The founder of Chicago-based insurance coverage firm BatesCarey LLP who represented several Bermuda insurers over three decades, has died.

Scott Carey was described among his peers as an industry trailblazer in the area of transportation and rail law and had been a fixture of the Bermuda insurance market since its inception in the mid-1980s.

In 1999, Mr Carey joined with his partner, Robert J. Bates, junior to form what has since become one of the top coverage firms in the US.

Mr Carey’s career saw him in the trenches for his insurance clients in some of the largest mass tort battles the US has ever seen, including breast implant litigation, TMJ implant litigation, and almost every major rail disaster in North America.

His peers admired him because of his leadership and work ethic.

Anna Fortuna, claims manager at Park Indemnity Ltd in Bermuda, said: “I met Scott Carey in 1991 when I was a claims analyst working for the General Liability team at XL Insurance.

“I worked very closely with Scott over the years, as did so many in the Bermuda market. He was one of the early US lawyers focused on Bermuda, and developed many lifelong friendships here as a result.

“Personally, he was a mentor to me and I am for ever grateful to him. I will never forget the positive impact that he has had on my career and personal life. Scott was a great attorney, but an even better friend.”

Matthew Murphy, partner, at BatesCarey, said: “Scott Carey and I first worked together in January, 1978, when we were employed in the insurance industry and where Scott demonstrated himself to be an extraordinary insurance claims professional and executive.

“Scott attended the evening division of John Marshall Law School while continuing his career with Crum & Forster’s surplus lines arms, graduating in 1982 and being admitted at the Illinois and Wisconsin bar.

“Scott began practising law exclusively in 1986 while continuing to serve members of the insurance industry as his principal clientele. That was about the time the Bermuda insurance industry began to direct its efforts towards North American casualty risks, including through captive insurers.”

In recent years, Mr Carey had been honoured by his peers with recognitions such as Best Lawyers in America (2008-2017), International Who’s Who of Insurance & Reinsurance law (2003-2017), Illinois Super Lawyers (2005-2017), and Chambers USA (2008-2017).

David Alt, a partner at BatesCarey, said: “To many of us who learnt our trade in the shadow of Scott, he was much more than a co-worker, or boss, he was a mentor in every sense of the word.

“Through Scott we learnt how to flex our advocacy, how to maintain the highest standards of professionalism, and the importance of always balancing being a good lawyer with being an even better person. He has left a strong and grateful firm to continue in his tradition.”

BatesCarey expressed its deepest condolences to Mr Carey’s wife, Patricia, and his daughters Ashley and Brittany.