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Faculty

Byron Babbish
Thomas Bergh
Michael Costello
Peter Durand
Lisa DeMoss

Professor Byron C. Babbish - Insurance Company Formation, Regulation and Governance

Byron C. Babbish served on the legal staff of Chrysler Group LLC, Chrysler Financial, Chrysler Insurance Company and Chrysler Life Insurance Company from 1982 until his retirement in 2010, being elected as an Assistant Secretary of each company. During his legal career at Chrysler Professor Babbish specialized in Corporate Law and Finance Law. In these capacities he provided legal representation on the many reorganizations, mergers and sales involving Chrysler and its subsidiaries, as well as for the funding activities and transactions of Chrysler and/or Chrysler Financial involving bank credit lines, public and private debt securities and asset-backed securitizations in the United States, Canada and Europe. Professor Babbish was also responsible for the corporate governance matters of Chrysler's insurance subsidiaries from 1982 through 2000. Professor Babbish earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit in 1982 and he also holds a Masters of Science and a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Detroit earned in 1978 and 1976, respectively. Professor Babbish joined Cooley's graduate programs as an adjunct professor in September 2009 and also teaches courses in the Juris Doctorate program.

Professor Thomas H. Bergh - Deferred Compensation

Thomas H. Bergh is Chairman of the Estate, tax and Benefits Practice Group at Varnum Riddering. His practice focuses on estate and business planning with an emphasis on qualified plan and IRA issues. Professor Bergh obtained his Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University Law School. He holds an LL.M degree in Taxation, also from Wayne. Mr. Bergh is an adjunct professor who has taught Deferred Compensation as part of the Cooley Tax LL.M program for several years.

Professor Michael G. Costello - Reinsurance

Michael G. Costello is an Officer, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Inc. In that role, he is responsible for oversight of the legal department, human resources, internal audit and regulatory compliance. Meadowbrook offers property and casualty insurance, risk management and alternative risk solutions to insurance agents, professional and trade associations and small and medium sized insureds. Mr. Costello is a graduate University of Detroit Mercy Law School and specialized in insurance coverage litigation, reinsurance disputes, and insurance regulatory matters as a shareholder in the Detroit law firm of Plunkett & Cooney before joining Meadowbrook in 1993. He joins Cooley as an adjunct professor, teaching Reinsurance Law.

Professor Peter Durand - Insurance Claims & Disputes

Peter Durand is the Senior Vice President, Senior Counsel for Swiss re Life and Health America, Inc., one of the largest direct life insurers in North America and a division of the world's largest reinsurer. Professor Durand manages all claims litigation in North America (Canada, United States and Caribbean). Previously, he worked as Vice President and National Trial Counsel for Royal Maccabees Life and in the private practice of insurance law. Mr. Durand is a graduate of Notre Dame Law School, served in the U.S. Navy and sails competitively. Mr. Durand joins the Insurance Program as an adjunct professor and is teaching a course in insurance claims and defense.

Professor Lisa DeMoss - Insurance Law; Health Insurance and the Impact of State and Federal Reform Initiatives; Insurance Seminar courses supporting Olivet College MBA Insurance and Risk Management Curriculum

Lisa DeMoss is the Director of the Graduate Insurance Program at Cooley. Previously, she was a Senior Vice President , General Counsel and Corporate Compliance Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Over the course of her legal career, she has represented health, life and disability companies, litigated health claims disputes and business matters and provided counseling on a wide range of legal, compliance and business matters to individuals, corporate clients and start-up companies. Ms. DeMoss is a graduate of Wayne State Law School and joined the Cooley faculty as a visiting professor in the fall of 2010.

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