I started doing property coverage work when I started practicing law back in what my children refer to as the “early millennium”. That area of practice was pretty quiet in Alabama and Mississippi until after Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Once Katrina hit the Mississippi coast in 2005, I spent three years of my practice exclusively litigating Ivan and Katrina claims. I’ve been a coverage lawyer ever since. I had sporadically gone to WIND meetings starting in 2007. At that point in my career, I thought it was better to just sit back and learn. In 2012, I was introduced to Janet Brown, an Orlando attorney and past Wind President (formerly of Boehm, Brown & Harwood, P.A.) who looked at me and said “come with me.” She brought me to then Wind Secretary Lenox Godfrey, Esq. Claims Director at FIGA and informed us both that she had found Lenox’s conference chair. Apparently, that was me.
I sat on the conference committee for two years before I was given the opportunity to plan the meeting with my co-chair Charlie Baker, of Peninsula Insurance Bureau. I did not know what I was in for, but it quickly became one of the best things I have done for my career. Charlie and I put together a conference in New Orleans 10 years after Katrina decimated the city. WIND had historically held its meetings in Orlando and moving it to New Orleans was risky. There’s some debate as to whether that risk paid off. (Hint: After New Orleans in 2015 it stayed in Orlando until our upcoming conference in Dallas in 2025.) If nothing else, I think we learned the important lesson that insurance industry professionals thoroughly enjoy all that New Orleans has to offer.
After that conference, I was voted on the board and remained as a director until I was voted Secretary in 2019. I followed Melissa Sims, Esq. onto the executive board. What started as “come with me” became “work with me” and Melissa and I worked to unite the board and focus on long-term goals that would be developed and supported by each successive president.
I have been involved in every conference since 2013 as both a speaker and a board member. I had the opportunity to speak on everything from deposition tactics, Super Storm Sandy, basics for property adjusters, and the dreaded Gulf Coast Case Law Update. This year, I presented the ethics certification course for Florida licensed adjusters. I have met people from all over the country that do what I do. When I met Janet Brown I had no idea that she was (and remains) a legend in the industry. She introduced me to Susan Hardwood, Esq. (another Past Wind President) and Wayne Taylor, Esq. (Wind President-Elect) who are not only a wealth of information and practice pointers but also friends. Charlie Baker and I have weathered Wind together (see what I did there?) since 2013 and I was fortunate to get to work with him as an appraiser. Lenox Godfrey’s leadership helped get me started in Wind and he has even been so kind as to help me by speaking on a panel in another organization.
WIND gave me the opportunity to not only network with those on the defense side, but with those on the plaintiffs’ side as well. I cannot overstate the value of a good relationship with the heavy hitters on the other side of the “v.” It is a great way to not only handle and resolve claims but also anticipate litigation trends. When COVID hit and everyone started to panic about insurance claims and business shutdowns, one of my first calls was to a good friend and Wind contact who represents policyholders to get her perspective. She was spot on as to how it would all pan out.
It really all started with a “come with me” from Janet Brown more than 10 years ago. I have tried to make that phrase a mantra and carry it with me throughout my practice. Now I get to enjoy the role of Past President and hope that those who I’ve asked to “come with me” are able to get as much out of WIND as I have. I’ll still be around and with any luck, I’ll still get the opportunity to present to and learn from the best in the business.
Christina May Bolin is a partner and leads the Mobile/Baldwin County office. Her practice focuses on defending individuals, businesses, and insurers against lawsuits and liability claims, and assisting clients in the development of strategic solutions to legal disputes and litigation risks. Christina is licensed to practice in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and New York.
About Christian & Small
Christian & Small represents a diverse clientele throughout Alabama, the Southeast, and the nation with clients ranging from individuals and closely-held Businesses to Fortune 500 corporations. By matching highly experienced lawyers with specific client needs, Christian & Small develops innovative, effective, efficient solutions for clients. With offices in Birmingham metro-Jackson, Mississippi, and the Alabama Gulf Coast, Christian & Small focuses on the areas of litigation and business, is a member of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms, and is the only Alabama-based member firm in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Our corporate social responsibility program is focused on education, and diversity is one of the Christian & Small’s core values.