Mr. Pilat focuses his practice on business and commercial law, and insurance defense. He is a Co-Chair of the firm’s Business & Commercial Law and Insurance Agents & Brokers practice groups. His experience and unique blend of skills includes significant work handling agent errors & omissions (E&O) coverage and litigation, coverage analysis, corporate compliance, commercial transactions, and employment litigation and counseling. He represents national and regional insurance agencies, agents/brokers, insurers, local and regional businesses and Fortune 500 clients in both state and federal courts and administrative proceedings
George also has considerable experience with business matters concerning buy-sell agreements, mergers, sales, and acquisitions of agencies and businesses, real estate leases, and business loans and secured transactions. He has extensive knowledge related to purchase agreements, rights of first refusal and account ownership agreements, producer/solicitor agreements, non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements, and separation of partners, agents, and clusters. He has handled disputes with captive carriers and producers, evaluating and preparing agency procedure and employment manuals, and advising on compliance issues under state insurance law.
George has been very active with the Insurance Board of Northern Ohio (IBNO) since its inception in 2001. His involvement has included serving as general counsel, project management on both local Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter’s (CPCU) and Northeast Ohio Health Underwriters Association’s (NEOHUA) annual conventions and working alongside the Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) national and state offices in analyzing and reporting on Ohio’s E&O claims activity and consulting on issues for member agents.
Prior to joining MRR in 2013, George handled insurance matters for agents and insurers, commercial litigation, and business transactions at a smaller firm in Cleveland.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Recognized by Best Lawyers for Insurance Law since 2018
- “Friend of the Insurance Industry,” Insurance Board of Northern Ohio (2013)
- Approved by the Ohio Department of Insurance as a provider of Continuing Education (CE) programs with MRR
PRESENTATIONS
- Agent/Broker Liability – Anatomy of a Complex Professional Liability Claim, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (2013)
- Winning Strategies for Coverage Litigation, Panelist, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (2013)
- An In-Depth Look at Property Insurance – Scary Coverage Concepts, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (2013)
- E&O – Traps, Marketing Opportunities or Both, Cleveland Chapter of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters Society (2014)
- Professional Excellence – Let’s Talk Ethics and E&O, Insurance Board of Northern Ohio (IBNO) I-Day Convention (2014)
- Structuring an Effective Corporate Risk Management Plan, Panelist, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (2014)
- What’s Fair When It Comes to Claims – An In-Depth Look at Ohio’s Unfair Property Casualty Claims Settlement Practices Act, IBNO (2014)
- Can Common E&O Traps be Marketing Opportunities, IBNO (2016)
- Understanding and Interpreting the “Insured Contract” Definition Under a CGL Policy, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (2016)
PUBLICATIONS
- Legal Pitfalls of Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation Agreements, Crain’s Cleveland Business News, Legal Guidebook (2014)
- Can You Keep a Secret: What Businesses Need to Know About Ohio’s Uniform Trade Secrets Act (2015)
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
- Pro Hac Vice admission to U.S. District Courts in California, Delaware, Florida, Michigan, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin
EDUCATION
- J.D., 1987, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
- B.A., 1984, Ohio Wesleyan University
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
- Insurance Law Section
- Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys
- Cuyahoga County Bar Association
- Insurance Law Section
- Insurance Board of Northern Ohio (Committee Member, Convention and Education Committees)
- Solon Chamber of Commerce (Board of Directors, 2016 – Present)
- Great Lakes Funding Network