Navigating The Surety Underwriter’s Desk Book: An Invaluable New Resource for Surety Professionals

Mary Alice is 2VP & Counsel for the National Accounts unit of Travelers Bond & Specialty Insurance.  Mary Alice began her surety career in private practice in Baltimore in 1990, specializing in surety and maritime law before moving to Travelers in 1997 where she was a Surety Claim Attorney and later a Senior Corporate Counsel providing legal services and advice to the surety group. In 2004, she began working with the National Accounts unit of Travelers Bond and was promoted to 2VP & Counsel for the National Account unit in April 2010.  Mary Alice received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware and her law degree, cum laude, from the University of Maryland School of Law.  She is admitted to the bars of the federal and state courts of Maryland and the District of Columbia, and is a frequent presenter on topics related to the construction and surety industries.  Mary Alice is a Vice Chair of the ABA/TIPS Fidelity & Surety Law Committee, a Co-Chair of the Underwriting and Risk Management Subcommittee of the ABA/TIPS Fidelity & Surety Law Committee, and Co-Editor of The Surety Underwriter’s Desk Book. 

Chad L. Schexnayder is a partner with Jennings, Haug & Cunningham, LLP. Consistent with his firm’s more than 75 year history of service,  his practice emphasizes representation of sureties. In addition his practice includes creditor representation of surety clients before the United States Bankruptcy Court. Mr. Schexnayder is an author of American Bar Association publications, including the Law of Payment Bonds (1st and 2nd ed.), Law of Performance Bonds(1st and 2nd ed.), Law of Miscellaneous and Commercial Surety Bonds(1st and 2nd ed.), and The Surety’s Indemnity Agreement: Law and Practice, 2nd Ed. He is the editor of the Quick Reference Guide to Western States Surety Law (WSSC 2012), and a co-editor of The Surety Underwriter’s Desk Book (ABA 2013). Mr. Schexnayder is a frequent presenter and he currently serves as a Vice-Chair of the Fidelity and Surety Law Committee of the American Bar Association’s Tort and Insurance Practice Section and is a member of the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry.