My Work

I currently serve as Chief Innovation Underwriter for a large insurance company. My philosophy is best described by author David Epstein: "Seeing small pieces of a larger jigsaw puzzle in isolation, no matter how hi-def the picture, is insufficient." Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World 267 (2019). Streams of far-flung origin merge to create powerful rivers, and in my role, I cross-pollinate law and design to create game-changing innovations.

Law

After law school, I clerked in the federal court system. I then entered commercial real estate practice, where I cut my teeth on large-scale timber transactions and multifamily residential transactions. Upon going in-house, my focus shifted to insurance work. [Note: I work for a single corporate employer, and cannot take on any private practice clients. Therefore, please do not contact me about legal representation.]

Today, I serve on the American Land Title Association Forms Committee (including as Chair of its Style Subcommittee). I am proud to be a fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (ACMA) and the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL). For ACMA, I serve on the Board of Regents, the Corporate Counsel Committee, and the Residential & Regulatory Committee (as its Vice-Chair). For ACREL, I serve on the Innovation & Practice Committee (as its Vice-Chair) and the Title Insurance Committee.

UX Strategy

I'm a firm believer in the emerging discipline of Legal Design. My philosophy draws upon the advice of Victor Papanek, who decried "the ever-increasing trend...to become narrowly vertical specialists, whereas the real need is for broad, horizontal generalists or synthesists." Design for the Real World 299 (2019 ed.). My approach as a UX strategist is threefold:

(1) Find the moving parts.
(2) Terminology and language are key.
(3) Fashion the "most advanced, yet acceptable" solution.

You can find my UX portfolio here. Please contact me for the password.

Innovation

I lead a multidisciplinary team that works at the intersection of law, technology, and UX strategy. We create and execute 21st century underwriting approaches that meld the art of human judgment with the science of technology. We bring a human-centered, design-thinking approach that illuminates new paths through old spaces.

We believe that the tired metaphor of "human versus machine" has never really been true: Humans are a tool-building species, and our greatest feats have always been enabled by some form of technology. We look for places where humans and machines can combine forces to do together what neither could feasibly do alone.