Structured Settlements and Periodic Payment Judgments

Patrick J. Hindert is Vice President of New Business Development for Independent Life Insurance Company and authors Independent Life's Independent Settlement Expert Blog. Hindert has been a leader in the structured settlement industry since 1977. He previously served as President of Benefit Designs, a national structured settlement intermediary, which he owned and managed for 22 years. He has also served as President of the National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) and as Executive Director of the Society of Settlement Planners (SSP). Hindert is co-author of Structured Settlements and Periodic Payment Judgments (ALM), a legal treatise updated semi-annually since 1986, which has been utilized by NSSTA and SSP in their certification programs. Hindert has been a frequent speaker at national conferences sponsored by NSSTA, SSP, NAMSAP, ASNP, NASP and NAELA. Hindert served as keynote speaker at the first national structured settlement conference in Australia in 1994. He provided expert testimony to the United States House Ways and Means Committee in 1981 prior to enactment of the Periodic Payment Settlement Act of 1982. Before entering the structured settlement industry, Hindert taught French and coached tennis at Cranbrook Academy and practiced transactional law in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a member of the Ohio Bar Association.

Matthew J. Meltzer is a shareholder in Flaster Greenberg’s Business & Corporate Department and a member of the firm’s Taxation Group. He regularly advises clients in transactional tax matters, including like-kind exchanges of real estate under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, mergers and acquisitions involving public and privately held businesses, business reorganizations, and joint ventures. He has also represented clients in tax controversy matters before the Internal Revenue Services, state departments of revenue, and municipalities. Matt also advises clients on the income tax treatment of structured litigation settlements, qualified settlement funds, and attorney fee arrangements. He has spoken at national conferences and seminars on like kind exchanges and litigation settlements, and has taught continuing legal education courses on these and related topics. Prior to entering law practice, Matt worked as a financial advisor, assisting private clients with issues related to personal income and business-entity tax planning, federal and state taxation audits, and income tax preparation. He completed a judicial clerkship with Judge Gary L. Lancaster of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

George A. Luecke is President and Chief Strategy Officer of Independent Insurance Group and Chief Operating Officer of its subsidiary, Independent Life. Independent Life is an innovative provider of products, solutions and services mainly designed for the structured settlement and related markets.

Luecke’s diverse career spans various executive roles at insurance and financial services companies. As examples, he has previously served as Group Treasurer at Argo Group, a global specialty property & casualty insurer and reinsurer; CFO of major divisions at global life and health insurance companies such as MetLife and Aetna; Head of Corporate Development/M&A for Life & Annuity and P&C companies; co-founder of Bank of America’s financial institutions group; and corporate attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett focused on the insurance industry.

Luecke earned a J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School. His certifications and licenses include Certified Structured Settlement Consultant, Registered Professional Liability Underwriter and member of the New York State Bar Association.