| ABOUT THE ARMADILLO CLUB |
The Armadillo Club
- Purpose:
The Armadillo Club is comprised of 1000+ attorneys nationwide (and two in Canada!) who practice primarily in the
insurance COVERAGE field (not insurance defense. There is a huge difference...) The purpose of the club is to foster
camaraderie among these attorneys primarily through social and networking events. Simply put: we are friends-- many for
almost 30 years. We have been known to do good things from time to time. There are no dues, no rules, and no
officers. We get together for lunch or happy hour on a periodic basis (whenever we feel like it), and when someone needs
something (like a job for instance) we get busy and fire up the machine. We also help support each other causes and
charities when we can. But there's no pressure to do anything, because, after all, we work hard enough already and have
other "obligations." So if you want to join, don't plan to get on a committee because there isn't any work to be done, no
speeches to be given nor any papers to write! (If you want to organize a fun event, on the other hand, just let me know.)
History:
We started out as three friends who got together for lunch: Karen Golden, Director Risk Management for Navistar,
(former Risk Manager of Pepsi Cola General Bottler and Kraft Foods, and Senior Vice President - Risk Management, RR
Donnelley & Sons Company); Ellyn Dorf Hoffman, former partner at Querry & Harrow (now a mom) and me. Then we
invited a few others to join us (specifically Mary Sliwinski formerly a partner at Montgomery Williams & John (now
retired), was the 4th official member with Susan Luther, formerly a partner at Tressler, coming in shortly thereafter- with
me now at CNA-- and they invited a few others to join us too. The Chicago Lawyer and the Daily Herald ran articles on
our group, after which others asked to join us. AND we continue to grow. It is great to have a professional community
whose members are also friends.
- Currrent Membership:
We now have over 1000 attorneys on our service lists and more that actually view this website and benefit from knowing
our awesome members. Most are in Chicago, but also in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Buffalo, San Francisco,
Los Angeles, Tampa, DC, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, San Diego, Seattle, Indianapolis, and Dallas.
Most of our members concentrate (or in the past concentrated) on litigating insurance coverage under third-party liability
policies. Again, most members deal with commercial general liability policies and several have come through the ranks
litigating the mass environmental insurance coverage cases. We also, however, have some members who analyze, interpret
and litigate coverage under homeowners, auto, first party property, D&O, E&O, Defense Base Act, title, workers comp &
employers liability, health and other types of insurance policies. We also have some who specialize in reinsurance.
While the majority of our members represent insurance companies, we have many members who represent policyholders.
I have done both, so I understand both sides. We are also in-house at insurance companies and other corporations. We are
at firms of all sizes and have many sole practitioners. Several mediators who are or were coverage attorneys are included
in our ranks.
Although the club was originally comprised of women, we have evolved and now have as many male insurance coverage
attorneys on our service list and who participate in our events. Twenty years ago, men were only allowed to attend the
annual Sadie Hawkins luncheon, and we only invited the really fun ones... For more than two decades, the club has been
open to all REAL insurance coverage attorneys. The Armadillos have many friends and allies in the insurance industry and
we know that many non-attorneys, and defense attorneys read this page too. If any of you have jobs openings you
would like shared with members, please feel free to send me an e-mail.
- Membership Requirements:
If you are interested in being a member there are just a few pre-requisites:
- You must be an attorney whose practice is PRIMARILY insurance coverage in some capacity (not just a dabbler or
someone who has handled an occasional coverage matter... or someone who would like to "get into coverage.") If you do
not meet this requirement, PLEASE don't ask to be admitted. I hate saying no, but I do. I will check your firm bio and if
"coverage" is just one of many things you do, I'm probably not going to let you in... Of course, everyone wants to be a
coverage attorney, but not everyone is. If you are looking for a job and a friend is trying to help and suggests you join
(even though you aren't really a coverage attorney), just ask him or her to forward the e-mails with job openings to you
when they get them.
- You have to be fun, not worry about things that don't matter and not take yourself too seriously (or at least be working
toward those goals). When applying for membership, feel free to submit evidence of fun-ness.
- We don't engage in harmful or destructive gossip. It is a group that promotes camaraderie and friendship. If you have
tendencies to be that way, don't apply (or change and then apply....).
- You should want to be involved in some way at least occasionally if and when we have luncheons or other activities. In
other words, I don't just want to add names to the service list and never know who you are. If that is all you want, just
feel free to continue viewing the website and take advantage of any useful information on it. Don't expect to be put on a
committee, however. Belonging to this group does NOT mean you will be doing more work - you will just be having
more fun and have more friends.
How to apply:
Send me an e-mail at Lweaver@wcgrp.com with your signature block, and affirm that you meet ALL of the above
requirements. Tell me the type of coverage you handle. Examples of fun-ness are also welcome, but not necessary.
Affirmations of fun-ness suffice. Once you have been officially approved, you may then request to join the LinkedIN
Armadillo Club Group. I admit NO ONE to the LinkedIN Group until they are an official member (otherwise you will
never get on the service list...) As of March 2021, we have 941 members in the LinkedIN group. I am glad to post
whatever is appropriate that you would like me to post in the newsletters that go out whenever I feel like sending one out
and have time, but like all good attorneys, I reserve the right to be the sole and final arbiter of what is appropriate.... Hey,
you're not paying anything for this, so don't complain. : ) Send me any news or job postings you would like included in
the newsletter and feel free to post same in the LinkedIN Group once admitted.
- Benefits:
The point is: sometimes we all need a little help from our friends. We may be one of the only legal groups in the country
whose members considers themselves to be more than just peers or colleagues. We see ourselves as a community, even a
family. Even if we never need help, its great to have good friends!
- If you are reading this and need a good coverage attorney, feel free to contact me and I'll put you in touch with someone.
I do not get a referral fee for doing this. I just like helping friends. And, after all, I may be genetically wired to do this. In
addition to having this network for almost 30 years, I was the Chair of Networking for Notre Dame in Chicago from 2003
- 2011, and I have a few other networks. I have/had two adult children in Supply Chain and I take credit for their supply
chain genes. I tell them, after all, "Networking" is just the civilian application of Supply Chain - connecting people with
people and people with opportunities.
Thanks for reading. Hope you find something useful, enlightening or entertaining here. Have a blessed day.
Faithfully yours,
Linda A. Weaver
Corporate Counsel
Weaver Consultants Group
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| We Remember Ted, Jerry, Audrey and all we have lost. |
Updated 3-8-2021