What's Happening?
Nationwide is actively recruiting for an Assistant Vice President, Contingent Liability Legal – P&C. This senior leadership role is responsible for providing strategic guidance and oversight for the company's most significant property and casualty contingent-liability
matters. These matters include bad-faith allegations, extra-contractual exposure, complex coverage disputes, and other high-risk litigation. The AVP will serve as a trusted advisor to various internal departments, including Claims, Legal, Finance, Underwriting, Reinsurance, Compliance, and business leadership. The position involves enterprise-level oversight of litigation risk, governance, financial exposure, and resolution strategy, ensuring legal guidance aligns with Nationwide's business objectives, customer commitments, and risk appetite. The role emphasizes strategic litigation and portfolio leadership, risk management, business advisory, and financial and outside counsel oversight. The position is preferred hybrid in Columbus, OH, but remote candidates will be considered, and it can be filled within any of the lower 48 U.S. states.
Why It's Important?
This recruitment highlights Nationwide's proactive approach to managing complex legal risks within its property and casualty sector. The AVP's role is crucial for mitigating financial exposure from high-stakes litigation, which can significantly impact the company's profitability and reputation. By centralizing strategic leadership for contingent liability, Nationwide aims to ensure consistent legal decision-making and strengthen risk management practices across its operations. The emphasis on aligning legal guidance with business objectives and customer commitments underscores the importance of legal strategy in maintaining customer trust and market standing. The role's broad influence across multiple departments signifies the integral nature of legal oversight in a large insurance enterprise, affecting everything from claims processing to financial reporting and compliance. The national scope of potential hiring also indicates a broad search for top legal talent to address these critical functions.
What's Next?
Nationwide will continue its search to fill this critical AVP position, with applications anticipated to be accepted until October 25, 2026, though early submissions are encouraged. Once hired, the AVP will immediately begin to establish priorities, governance standards, and escalation protocols for complex litigation and claims-related disputes. They will also direct legal strategy for significant bad-faith, extra-contractual, and coverage litigation matters, including settlement, mediation, trial, and appeals considerations. The new AVP will also be responsible for identifying emerging legal and business risks and providing strategic guidance to mitigate exposure, as well as overseeing significant litigation exposure, reserve evaluations, and legal spend. The role will also involve leading, coaching, and developing attorneys and legal professionals within the complex litigation team.
Beyond the Headlines
The creation and emphasis of this AVP role reflect a broader trend in the insurance industry towards more sophisticated and centralized management of legal and regulatory risks. As the legal landscape for property and casualty insurance becomes increasingly complex, particularly concerning bad-faith claims and extra-contractual liabilities, companies like Nationwide are investing in specialized leadership to navigate these challenges. This role also underscores the growing importance of legal departments as strategic partners in business operations, moving beyond traditional compliance functions to actively shape risk management and business strategy. The focus on diversity and inclusion in hiring for such a critical role also signals a commitment to broader organizational values, aiming to bring diverse perspectives to complex legal problem-solving.
