers, I noted something else about Kelly:
I thought about this on Saturday morning while eight of our attorneys were in deep discussion with an expert claims consultant about the presentation of insurance cases to juries. It was a beautiful day outside; I could see people milling about and enjoying a free concert. I wondered how many other law firms were working on such a beautiful day, flying in attorneys from other offices to teach how to do a better job for their clients -- specifically on insurance cases where they represent policyholders. I'll bet that the answer to that is zero.
The discussion among us was pretty brutal at times. You do not help others get better at something by just letting them slide by when they do the wrong technique. Eventually, the trial presentation topic changed to reaching settlement after a heated battle with an insurance company. Kelly Kubiak has been quite successful for her clients over the past year and she was trying to articulate her perception of what was working for her. I interrupted and said, "Kelly, you are passionate about your clients and you have experience and maturity. You are a better attorney than you were five years ago because you now have a deeper feeling and anticipation for what works and does not work in a given situation.
Kelly Kubiak commented on my post:
I have always wanted to be an attorney since grade school. I did not know exactly what an attorney was, but knew I wanted to be one. Even when I graduated from law school, I did not know what type of law I wanted to practice. I just wanted a job. I started off doing personal injury work. Three of the four years I was practicing personal injury law, I represented insurance companies. Eventually, I lucked out and was hired to work for the Merlin Law Group. I've been working here for about 8 years and I love it. I love the practice of insurance law -- the investigation and litigation.
As attorneys, we strive to balance our personal time with our professional life. It is a hard balance because we strive to give our clients the best representation. The practice of law takes time. There is no way around it.
Despite the sacrifices, I know that I am truly blessed and lucky that I am able to do something that I enjoy doing. I still run down the hallway with excitement babbling in shock and disbelief about some testimony or fact discovered about an insurance company's practices. (I know I have to stop running down the hallway and causing possible harm to my colleagues). If I continue to be lucky, I will be doing this well into my 90's and never retire.
Craig Kubiak is lucky to have Kelly as his wife. Her children are lucky to have such a wonderful mother. We are lucky to have such a hard working, bright and passionate colleague to work with everyday.
