David Dineen had it all mapped out: Graduate from Wesleyan University, spend a couple of years working, and save enough money to attend law school full time.
Well, not quite.
A couple of years turned into 10, and included stints living in Taiwan and Iceland working as an English tutor. Along the way he spent time as a real estate agent and web developer, before enrolling in Boston University Law School. Law degree in hand, he landed a job at a Boston law firm and before long was introduced to the insurance industry.
“I started working in law firms that were hired by carriers, and soon I began to specialize in legal malpractice claims,” Dineen says. “After a few years, I took a job at a carrier doing the same type of work, but as an in-house claims specialist.”
In 2016, he joined Argo Pro as a senior technical specialist.
Every claim is an opportunity to explore new fields
For Dineen, whose undergraduate degree is in philosophy, working in insurance provides a constant learning experience, from day to day and from claim to claim.
“What I love about the work is that I am always learning, not only about our insured but also about the work underlying the claim,” he says. “As a result, I get to explore new fields and specialties. This is what initially attracted me to the work, and it’s what I enjoy about it now.”
Never forget the human element behind a claim
Years ago, Dineen was given a piece of advice he remembers – and puts into practice – to this day.
“Don’t forget the human element. The claims I manage are for small and mid-sized professional practices: lawyers, accountants, architects. Real people,” he says. “I will see hundreds of claims a year, but to one of our insureds, it’s probably their first and only time having to deal with something like this – and it’s stressful. We need to always let them know we are there for them.”
Ski slopes and Italian cooking make for a relaxing weekend
A Connecticut native, Dineen is proud to be the first member of his family to graduate from college. Today he, his wife and their two daughters live in the Boston area. When he’s not at work, he enjoys spending time with his family, and in the winter that means hitting the slopes across New England.
“My kids have grown up skiing, and I learned later in life. They are so much better than me on skis, it’s not even funny,” Dineen says.
And when it’s time to relax, he loves to cook.
“It’s one of my ways of unwinding,” he says. “I’m always trying new things, but most often I find myself cooking Italian food. It’s my fallback plan.”
Dineen says soon he might venture into baking.
“My older daughter has been watching The Great British Baking Show, and she’s expressed an interest in trying to bake,” he says. “I haven’t done much of it, but it would be fun to learn alongside my daughter.”
Visit argolimited.com/argo-pro to learn more about Argo Pro.
