Firm Expands California Footprint with New Sacramento Office
Sam Sorich, the former president of the Association of California Insurance Companies (ACIC), California’s longest established property/casualty insurance trade association, joins Barger & Wolen as Of Counsel on June 15, 2011. Mr. Sorich, who has been in the insurance industry for more than 30 years, will also open and head the law firm’s new Sacramento office.
“After my retirement from the ACIC, I was looking for an opportunity to continue to serve the insurance industry and its customers. Joining Barger & Wolen was the perfect opportunity to do that,” Sam Sorich says. “Barger & Wolen is an extraordinary firm that has incredible presence and influence in the insurance industry and has successfully represented many of ACIC’s 300 members.”
As ACIC president, Sorich directed the group’s legislative, regulatory and litigation activities. His role with Barger & Wolen will focus on expanding the firm’s presence and relationships in Sacramento particularly with the Department of Insurance and other state agencies. Although Barger & Wolen is not new to Sacramento, due to its representation and regulatory work before the Department of Insurance, Sorich will become a liaison for the firm’s clients within the influential circles of the state’s capital.
“This new move solidifies our presence in Sacramento, which is a center of influence in California for the insurance industry,” says Steven Weinstein, chairman of Barger & Wolen. “The addition of Sam not only shows our understanding of our client’s business practices and needs, but it demonstrates our leadership in the industry.”
Under his direction at ACIC, Sorich and ACIC played a key role in the crafting and regulatory implementation of the 2003-2004 workers’ compensation reforms, the development of regulations that implement Proposition 103's provisions on auto insurance rating and underwriting, litigation that determines the scope of the insurance commissioner's authority over homeowners insurance underwriting, and legislation that provides consumers with effective disclosures regarding insurance coverage.
Robert Hogeboom, one of the leaders of the firm’s regulatory practice, adds: “Sam Sorich is well respected by the insurance industry and regulators throughout the country. He will continue to play a key role in the regulatory work that we do for insurance companies at the state and federal levels.”
Sorich is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law. Before beginning his insurance career, Sorich served as a Peace Corps volunteer and an assistant attorney general in the office of the Illinois Attorney General. Sorich is a member of the Illinois Bar and the Hawaii Bar.
