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by Karissa Thomas (Author)
Lead the Claim: A New Standard for Modern Adjusters
The file you build today is the file that will be reviewed, challenged, and possibly litigated tomorrow.
Claims handling has changed.
Catastrophe frequency is increasing. Policyholders are more informed than ever. Multi-party involvement has become common. Litigation awareness is no longer something adjusters think about after a claim goes wrong-it must be considered from the very first notice of loss.
In this practical and field-tested guide, award-winning author Dr. Karissa Thomas examines what separates an average claim file from a defensible one. While technical accuracy remains essential, modern adjusters are increasingly evaluated on the quality of their documentation, communication, decision-making, and professional judgment.
Lead the Claim provides a roadmap for insurance professionals who want to strengthen their files, reduce unnecessary escalation, and operate with greater confidence in today's high-pressure claims environment.
Inside this book, you will learn how to:
- Build clear, organized, and defensible claim files
- Document findings in ways that support claim decisions under review
- Improve communication with insureds, contractors, attorneys, public adjusters, and other stakeholders
- Navigate catastrophe claims, coverage disputes, and complex losses with greater consistency
- Reduce escalation through structured communication and expectation setting
- Strengthen professional judgment and decision-making processes
- Maintain documentation standards that withstand scrutiny and support claim outcomes
Unlike many claims resources that focus primarily on estimating damage or claim procedures, this book focuses on what happens after the inspection is complete. It explores how claims are managed when every note, conversation, and decision may be reviewed by supervisors, attorneys, regulators, carriers, or other stakeholders who were not present when the claim was handled.
Written for independent adjusters, staff adjusters, desk examiners, supervisors, managers, and catastrophe professionals, Lead the Claim offers practical strategies that can be applied immediately in the field and at the desk.
Whether you are handling daily claims, catastrophe deployments, coverage disputes, large losses, or complex multi-party files, the standards for professional claims handling continue to evolve.
Technical competence is important.
Documentation matters.
Communication matters.
Professional judgment matters.
And in today's environment, the adjusters who thrive will be the ones who can demonstrate all four.
The question is no longer whether your files will be reviewed.
The question is whether they are ready.
