law // INSURANCE
A STEVEN PLITT Partner // The Cavanagh Law Firm // cavanaghlaw.com
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Plitt is a senior member of The Cavanagh Law Firm in Phoenix, where he maintains a national insurance law practice. He is an adjunct law professor at University of Arizona, where he teaches insurance law. He has written books on insurance law and 350 academic journal articles and other insurance related publications. He is listed as one of the top 50 lawyers in Arizona. He has been selected twice as Phoenix’s Insurance Lawyer of the Year. Professional advice: “Find a senior and professionally respected mentor. Advocacy is an art not a sledge hammer. The art of the advocate is nuanced and is best learned through example.” Industry outlook: “The outlook is good. The real estate market has returned and business is thriving. In turn, the legal market is also growing.”
B RANDY SASSAMAN Of counsel // Holloway Odegard & Kelly // hoklaw.com Sassaman is a native of Kansas and received his law degree from the Washburn University School of Law, where he was a member of the Washburn Law Journal, in 1981. After working for a Superior Court Judge in Phoenix, Sassaman accepted a position with Holloway & Thomas handling liability defense, insurance coverage and bad faith cases on behalf of insurers. Sassaman joined Jennings, Kepner & Haug in 1987, where he continued to represent insurance companies and their insureds. He and two other members left the firm in 1987 and founded Raymond, Greer & Sassaman, where he continued to focus on personal injury, insurance coverage and bad faith cases until his withdrawal from the firm at the end of 2016. He returned to his “roots,” joining Holloway, Odegard & Kelly as “of counsel” in 2017.
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C GENA SLUGA Shareholder // Christian Dichter & Sluga // cdslawfirm.com Sluga is a mother and named shareholder in a women-owned law firm. At home, Sluga and her husband raised strong, independent daughters — one medical student and one studying public policy at ASU. At the office, she is proud of the balance her firm has achieved, with women and men sharing equally in responsibility and reward. Personal qualities: “I am a classical music fan and played the French Horn for several years. When playing with a symphony, you can’t let one missed note ruin an entire performance. Instead, acknowledge errors, learn from them, and move forward. I’ve always been resilient, which is an asset in any profession.” Industry outlook: “Work harder, smarter and cheaper than the lawyers in the next building over, and you’ll be fine.”
D MARK WORISCHECK Managing shareholder // Sanders & Park // ssandersparks.com D
Worischeck’s practice emphasizes complex civil litigation, primarily in the areas of insurance coverage, aviation law, construction litigation and personal injury. Worischeck has been repeatedly recognized as one of Arizona’s Top 50 Lawyers by Southwest Super Lawyers and selected by Best Lawyers as the Insurance “Lawyer of the Year.” Personal strengths: “Enjoying what I do, coupled with the drive to excel, has allowed me to gain the confidence of others.” Professional advice: “Choose an area of the law that you enjoy, become an expert at it and treat others with courtesy and respect.” Industry outlook: “Along with our economy, the legal profession is in a growth mode and many new job opportunities are being created.”
E KURT ZITZER Partner // Meagher & Geer // meagher.com
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Zitzer is a senior partner with Meagher & Geer and practices in the areas of insurance coverage, construction law, professional liability and products liability defense. Personal strengths: “Customer service is very important. Clients want responsiveness. I have found that timely communication, coupled with clear advice and concrete resolution strategies, help foster client and long-term business relationships.” Industry outlook: “Business continues to search out new means of efficiencies. To the extent technology can continue to improve the cost of providing legal services, lawyers need to embrace this change and seek out additional ways to offer legal services cost-competitively. The successful lawyers and firms will find ways to cut costs without cutting quality.”