Mr. Scott S. Margraves
HOUSTON, TX 77056
Scott Margraves has over thirty-two years of “hands on” commercial property & casualty experience. He is the Principal Consultant and Founder of Gulf Coast Risk Management, LLC (GCRM). GCRM provides research, analysis and advice to commerce, industry, government and individuals. GCRM operates COIs R Us, a certificate of insurance (COI) compliance and tracking company. COIs R Us compares the contractual obligations of a lease agreement with the COI. COIs R Us processes thousands of COIs for landlords and general contractors for compliance annually. GCRM provides consulting services to attorneys, property managers, and general contractors regarding insurance placement, interpretation, and recommended contractual insurance requirements while explaining the relationship and alignment with indemnity and insurance provisions. Mr. Margraves is well-versed in the placement of insurance policies from an insured’s perspective. As a front-line producer, he weathered five major hurricanes, three “five-hundred-year floods” and multiple catastrophic fire claims. Agency roles include insurance broker, claims supervisor, agency partner, and risk manager. He is Past President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Houston, Past Vice Chairmen of IIAT IMPACT Region 10, Member of Insurance Academy, and Lifetime Committeemen for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Mr. Margraves started his second career as a full-time consultant in 2020. He is an insurance industry expert that brings extensive experience in all aspects of property & casualty insurance interpretation, policy forms, claims, safety programs, HR coordination and contract integration. Mr. Margraves has been designated as an expert witness in 17 case assignments: 14 State cases and 3 Federal cases. Case assignments are divided between 9 for Defense and 8 for Plaintiff, including Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. Expertise includes Bad Faith, Agency E&O, Expert Witness, Bonds, CYBER, and Certificate of Insurance (COI) tracking and compliance.
- Bad Faith
- Insurance - General
- Insurance Agency
- Insurance Agent/Broker
- Insurance Customs & Practices
- Insurance Excess & Surplus Lines
- Liquor Liability/Dram Shop
- Marine Insurance
- Personal Injury
- Property & Casualty Insurance
- Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:
- A: Licensed General Lines Agent - Texas
Licensed Risk Manager - Texas
Certified Insurance Counselor - 1999
Bachelor of Science in Economics - Texas A&M University - 1985 - Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
- A: Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA) – Associate Member
American Association of Insurance Management Consultants (AAIMCo) – Professional Member
Professional Liability Defense Federation (PLDF) – Insurance Agent & Broker Committee
Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) – Fellow
Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) – Certificate for 20 Years of Leadership
Independent Insurance Agents of Houston (IIAH) – Past President
Reveille Club of Houston - Past President
IIAT IMPACT Region 10 – Past Chairman
Commercial Real Estate Network (CREN) – Member
Houston Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA) – Member
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Houston – Government Affairs Committee – Past Member
Houston Risk Management Society of Houston – Past Member
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – Lifetime Committeeman - WCBBQ Committee
12th Man Foundation – Council of Athletic Ambassadors – Past Member
- Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
- A: “Strategies for Defending Agents in Error and Omissions Insurance Cases: Protecting Against Misrepresentations on Certificates of Insurance,” Professional Liability Defense Quarterly, Volume 15, Issue 3, 2023
Presenter – “Cyber Insurance – Where in the World Is Coverage?” – Insurance Academy - 2024
Panelist – “Surviving A Hard Market,” – Insurance Academy - 2023
Guest Lecturer – Certificates of Insurance, BMCC RMI 2020 – 2023
Guest Lecturer – Certificates of Insurance, AAIMCo Conference 2021
- Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
- A: No
- Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
- A: 15
- Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
- A: Property Casualty Bad Faith Agent E&O Agency customs and practices certificate of insurance
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
- A: 47
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
- A: 53
- Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
- A: 3
- Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?
- A: 2024
- Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
- A: 17
- Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
- A: none
- Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
- A: 14 years
- Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
- A: Consulting litigation support reports analysis
- Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
- A: 400
- Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
- A: 400
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
- A: 400
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
- A: 400
- Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
- A: Portal Hourly Rate: time expended traveling to and from any portal - 50% of regular hourly rate
Travel by Air or Train: Round-trip ticket for business or coach class
Travel by Personal Automobile: Equal to the IRS mileage allowance for business use of a personal car
Car Rental: Mid-sized rental car and associated expenses or Ride Sharing App
Lodging: Cost of a single room at a Marriott or affiliated hotel
Meals: The actual cost of any meals while traveling
Deposition/Court Cancellation: Three (3) hour charge applies if cancelled/rescheduled within 36 hours of scheduled event.
Other Expenses: The actual costs incurred from postage, notary, delivery, photography, reproduction of documents, administrative tasks, preparation of exhibits, use of database services (such as Westlaw, IRMI), or other reasonable expenditures
James W. Christian (Wes)
Christian Attar
1177 West Loop Southk Suite 1700
Houston, Texas 77027
713-659-7617
jchristian@christianattarlaw.com
Adam Franks
Barber Law Firm PLLC
425 West Capitol Ave.; STE 3400
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
501-707-6147
afranks@barberlawfirm.com
Brian Deitch
Deitch Law Offices
800 Rio Grande
Austin, Texas 78707
512-474-1554
brian@deitchlaw.com
Christopher R. Teske
Pipes Miles Beckman, LLC
1100 Poydras Street; Suite 3300
New Orleans, LA 70163
504-356-0976
cteske@pipeslmiles.com