2026 - Insurance Bad Faith CV

2026 - Insurance Bad Faith CV

Jim Schratz

Insurance Bad Faith Expert | Claims Handling Expert | Legal Fee Auditor | Expert Witness

January 1994 - Present

Professional Summary

Jim Schratz is a nationally recognized expert witness with more than 45 years of experience in insurance claims handling, litigation management, legal fee auditing, and bad faith claims analysis. He has testified extensively in state and federal courts throughout the United States involving claims handling standards, insurance bad faith, attorneys' fees, legal billing practices, and extra-contractual exposure.

He is a former Vice President of Major Claims at Fireman's Fund Insurance Company and has personally handled high-exposure claims nationwide, including matters involving bad faith exposure, construction defect litigation, independent counsel disputes, and high-value liability claims.

Sample Trial Testimony

• Robert Hirsh v. Travelers Commercial Insurance Company - Testified on behalf of Travelers in a bad faith action.
• Victaulic Company v. American Home Assurance Company - Testified on behalf of plaintiff in a bad faith action.
• Poteau Ford Mercury, Inc., and Vernon Roberts v. Zurich American Insurance Company - Testified on behalf of plaintiff in a bad faith action.
• The Continental Insurance Company v. Amadeo Lopez-Castro, et al. - Testified on behalf of the insurance company.
• Paul Boyne v. Massachusetts Bay Insurance Company - Testified on behalf of plaintiff in an insurance bad faith action.
• John Cahill v. Liberty Lloyds of Texas Insurance Company - Testified on behalf of plaintiff.
• Pflueger, Inc. v. AIU Holdings, Inc., et al. - Testified on behalf of plaintiff in an insurance bad faith action.
• Millennium v. Darwin Select Insurers - Testified on behalf of plaintiff in an insurance bad faith action.
• Robert MacKeen and Rebecca MacKeen v. State Farm Lloyds and Rex O'Hill - Testified on behalf of plaintiff in an insurance bad faith action.
• Morgan v. United Fire Lloyds - Testified on behalf of plaintiff in an insurance bad faith action.

Expert Experience

Qualified as an expert witness in state and federal courts in numerous jurisdictions, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.

Areas of testimony include insurance bad faith, claims handling standards, reservation of rights issues, independent counsel matters, construction defect claims, extra-contractual exposure, coverage investigations, litigation management, attorneys' fees and legal billing, and Brandt fee claims.

Insurance Industry Experience

• Vice President, Major Claims - Fireman's Fund Insurance Company - Responsible for case management of matters involving potential exposure of $3 million or more and cases with high publicity value.
• Assistant Vice President, Major Litigation Unit - Fireman's Fund Insurance Company - Developed and implemented a program to identify, centralize, and monitor cases involving independent counsel.
• Director, Corporate Litigation - Fireman's Fund Insurance Company - Established and supervised a 16-member Major Litigation Unit with nationwide responsibility for construction defect, land subsidence, and other labor-intensive high-profile litigation.
• Assistant General Counsel - Fireman's Fund Insurance Company

Legal Experience

• Associate - Rosenblum, Fenolio, Parish, Jack & Bacigalupi, San Francisco.
• Associate - Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe, San Francisco.

Education

• University of San Francisco School of Law - J.D., 1976; Editor-in-Chief, Law Review.
• University of Illinois - M.A., Political Science, 1972.
• State University of New York at Buffalo - B.A., 1969.

Selected Publications

• "Managing Insurer, Insured Conflicts of Interest by Use of Independent Counsel," American Bar Association (1991).
• "Do The Right Thing," California Lawyer (1992).
• "Resolving the Cumis Quandary: Guidelines for Reasonable Fees," Insurance Litigation Reporter (1992).
• "The Need For Legal Audits," Verdict (1992).
• "Legal Auditing Makes Sense," Legal Audit Review (1994).
• "Bad Faith for Legal Work? Your Insurer May Be Liable for Mishandling Its Lawyers," Claims Magazine (1995).
• "How To Avoid A Fee Dispute With Your Client," ABA / The Practical Litigator (1995).
• "Cross-Examining a Legal Auditor," American Journal of Trial Advocacy (1996).
• "The Recovery of Legal Fees and the Use of a Legal Fee Auditor in Fee-Shifting Cases" (1997).
• "How the Legal Auditor Can Help You in the Fee-Shifting Case," The Practical Litigator (1998).
• "How To Win a Fee Petition," The Practical Litigator / Federal Lawyer (2001).
• "Winning a Fee Application in Hawaii," Hawaii Bar Journal (2010).

References furnished upon request.