The Mediator

As a self-described “people” person, Stacey Rose brings an open mind and an even-handed approach to the independent adjusting profession. The 24-year veteran of the claims world heads up a small but senior team of six adjusters and one administrator at Cornerstone Adjusters Ltd.

With four locations in Vancouver, West Vancouver, Abbotsford and Surrey, the firm has established a leading reputation as a specialist in handling large losses, including catastrophic and brain injury exposures. It covers a wide geographic territory, ranging from the Vancouver downtown core and surrounding Lower Mainland, the Sunshine Coast and Gulf Islands, through the Fraser Valley and into the B.C. Interior and Okanagan.

Rose herself has earned her stripes as an independent adjuster able to step in and deal with complex disputes, including those involving in-depth pre-trial investigation and witness preparation.

“As adjusters, I think we can play a big part in keeping people from getting entrenched in their positions,” Rose says. “We are hired as an independent service and we often mediate between insurers and third parties. Adjusters can look at the facts, inform people of the insurance process and work towards a resolution. That is really what we do best.”

It should come as no surprise then that, augmenting her role as an independent adjuster, Rose also offers dispute resolution services. In addition to the CIP, she holds the national designation of Qualified Mediator (Q. Med) granted by the ADR Institute of Canada. To boot, Rose also has the designation of Certified Risk Manager (CRM), which affords her added insight into the critical risk-assessment phase of any mediation process.

‘Mediation really spoke to me,” Rose says, noting that alternative dispute resolution is a career path many senior adjusters in B.C. have followed in recent years. “It really dovetails with claims adjusting, but in this case everyone is sitting at the table and getting their views and positions out in the open. It felt like a really good fit.”

As a member in good standing of the B.C. Civil Roster of Mediators, Rose has been active in resolving disputes and “conflict coaching” for the past three years. But she has no plans of abandoning the independent adjusting profession.

“I don’t foresee ever giving up the claims adjusting side of the business,” she says. “It is still too much fun for me.”

The “fun” for Rose started when she was hired into the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia’s (ICBC) training program for junior adjusters in 1989. She spent two years working in vehicle material damage, and then jumped at the chance to do injury work, where she specialized for eight years. After a few more years spent as a staff adjuster in the private insurance industry, Rose then got the itch to strike out on her own, starting Cornerstone Adjusters in 2006.

“I started out in my garage with just a laptop,” she recalls. “I tended to overwork and bury myself in the first few years. Fluctuating claims volumes are always a concern for adjusters.”

However, Cornerstone Adjusters quickly found its niche in more complex losses, and this has acted as a consistent source of business for the firm.  Rose began taking on other veteran adjusters on a gradual basis, and now feels confident about the expertise her firm holds and the client base it has built. Adjusters on the Cornerstone team now include Shelby Vevers, Angela Shears, Catherine Dussault, Evan Miles and recently hired junior adjuster David Boileau, along with administrative point person Helen Atkinson.

“We have a solid team and I have finally found the balance to be busy, but not buried,” Rose explains. “There has been the odd occasion where we have had to say ‘no’ to some good clients in recent years because of the timing or size of a project. Although this is very difficult to do, in the end it is a disservice to you and your client to accept a large assignment you simply cannot handle. That has been a very hard business lesson for me to learn, but it is important.”

Dealing with larger claims involves a deft touch that includes proper information gathering, communication and negotiation, according to Rose.

“Much of the work we deal with is litigation-driven, and that can pose some challenges,” she says. “As adjusters we play an important role in collecting and verifying information, interviewing witnesses, confirming their perceptions and ensuring that they understand how the information will be used in the insurance process, even at trial. We can help make the insurance process as transparent as possible.”

Another issue for independent adjusters involves peoples’ perceptions of bias, Rose observes.

“I know that some people think we are simply hired by the insurance company and are not completely objective,” she says. “While we are contracted by insurers, I always try to point out that we bring our professional training, ethics and licensing to bear in every case, to ensure there is proper resolution of a claim. If I, as a recorder of the facts, take a statement, you shouldn’t be able to tell whom I am working for. If it is impartial and professional, that is proof I am doing my job right. The proof really is in the pudding.”

The ability to conduct interviews, gather facts and report back in a timely manner is an ongoing challenge that independent adjusters face, according to Rose.

“I think that the documentation and reporting demands of being an adjuster today are top of mind for me,” she says. “It is the insurance examiners at various insurance companies who we have to report back to, and they all have their checks and balances for managing claims. We have to make sure our reporting is solid and thorough and delivered in a timely manner – and that can be a tall order.”

Another issue for many smaller independent adjusting firms is hiring younger people and providing proper on-the-job training. Rose says Cornerstone Adjusters is in that educational mode right now with its recently hired junior adjuster.

“As a smaller firm we are busy with our claims files, and we need to carve out time for quality training,” Rose explains. “It is not just a money or time issue; it is how to train properly for this role. It can be a structural challenge, because there is no real training manual for adjusters. Sometimes, you have to be able to work with and listen to a senior adjuster on the phone. You have to pick it up almost through osmosis.”

The value of an association in helping independent adjusters speak with a concerted voice on key issues is not lost on Rose.  “I think the CIAA has done a great job on the national level dealing with the many issues that independent adjusters face, such as education, licensing and advocacy,” Rose says. “However, I also think there is a role for regional associations that can speak to the needs of local adjusters.”

B.C’s provincial adjuster association ended its active role four years ago, with Rose actually serving as the final president of the group. “People joked that I was the one who sunk the ship,” she laughs. “I still think there is room for localized adjuster groups, even if meetings are held on a more informal basis.”

These local groups can help in not just information sharing and fellowship, but also recruitment and mentoring for young people considering a career in independent claims adjusting. There is, as Rose observes, a need to both bring fresh blood into the adjusting profession and provide a forum for junior and senior adjusters to share knowledge and networking opportunities.

“Whether independent adjusters will survive as a profession is a hot topic,” she says.&nbsp ; “I certainly think we will, but we will likely be a smaller, more knowledgeable group. We will continue to make a difference in terms of deeper expertise, broader training and the ability to bring that independent perspective to the insurance claims structure.”

When asked about her vision of the future of the independent adjuster, it’s clear that Rose doesn’t stray far from her roots in mediation. “The role of the independent adjuster moving forward, I think, will be distinguished by technical knowledge, policy interpretation – and dispute resolution,” she concludes.