An industry-focused law firm comprised of attorneys with excellent skills to help you in insurance-related issues: Rebar Kelly

We all use various types of insurance in our day to day lives. Ideally insurance is meant to keep us protected and safe, both financially and physically. One thing that we have come to expect our insurance companies to do for us is to protect us by following the best practices and laws and stay by our side when things don’t go the way we planned. In some cases, though, what if life does not go according to the plan? And who steps in to help the insurance companies and their clients? That’s a job for an insurance defense attorney. A wide range of issues in regards to the insurance claims and policies are covered by Insurance law. Basically, an insurance defense attorney will deal with three different categories: ensuring compliance for insurance companies, helping people identify when they can file a claim with their insurance, and providing protection to the policyholders against lawsuits.

Globally, there are various law firms specializing in the insurance field, but one that stands out from the rest is Rebar Kelly. The firm services the insurance industry and its insureds in a variety of pre-litigation and litigation matters. For insurance carriers, the firm handles both insurance coverage and insurance defense matters. Particularly, the firm is retained to defend an insurance carrier’s insured in third-party liability matters. In other matters, it is also retained to review and analyze whether a claim is covered under a respective insurance policy. The firm is further assigned litigation, which ensues over whether coverage exists as well as liability flowing from extra-contractual claims. Rebar Kelly was founded in 2012 and it has four office locations, with the main office in Blue Bell, PA, and additional locations in New York, NY, Princeton, NJ and Stamford, CT. The locations were all selected to be easily accessible to one another and to better serve the whole east coast.

In Conversation with Cathleen Kelly Rebar, Managing Partner at Rebar Kelly

Q. What do you feel are the reasons behind your company’s success?

The people are the reason behind the company’s success. Throughout the years, the firm’s composition has changed. There is a saying that if the people in your room do not see your value, you are in the wrong room. It is the same thing with attorneys and staff in the workplace. Not everyone is a good fit, and the firm is not always the right fit for the individual. In those scenarios, we should move on. Over time, we have developed a team that listens to each other, respects the diverse suggested approaches, and includes others’ visions to reach a unified common objective of success. We all subscribe to the notion that we can be better each day than we were yesterday and get there. We need to keep at it, keep thinking, keep working, and keep trying to find solutions until we do. In other words, no matter how great you are, you need to seek to be better tomorrow because that is what our client deserves, and that is what we deserve of each other.

Q. Legal work requires lots of rational thinking and research. How do you maintain efficiency in your service?

We utilize team distribution groups for research and issues that arise in cases. We roundtable critical issues amongst all of our attorneys, and so we identify common issues. We group our cases by clients and type so that the same attorneys and staff are working on the same clients to institutionalize the knowledge.

Q. Technology has transformed the practice of law. Which are some of the technologies that have helped you to improve your services?

This year has presented a new challenge, with the restrictions in place because of the COVID pandemic. Fortunately, the firm has kept up with technological advancements and transitioned to remote work fairly seamlessly. With secure remote systems in place, the whole staff was able to make the transition to remote work without sacrificing the quality of our services.

Q. If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

Believe in yourself and know that hard work is essential to success. You cannot sit back and become complacent. There is always someone out there ready to work harder and do more – if you don’t keep up, you will fall behind. It isn’t easy, and sacrifices must be made. It can sometimes feel like every part of your life is suffering as you strive to do everything you can to build and maintain success – but in the end, it is worth it.

Q. What do you think is the most memorable moment in your career?

I guess I hope that it is yet to come! One thing I am very proud of in addition to the firm is being elected a judge in Montgomery County, PA, for over ten years. Being a judge is incredibly rewarding, and I am very proud of my court as well as my firm.

Meet the leader behind the success of Rebar Kelly

Cathleen Kelly Rebar is a dynamic leader. She sets high standards for herself and her team. As a former college athlete, Cathleen learned the value of sacrifice and hard work as a means to success. One of her mottos is that if you want something you have to earn it. Her team says she leads by this example. She graduated from Villanova University School of Law in 1998 where she immediately embraced her role as an Assistant District Attorney in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. She went on to serve as a Deputy Attorney General before transitioning into private practice in 2001. Founding her insurance defense and insurance coverage based law firm in 2012 was the defining moment of her career. Over the past 8 years, the firm has seen much success and evolution. Cathleen has adjusted and adapted to the needed changes within her firm and today, it is one of the most team based work-forces of its kind.

“Our enthusiasm in litigating challenging cases is tempered with the common sense knowledge that expedient and cost-effective resolutions are often the best way to serve our clients.”