This week, it was incredibly rewarding and very much an honor for me to raise my right hand and swear to uphold the Oath of Attorney Admission for the State of Georgia. Earning the right to be a member of the Georgia Bar is something that I am very proud of and delighted to share with our blog readers.
Merlin Law Group assists policyholders nationwide with property damage and insurance claims for health, life and disability. My colleagues and I travel to assist policyholders in numerous jurisdictions when retained on cases. Sometimes we are admitted in a pro hac fashion, but many of us are licensed in multiple states. I think Chip Merlin holds the most licenses (so many they have to be listed on the back of his business card!). As a firm we have expanded from a single Florida office to having attorneys living and working across the country – truly from coast to coast. I have been thrilled to see quite a bit of this expansion happen in the years I have worked with Merlin Law Group.
I can tell you in all the states where we represent insureds, we have found a common theme: policyholders in need of an advocate to help with their insurance claims. It does not matter if I am talking to a policyholder around the corner or one in another state; when a claim has not been properly handled, policyholders frequently call with the same concern and frustration that happens when their insurance contract is not honored. Many of our clients have paid the same insurance company for years before ever having a claim, and they were assured that the policy they purchased provided coverage for the loss to their property. After the fact, they are often presented with a “different” response.
As I expand my practice and can now practice law in Georgia, I want to make sure our readers know that we understand the human concerns and the toll insurance claims can take on policyholders. It can be a great relief when you hire competent counsel to assist on a delayed or a denied claim because instead of giving in or backing down, the policyholder can use one of the best systems in America to resolve the matter – the judicial system.
Just as I have blogged about in North Carolina and Florida, Georgia also allows policyholders to tell the office of insurance regulation about problems with claims. It is very important that insureds make their state governmental offices aware when the insurance companies doing business in that state are breaking promises or botching claim adjustments. Here is a link to the complaint form for Georgia: http://www.gainsurance.org/ExternalResources/Forms/AllForms/CSScomplaint.pdf
Merlin Law Group has already helped homeowners, government entities, commercial property owners, homeowners associations, condo associations, shopping plazas, storage facilities, industrial properties, hospitals, malls, and churches in thousands of windstorm, wildfire, hail, tornado, fire, water, mold, structural damage, and hurricane claims in many states. If you have questions as a public insurance adjuster working on a claim, or as an insured with a loss, please do not hesitate to contact us.
