Barry Zalma

Barry Zalma writes on the insurance industry claims practices for IRMI.com.

Mr. Zalma is a California attorney, insurance claims consultant, and author. His law practice emphasizes the representation of insurers and those in the business of insurance, and stresses first-party property matters, third-party liability coverage situations, and litigation support including expert testimony. His insurance consulting practice, Zalma Insurance Consultants, is available to insurers and insureds to assist in the resolution of insurance disputes or to provide expert testimony or consultation.

Mr. Zalma is a Certified Fraud Examiner and is a life member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. He serves on the faculty of the Virtual University of the Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, writes a regular column for the magazine of the Agent & Broker Magazine and Zalma's Insurance Fraud Letter. He served as a director of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Forensic Expert Witnesses Association Forensic Expert Witness Association. He is also a member of the California Conference of Arson Investigators, the International Association of Arson Investigators, the Southern California Fraud Investigators Association, the American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section and its Property and Coverage Committees, the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, and the Defense Research Institute. He holds the designation Fraud Claim Law Specialist awarded by the American Educational Institution.

Mr. Zalma has testified as an expert witness in the California Superior Court, various U.S. District Courts, and the Superior Court of Nebraska. He is an internationally recognized expert on insurance claims handling, bad faith, insurance coverage, the commercial general liability (CGL) policy, insurance fraud, Jewelers' Block Insurance, and other inland marine coverages. Mr. Zalma is the author of, or has rewritten, CGL, fire, auto, earthquake, Jewelers' Block and other insurance policies for insurer clients.

In addition, Mr. Zalma is the author of Insurance: Cases and Materials on Coverage, Claims, and Litigation and California Claims Regulations both published by Carolina Academic Pressm 700 Kent Street, Durham, NC 27701 or can be ordered directly from www.cap-press.com/books/1689, Phone: (919) 489-7486, Fax: (919) 493-5668 and web@cap-press.com. He is also the author of Construction Defects: Litigation and Claims; Insurance Claims—A Comprehensive Guide; and Mold: A Comprehensive Claims Guide published by Specialty Technical Publishers, Vancouver, British Columbia, available at www.stpub.com or (800) 251–0381. He is also the author of The Truth, the Whole Truth & Nothing but the Truth, Property Claims 2nd Edition and Liability Claims and all course books and interactive courses published by ClaimSchool in its training programs. Zalma's Insurance Fraud Letter is available, free from ClaimSchool, Inc., and over the Internet at www.zalma.com. His Web log (blog) on insurance law, Zalma on Insurance, is also available at that site or at law.lexisnexis.com. Mr. Zalma received his AB degree in Philosophy from Claremont Men's College and his JD degree from the University of West Los Angeles, College of Law.

Articles on IRMI.com

Insurance Industry: Claims Practices

The Examination under Oath (October 2008)

Insurers Need To Audit Their Vendors' Service (July 2008)

Surprise: Insurance Is Not a Service (May 2008)

Insurer Must Go to Trial on Allegations of a Fraudulent Settlement (February 2008)

Required Insurance Training and Continuing Education (January 2008)

Insurance Fraud: The Orphan Child of the U.S. Justice System (October 2007)

Use Licensed Experts in Claims Litigation (August 2007)

The Lawyer as an Insurance Claims Expert (May 2007)

When Agents or Applicants Lie to Insurers (March 2007)

Insurance Fraud Fails in L.A. Superior Court (January 2007)

Insurer Sues Attorney for Malicious Prosecution (August 2006)

Sharing of Information between Insurers To Fight Fraud (July 2006)

The Ethical Dilemma Caused by Fighting Fraud (April 2006)

New ISO ACV Definition and California Statute (March 2006)

Claims in a Disaster (September 2005)

Rescission in California (August 2005)

Insurance and the Law of Unintended Consequences (April 2005)

Fraudulent Application Can Haunt the Broker (December 2004)

Infrared Detection of Water Damage (October 2004)

Ordinary Negligence Involving Toxic Chemicals Not Pollution (September 2004)

Mold and Fungi Insurance Claims (August 2004)

Stacking Insurance Limits (July 2004)

The Ethical Dilemma Caused by Fighting Fraud (April 2004)

Adjusting Liability Claims (January 2004)

The Basics of Property Claim Adjusting (November 2003)

Litigation Management Can Destroy Promised Service (October 2003)

Why Insurance Fraud Succeeds (September 2003)