Margarita has worked in the insurance industry since 1979 as either in-house counsel or a Chief Compliance Officer for major multi-line insurance carriers and a global bank. In addition to the broad exposure to various products and markets required in her capacity as an insurance executive for these firms, her roles required advising the different operational and administrative units such as Product Development, Underwriting, Marketing, Policyholder Service, Claims, Licensing, Sales and Actuarial on their legal, regulatory, and contractual concerns. Her experience as an advisor included offshore programs, captive insurance, and online sales. Her roles also required active membership on several risk committees concerned with investment policy, business strategy, and operational risks such as the Asset & Liability, Operations Risk and Executive Committees. Her in-depth knowledge of the legal and regulatory requirements for insurers and insurance products facilitated her role as an adjunct professor of US Insurance Law at Seton Hall Law School.
Margarita is active in the Section on Dispute Resolution, Arbitration Committee of the American Bar Association having served as Membership Co-Chair, Women in Dispute Resolution having served as Co-Chair of the Regional Chairs, and a member of the Section on Dispute Resolution of the NY State Bar Association, currently serving as Co-Chair of the Securities Arbitration Committee for the Commercial-Federal Litigation Section. She is Vice-President of the NJ Association of Professional Mediators.
Admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York.
Number of Arbitrations: 94. Have been a sole arbitrator, wing arbitrator, or umpire. I have been responsible for organizational meetings, the evidentiary hearing and drafting a final Award.