Debbie Riley is General Counsel at Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. She is an accomplished insurance claims and litigation management expert with over 20 years of senior executive experience with industry-leading insurance companies. Ms. Riley is a trained mediator and settlement negotiator. She concentrates in managing complex insurance issues, insurance standards and practices. She has deep insurance and corporate knowledge with experience involving reorganizations, restructures, process and technology improvement initiatives and creating/implementing strategic vision plans. Ms. Riley also focuses in the areas of nursing home and long term care liability, professional liability, auto and premise liability. She counsels Professionals on contractual, licensing, risk management and insurance matters. Her practice also includes consultation and expert services for claim bad faith. She also provides claim and compliance auditing services.
Ms. Riley is involved in the Industry and the firm's diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Ms. Riley previously managed the firm's Chicago and Atlanta offices. In addition to her work with QPWB, Ms. Riley served as SVP of a national multiline medical mutual claims department. She also served as Vice President of Global Specialty Lines, HealthPro Claims at CNA Insurance, where she focused in management oversight of medical professional claims through a staff of over 100 administering more than 20,000 claims. With oversight of a multi-million dollar budget, she managed the national counsel programs, selected defense counsel, and handled corporate compliance protocols and regulatory matters. Previously, she held various litigation claims management positions and was responsible for the implementation and development of staff counsel, and litigation vendor programs.
Ms. Riley was senior attorney with a Fortune 500 transportation company where she managed automobile, general liability and multijurisdictional claims and litigation, including catastrophic injuries and environmental litigation claims. She advised management on risk exposure and implemented programs involving recoveries, dispute resolution, and alternative billing methods.
Ms. Riley received her Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas in 1989 and Bachelor of Science cum laude from Wichita State University in 1982. While in law school, she served on the Moot Court Council as an appellate advocacy instructor and received the American Jurisprudence Award in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Ms. Riley was published in the Kansas Law Review while attending law school. Following law school, Ms. Riley practiced with a defense litigation law firm before focusing her career as in house counsel to various insurance companies and corporations.
Speaking Engagements:
- Presenter, "Capitalizing on the Great American Staffing Shortage to Improve Litigation Management Metrics," CLM Annual Meeting 2022
- Speaker, "Succession Planning: Protecting Your Firm & Clients' Legal Interests in Times of Transition" presented by DRI, the Voice of the Defense Bar, Women in the Law Seminar, Scottsdale, AZ, February 2016
- Panelist, "Boot Camp for Small and Midsize Law Firms" presented by DRI the Voice of the Defense Bar, Diversity for Success Seminar, Chicago, IL, June 9, 2016
- Presenter, "How to Build a Book of Business" presented by DRI the Voice of the Defense Bar, Diversity for Success Seminar, Chicago, IL, June 9, 2016
- Co-Presenter, "A Claims Adjuster's Point of View" presented by DRI the Voice of the Defense Bar, Medical Liability and Health Care Law Seminar, Las Vegas, NV, March 3, 2017
- Panelist, "Increasing Diversity In-House & at Law Firms: The Role We All Play," presented by the Women, Diversity & Law: Awareness Into Action Summit, Atlanta, GA, October 30, 2019
Published Articles:
- "Don't Fit Diversity into Your Business Model - Fit Your Business Model into Diversity" DRI Diversity Insider Newsletter Vol. 8, Issue 1 - May 6, 2016
- Co-author and speaker, "Who Are These People and What do They Need?" at DRI's Medical Liability and Health Care Law Seminar, March 3, 2017
Ms. Riley has completed numerous insurance and managerial courses, including:
- Faculty Member, Claims College, CLM, Professional Lines -2020 to current
- Kellogg School of Management, Advanced Leadership Program, professional development program
- Kellogg School of Management, The Soul of Leadership
- Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, completion of 42-hour mediation training
- RISE Mentorship Program 2023
Ms. Riley is licensed to practice law in Georgia, Illinois and Kansas.
Ms. Riley is an active member of the Defense Research Institute where she engages with the Medical and Health Care Law, Diversity, Women in Law and Law Firm Management Sections/Committees. Ms. Riley has served as a Board Member for a Women and Children Shelter and for an executive business club. She is passionate about helping children and young professionals prepare for and develop their personal career paths. For fun, Ms. Riley enjoys golfing and traveling.
Areas of Practice:
- Claims and Litigation Management services and resources
- Audits
- Due Diligence
- Contracts
- Employment
- Mediation
- Coverage
- Claim Bad Faith Consultant/Expert
- Assisted Living Facilities/Nursing Home
- General Liability
- Automotive Liability
- Insurance and Insurers
- Medical Malpractice Defense
- Premises Liability
- Professional Liability Defense
- Licensing