While he co-founded Goldberg Segalla in 2001, Tom Segalla was a well-known and highly regarded attorney well before then. In fact, today – February 20. 2023 – makes 50 years that Tom has been practicing law.
Tom has packed those 50 years with an extraordinarily high level of collaboration, innovation, strategy, and tireless service to his clients, the profession, and the firm.
Always giving of his time and talents, Tom is a nationally recognized thought leader in insurance law and claims and litigation management. He continually broke new ground and set the bar high for excellence in client service and rather than hoarding his strategies, he shared them far and wide to improve the industry as a whole, and went on to lead some of the industry’s most important professional organizations.
He has dedicated countless hours to presenting and writing on claims litigation strategies, and literally wrote the book on insurance coverage as co-author of Couch on Insurance 3d—commonly referred to as “the bible” of insurance law—and as editor of the Reinsurance Professional’s Deskbook, both of which continue to be go-to resources for claims professionals, litigation managers, and others in insurance and reinsurance.
A nationally recognized authority on bad faith, reinsurance, and insurance, Tom taught insurance law for the New York State Department, as an adjunct professor at the University at Buffalo School of Law, and has served as an expert witness in over 100 bad faith, coverage, and extracontractual cases.
Many of the professional organizations he serves have recognized Tom’s commitment to the insurance industry. This past year Tom was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award by The New York Law Journal to honor his accomplishments and impact on the legal community and the practice of law over the course of his entire career. In 2013, DRI established the Thomas F. Segalla Excellence in Education Award to honor Tom’s passion for raising the standards of excellence and ethics in the legal profession. Tom has been the recipient of the prestigious Louis B. Potter Lifetime Professional Service Award, reserved for attorneys who demonstrate respect for the law, foster trust among lawyers, exhibit a commitment to preserving the decorum and integrity of the judicial process, and support activities that educate the American public about the legal system. Tom was also a founder of, and served as President of, the American College of Coverage Counsel, a group which brings together the top insurance attorneys (for both insurers and for policyholders) in the country, and the American College also awards an annual Thomas F. Segalla Service Award.
Tom has cared deeply about the people who make up the Team GS community, supporting us personally and professionally in countless ways.
Tom Segalla—Congratulations on your 50th anniversary of practicing law. You’re an exceptional lawyer, thought leader, client advocate, and colleague. We consider it an honor and a privilege to know and work alongside you!