Goldberg Segalla

Colleen Murphy focuses her practice on defending insurance agents, brokers, and insurers in professional liability claims and insurance coverage disputes. As the leader of Goldberg Segalla's Insurance Agents and Brokers Practice Group within the firm's Professional Liability Practice Group, she has nearly 20 years of experience representing insurance agencies and brokerages in errors and omissions (E&O) claims and lawsuits as well as in consumer complaints and hearings before the New York State Insurance Department. Her clients include top-10 insurance brokers and self-insureds, major E&O liability insurers, and insurance agencies within financial institutions. She has successfully defended hundreds of errors and omissions claims on behalf of insurance agents and brokers across New York State as well as in Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico. Her coverage experience includes defending insurers in claims alleging bad faith in interpreting insurance contracts or in the manner a claim was handled, as well as in matters involving first-party property, professional liability, third-party liability, and reinsurance coverage.

In addition, Colleen represents broker-dealers and registered representatives in the defense of securities-related claims, including those alleging unsuitable investment recommendations, improper sales practices, negligent supervision, churning, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract. She also represents financial services clients in responding to regulatory inquiries initiated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and she handles complex product liability and life science matters.

A recognized authority on errors and omissions in the insurance industry, Colleen has delivered numerous E&O-focused loss control CE seminars and webinars across the country. She has also authored errors and omissions loss control reports as well as contributed chapters to an errors and omissions loss control primer. Major regional and national insurance agents and brokers associations have turned to Colleen for help meeting the diverse needs of their members, including helping to draft widely used loss control procedures and forms.

Professional Affiliations

• USLAW Network, Professional Liability Group
• Defense Research Institute, Professional Liability Committee
• Women’s Bar Association of Western New York, Western New York Chapter
• Attorney Member, Agents Council for Technology, Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America

Admitted to Practice

• New York
• U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of New York

Civic Activities

• Western New York Autism Society, Conference Planner and Co-Chair
• Volunteer/Guide for Children’s Adaptive Ski Program: Phoenix Adaptive Snow Sports Program at HoliMont, Ellicottville, New York

Education

• State University of New York at Buffalo, B.A., 1987
• Albany Law School of Union University, J.D., 1990