Greenberg Traurig Opens in Nashville with Julie Mix McPeak, One of Nation’s Leading Insurance Experts
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (PRWEB) June 18, 2019 -- Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A., has announced that Julie Mix McPeak, who stepped down as the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Commissioner, will join the firm’s leading Insurance Regulatory and Transactions Practice, and will serve as one of the founders of the firm's 41st location worldwide – in Nashville, Tennessee. This will be the firm’s 31st U.S. location.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee reappointed McPeak as commissioner in January 2019 following her original appointment as commissioner by Governor Bill Haslam in January 2011. McPeak is the first woman to serve as chief insurance regulator in more than one state. In 2018, McPeak served as president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories.
McPeak’s hiring continues the robust growth of Greenberg Traurig’s Insurance Regulatory and Transactions Practice. In addition, the Nashville office will enhance the firm's long history as a leader in the entertainment industry; Joel A. Katz, founding chairman of the firm’s Global Entertainment and Media Practice, and his team are already recognized players in the Nashville music industry, even without a local presence in Nashville. This dynamic combination will bring a competitive new firm to the Nashville legal market, as Greenberg Traurig is known for a wide range of practices that meet the needs of a growing economy.
“Nashville is a dynamic market with an infrastructure that attracts this type of quality professional and our new office will serve as an important asset to many of our firm’s clients across a wide range of sectors,” Katz said.
“We have always been impressed with the plethora of opportunities available in Nashville as a vibrant business center for insurance, music, healthcare, real estate, technology, private equity, banking, and transportation, as well as a strong higher education market that is home to many colleges and universities. We felt the time was right for us to establish a presence in Nashville with the addition of Julie to our firm. Her unique background and experience will serve as an asset to our clients across the United States,” said Greenberg Traurig Executive Chairman Richard A. Rosenbaum. “We are known for waiting patiently to find the right time, place, and people to open new offices, as we did with this opportunity, and we are very pleased with what we have been able to achieve. Our combination of a unified, collaborative and non-bureaucratic culture, with core values of excellence and sincere respect and trust of individuals on the ground, and where the delivery of efficiency and value remain very important even as we have grown, should be a strong formula for success in this market that is coming into its own.”
Greenberg Traurig, founded in 1967, now has more than 2,000 attorneys in offices in the United States, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia. Most recently, the firm opened its 30th U.S. office in Minneapolis, MN, and its 40th worldwide in Milan, Italy. Nashville is its 41st office.
“Greenberg Traurig’s Insurance Regulatory and Transactions group is proud to welcome an attorney of Julie’s caliber and reputation to the firm and our practice,” said Fred E. Karlinsky and Thomas J. Bond, co-chairs of Greenberg Traurig’s Insurance Regulatory and Transactions Practice, in a joint statement. “Julie has had a stellar career in both the public sector and private practice. Her track record of success, as well as her leadership roles in the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, will provide a great benefit for the firm and for our clients. We look forward to working closely with her to continue expanding our existing client relationships by further enhancing Greenberg Traurig’s commitment to serving the needs of our clients in this critical area of law.”
Before leading the Tennessee Department of Commerce, McPeak worked in private practice as Counsel to the insurance practice group of law firm Burr & Forman LLP. She also served as the executive director of the Kentucky Office of Insurance (KOI). Before her appointment as executive director, McPeak spent nine years as an attorney for KOI, including the final five years as general counsel. She also served as general counsel to the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet. An active NAIC participant, McPeak has served on the NAIC’s Executive Committee since 2013. She was elected in November 2015 as NAIC secretary-treasurer and elected NAIC vice president in February 2016. In December 2016, she was elected NAIC president-elect. McPeak continues in her NAIC leadership role by serving as chair of the NAIC International Insurance Relations Committee in 2019. In addition to her leadership duties with the NAIC, McPeak is also an Executive Committee member of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS.) In June 2016, she was elected by her fellow IAIS members to serve as vice chair of the group’s Executive Committee.
“Greenberg Traurig’s reputation as a well-managed global law firm, its existing relationships in Nashville, and the strength of its Insurance Regulatory and Transactions Practice, were all factors in my decision to re-join the private sector and specifically to join this firm,” McPeak said. “I look forward to working with Fred, Tom, and the other members of this award-winning practice, as well as firm leaders in the Global Entertainment Practice and elsewhere. This is a very exciting and important time in my career and at the firm, and I am beyond excited to be here.”
McPeak served as co-counsel for the Kentucky Association of Health Plans v. Miller, a case heard before the Supreme Court of the United States, regarding ERISA preemption and state “Any Willing Provider” statutes. McPeak is a frequent author and lecturer on insurance issues, having addressed members of the American Council of Life Insurers, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, the National Alliance of Life Companies, and the Million Dollar Roundtable. McPeak authored Chapter 9: “Licensing of Insurers” for New Appleman on Insurance, Library Edition and co-authored the article, "The Future of State Insurance Regulation: Can it Survive?" featured in Risk and Management Insurance Review.
McPeak is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and the Kentucky Bar Association. She has been a member of the American Bar Association, Tort and Insurance Practice section, where she served as Vice-Chair of the Insurance Regulation Committee and a member of the Federal Involvement in Insurance Regulatory Modernization Task Force. McPeak has also served on the Board of Directors of the National Insurance Producer Registry and the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance. McPeak received her J.D. from the University of Louisville, School of Law in 1994. She is a 1990 graduate of the University of Kentucky, where she received her B.B.A., with distinction, in Marketing.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Insurance Regulatory & Transactions Practice: Greenberg Traurig’s Insurance Regulatory & Transactions group brings together lawyers from its national and international offices with experience in a broad variety of complementary disciplines – including insurance regulatory, tax, corporate finance and securities, securitization and structured finance, litigation, health care, and governmental affairs – to support clients from all segments of the insurance industry. The group provides tailored legal services designed to meet the varied needs of our clients in the areas of insurance regulation, legislative and public policy advocacy, life and health insurance, property and casualty insurance, premium finance, securitization and derivatives, and insurance litigation. BTI Consulting Group’s 2017 BTI Power Rankings list included Greenberg Traurig on their Honor Roll list for Insurance. In 2016 our team was listed as one of the “Strongest Firms for Go-To Outside Counsel - Insurance” in BTI Consulting Group’s BTI Report. Our team was also included in BTI Consulting Group’s BTI Power Rankings as one of “The Top 16 Firms GCs Love for Insurance Work" in 2016.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 41 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
Elaine Walker, Greenberg Traurig, P.A., http://www.gtlaw.com, 3055790832, [email protected]
Share this article