Senior Legal Claims Handler

Zurich 56 Company Ltd; Illinois; Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 164,000; Full time

Job summary

Zurich North America is hiring a Senior Legal Claims Handler to manage complex commercial surety claims from start to finish, reporting to a Commercial Surety Claims Manager. The role is fully remote with a home-based office in the United States.

You will analyze liability and bond obligations, develop strategies, set reserves, negotiate settlements, and communicate with principals, brokers, and internal teams. JD with 5+ years in legal/insurance and an active adjuster license are required.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor and 5 or more years of experience in the Legal area
• JD and 5 or more years of legal practice experience in the insurance area
• Must obtain and maintain required adjuster license(s)
• Experience in insurance claims and the insurance legal and regulatory environment

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of high complexity commercial surety claims from start to finish.
• Analyze liability, exposure, bond obligations, and damages by gathering and analyzing relevant facts and utilizing applicable law.
• Build claim strategies to drive timely, high-quality claim resolutions.
• Set and monitor reserves throughout the claim lifecycle using analytical judgment.
• Negotiate settlements by establishing appropriate negotiation strategy and utilizing available tools and resources within authority limits.
• Deliver clear, timely communication to stakeholders throughout the claim process.
• Manage vendors and expenses through approved networks.
• Ensure compliance, confidentiality, and ethical claim handling.
• Identify potential subrogation and fraud, and accelerate appropriately.
• Share claim trends and insights to support business growth and risk management.
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, staying current with industry trends, establishing personal networks, and participating in professional societies.
• Coach and provide technical advice within and outside operating unit

Skills

Legal experience

Insurance law

Negotiation

Education

Juris Doctor

Job description

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At Zurich North America Claims we acknowledge that work life-balance and flexibility are a priority when it comes to choosing your next career move. Designed with our employees' needs in mind, the ZNA Claims hybrid work model emphasizes flexibility, allowing claims employees to conduct individual work in their preferred location, while facilitating in-person connections and collaborative activities when meaningful and valuable. While the model provides a high level of flexibility and autonomy, occasional circumstances requiring in-office attendance should be expected. The candidate selected for this opportunity should be able to report into [one of] the following North American Claims office[s]: remote United States.

Zurich North America is currently hiring a Senior Legal Claims Handler, and this person will report to a Commercial Surety Claims Manager. We are open to hiring talent who is located within the U.S. This is a fully remote position so you will have a home-based office.

In this role, you will manage a caseload of high complexity single and multi-party commercial surety claims from start through settlement and resolution, and within specific authority limits. You will ensure that claims are handled in the most efficient and effective manner to deliver on Zurich’s claims best practices and customer-led commitment. You will have an opportunity to develop strong partnerships that include extensive communications and interactions with principals, brokers, and other internal business unit contacts.

Using your strategic mindset, you will:

• Manage commercial surety claims from start to finish with a focus on quality, efficiency, and service excellence-
• Analyze liability, exposure, bond obligations, and damages by gathering and analyzing relevant facts and utilizing applicable law
• Build claim strategies to drive timely, high-quality claim resolutions
• Set and monitor reserves throughout the claim lifecycle using analytical judgment
• Negotiate settlements by establishing appropriate negotiation strategy and utilizing available tools and resources within authority limits
• Deliver clear, timely communication to stakeholders throughout the claim process
• Manage vendors and expenses through approved networks
• Ensure compliance, confidentiality, and ethical claim handling
• Identify potential subrogation and fraud, and accelerate appropriately
• Share claim trends and insights to support business growth and risk management
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, staying current with industry trends, establishing personal networks, and participating in professional societies
• Coach and provide technical advice within and outside operating unit

Basic Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor and 5 or more years of experience in the Legal area AND
• JD and 5 or more years of legal practice experience in the insurance area
• Must obtain and maintain required adjuster license(s)
• Experience in insurance claims and the insurance legal and regulatory environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Curiosity and enthusiasm for emerging technology and efficiency tools, with a mindset for applying them to improve claim management
• Foundational knowledge of bankruptcy-related issues and proceedings. Prior experience in commercial surety is not required
• Experience coaching junior team members
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem solving skills
• Solid time management, prioritization and multi-tasking skills
• Experience collaborating in a team environment and building cross functional working relationships
• Demonstrates understanding of the reserving process for indemnity and expense in analyzing the potential exposure of complex claims
• Ability to develop and execute a negotiation strategy and plan for resolution
• Ability to identify subtleties in customer/client and/or business partner interactions
• Ability to present information necessary to propose a claim resolution to stakeholders

Your pay at Zurich is based on your role, location, skills, and experience. We follow local laws to ensure fair compensation. You may also be eligible for bonuses and merit increases. If your expectations are above the listed range, we still encourage you to apply—your unique background matters to us.

The pay range shown is a national average and may vary by location. The proposed salary rangefor this position is $100,200 - $164,100, with short-term incentive bonus eligibility set at 15%.

We offer competitive pay and comprehensive benefits for employees and their families. [Learn more about Total Rewardshere .]

At Zurich, we value your ideas and experience. We offer growth, inclusion, and a supportive environment—so you can help shape the future of insurance. Zurich North America is a leader in risk management, with over 150 years of expertise and coverage across 25+ industries, including 90% of the Fortune 500®.

Join us for a brighter future—for yourself and our customers.

Zurich in North America does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, age, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or other characteristics protected by applicable law. Equal Opportunity Employer disability/vets.

Zurich complies with 18 U.S. Code § 1033.