“By my late teens, I had blown out nearly 200 candles with the birthday wish that I’d play professional baseball,” says Seth L. Laver, a new member of The Brief editorial board. His career went in a different direction, however. Rather than the baseball diamond, Seth has enjoyed over 20 years as a litigator representing professionals in malpractice disputes. Yet he still relies on lessons learned on the field. He recounts that most kids probably move on from a baseball fantasy much earlier, but he was unwavering, at least initially. While Seth took a lot of swings in Little League, and nearly as many in high school, the number had dwindled to virtually none when he was in college. Just like that, it was time to make new birthday wishes. Realizing he still managed to find his true calling, Seth notes, “The ball sure took a friendly hop.”
An active and aggressive advocate on behalf of his clients, Seth devotes his practice almost entirely to defending professionals, with an emphasis on legal and accounting malpractice. He handles everything from nonparty subpoena compliance to complex litigation and everything in between. Seth suggests that while his legal team does not literally save lives, for the professionals he represents, he and his colleagues provide a valued and needed level of service during what can be a challenging time: “Professionals devote decades to building a reputation and developing a brand. Attorneys, accountants, architects, brokers, and other classes of licensed professionals rely upon referrals, i.e., the good word of neighbors, community, and other allies who appreciate the work that we all do. Client development is equally critical and fragile. A malpractice claim can cause cracks in that otherwise strong foundation and can inflict incredible doubt and pain.” Against this backdrop, Seth strives to provide a sense of comfort and calm while developing a systematic and strategic approach to addressing the allegations of wrongdoing.
While there are instances of direct client retention, and many clients have choice of counsel provisions or otherwise are permitted to directly engage an attorney of their liking, a substantial portion of Seth’s practice is driven by relationships with insurance professionals. He describes the quirks of the tripartite relationship as follows: “Imagine you are on the wrong end of a malpractice claim in what had been an otherwise unblemished record. A claims professional you had never met just advised you that a complete stranger, an attorney in Philadelphia, will now be guiding you through this daunting process.” Further along this line of thought, Seth believes that a critical part of his responsibility to his clients goes beyond doing the job well to providing the highest quality legal representation: “It is essential to develop trust and confidence on the part of the client as quickly as possible, and to impress upon that newest client that they are in good hands, that we will face this challenge together, and that they can quite literally sleep at night knowing I am going to be doing everything possible to fight for them.”
While he could not effectively do what he does without finding litigating on behalf of professionals both intellectually stimulating and professionally fulfilling, Seth finds the human connection the most enjoyable and truly rewarding aspect of what he does. But the art and skill required to consistently find pathways to successful outcomes, attention to detail, and devotion to honing his craft are also a major component of what drives him.
In addition to his education and traditional experiences through the years, Seth has relied upon skills built elsewhere to foster client relationships, earn their trust, and partner with them as a team. “Perhaps you know where I am going with this,” Seth relates, “but the tools I honed on the diamond and the wishes cast on baseball glory maybe did not go to waste.” Seth sees this firsthand with his kids, two of whom spend an “inordinate” amount of time on the baseball diamond. They work on technique, of course, but also concentration, teamwork, approach, and commitment. They work on leadership, confidence, and sportsmanship. They learn to win and how to lose and how to handle and manage emotions. “These are incredible life skills,” Seth muses, “that I fervently believe they will each lean upon almost certainly in a field that does not contain grass, bases, and discarded sunflower seeds.”
Seth suggests that there may be attorneys who regret their career path, and some statistics indicate that after years of growth, the number of attorneys is tapering if not dipping. “The practice of law is certainly difficult, and it can wear on people. But absolutely not without reward,” Seth says. “We are tested repeatedly, we collaborate with our colleagues, we win and sometimes we fail, but never for lack of trying. And it is this consistent and unflagging effort that defines us.”
A lifelong Philadelphian, Seth returned to the city after graduating from law school. He is a partner in the Philadelphia offices of Goldberg Segalla LLP, which he joined in 2012. Within the firm’s management and professional liability practice group, Seth serves as the vice-chair to its accountants liability team and serves as the editor of his practice group blog, Professional Liability Matters. In addition to his recent post on the ABA’s editorial board, he is the chair-elect of the TIPS Professional Liability Insurance Committee. Seth asks that all readers take note of that committee, as it is looking to expand and to develop new ideas and opportunities for others to become involved. In addition to his work for the ABA, over nearly a decade of involvement, Seth has held nearly every position in the DRI Professional Liability Committee. Seth is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
Seth is proud of his career path and the practice he continues to develop. But he is even more proud of his wife of 16 years and their three kids (ages 14, 12, and 8). When not carting them to various activities, Seth enjoys tinkering with his historic colonial home, built in 1792, and following the Phillies and Eagles. He may be reached at [email protected].
