Rebecca Shafer
Attorney/Risk Consultant
Rebecca Shafer is an attorney and risk consultant specializing in workers' compensation cost containment and litigation management systems. She was one of the early developers of the Injury Management Program. Ms. Shafer consults with national, mid-market and local companies to develop benchmarking comparisons, assess key cost drivers, structure strategies and design training to reduce workers' compensation and risk management costs.
Rebecca was CEO of the workers' compensation consulting unit of Aon Risk Services, Aon Management Institute (AMI) in Glastonbury, CT, and was responsible for the development of "Comp Camp." Building the unit from the ground up, she developed an IACET-approved educational facility which trained companies of all sizes how to control workers' compensation costs. Employers from China to Europe participated in programs at AMI.
Rebecca's risk management career began with Marsh & McLennan where she developed the Injury Management Program. At Marsh, she developed the consulting program, trained the consulting staff in Injury Management Techniques, monitored all workers' compensation consulting projects and worked directly with companies of all sizes.
Prior to her consulting activities, she served as in-house counsel for Standex International Corporation in Salem, NH. As a member in the corporate legal department, she was the Litigation Manager responsible for monitoring and managing all product liability and workers' compensation litigation. In this position, she developed a litigation management system which allowed the company to keep tight control of pending claims and lawsuits. Her work reduced the company's workers' compensation losses by 50%.
Before taking the position of in-house counsel, Rebecca practiced law with Hall, Morse, Gallagher and Anderson in Concord, NH where she handled many aspects of insurance defense. She was local counsel for W. R. Grace in New Hampshire handling mass toxic tort asbestos personal injury and property damage cases, reporting to National Counsel. At the law firm, she handled several actions on behalf of plaintiffs and assisted in preparation of an appellate brief to the United States Supreme Court.
She has extensive experience helping companies maximize the efforts of claims administrators, insurance companies and third-party administrators. Having served on the corporate legal staff, as a defense attorney, and as plaintiff's attorney has given her an excellent and varied perspective on how to develop the most aggressive and creative methods to reduce workers' compensation costs.
Many of her clients have experienced cost reductions of 20 to 50 percent. Her clients have included Rite Aid, Warner Lambert, Continental Airlines, U S Airways, Universal Orlando, New York Times, TV Guide, CVS, Knight-Ridder, New Haven Terminal, Centerplate, Simpkins Industries, American Tourister, and numerous other national, mid-market accounts and small accounts.
Rebecca's professional activities have included serving as co-chair of the Insurance and Litigation Section of the Westchester Fairfield County Corporate Bar Association. She also started and ran the New England Workers' Compensation Roundtable, a group of risk managers who meet regularly to exchange ideas about workers' compensation cost control. She has been a featured speaker at many industry conferences and is a frequent contributor to industry journals and publications.
Rebecca is licensed to practice law in Connecticut and New Hampshire.
Injury Management Consulting Staff
While Rebecca manages and monitors all consulting projects, she is supported by a talented Injury Management Consulting Staff including
- a senior claims consultant with over 25 years of experience with a major insurance carrier who specializes in file reviews and determination of best practice compliance,
- an educational consultant with a Master's Degree in Education who specializes in technical writing and development of workers' compensation curriculum, training manuals, brochures, and accreditation of training programs.
- a database and benchmarking consultant with a Master's degree in Business and Mathematics who specializes in customized databases to support claims activities and benchmarking studies.
- Senior injury management consultants with over 15 years of experience working with companies and municipalities of all sizes in implementation of cost reduction strategies.
Medical Doctors
A key to our cost reduction success are our medical doctors who are board-certified in either occupational medicine or emergency medicine. Each has over 20 years experience in the workers' compensation field and has been specially trained to review workers' compensation claims. Our medical doctors participate in file audits and claim reviews. They also serve as medical advisors for companies who need part-time and/or interim medical expertise. All have excellent credentials.
Tribute
No discussion of Injury Management would be complete without mentioning our colleagues and friends at Aon and Marsh who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
We are proud to have worked many years with Robert Ferris and Harry Taback, both of whom played a significant role in the development and ongoing success of the Injury Management Program.
Harry was our boss and an enthusiastic supporter of the Injury Management Program. His support and encouragement facilitated making the program into a nationwide practice.
Bob was fondly known to us as 'Mayor of the Marriott' for the role he played during numerous training programs we held in Connecticut where, in addition to his full-time teaching responsibilities, he made sure each of our out-of-town clients was comfortable and safe. He was a caring friend, a knowledgeable colleague and an expert in safety and injury management who is greatly missed.
As dedicated safety professionals, we are sure Bob and Harry gave their lives helping others escape the building.