Victoria L. Orze

Victoria Orze practices in the area of commercial litigation and concentrates her practice in the areas of legal malpractice, professional liability defense, defense of lawyer disciplinary actions, defense of consumer claims (including class actions), and insurance coverage (including claims made and occurrence policies). She also provides risk management, ethics guidance, and claims prevention advice to private lawyers/law firms and government lawyers.

Ms. Orze handles jury and bench trials in state and federal courts throughout Arizona. She also appears in bankruptcy court, and handles appeals from all these jurisdictions.

Ms. Orze is a former Claims Manager and General Counsel of Attorneys Liability Protection Society, Inc. (ALPS), A Risk Retention Group, in Montana. At ALPS, she was responsible for management of legal malpractice and employment practices claims, risk management and managing coverage litigation. As ALPS’ first general counsel, she handled the legal affairs of ALPS and its subsidiaries, and also led a team of professionals that demutualized the company.

• Arizona State Bar, Member 
• Montana State Bar, Member 
• Arizon State Bar Rules of Professional Conduct Commitee, Member

• “A Lawyer’s Guide to Professional Liability Insurance,” which appeared in the September 2006 issue of Arizona Attorney.
• “Love and Other Conflicts: Avoiding Personal Interest Conflicts of Interest and Managing the Inevitable Bad Fallout,” WestLegalEdcenter live audiocast, March 2011.
• “Ethical Issues in Multiple Party Representation,” Lorman Education Services seminar, “Construction Claims in Arizona,” Phoenix, Arizona, April 2008.
• “Ethical Rules Implicated by Multiple Client Representation, Aggregate Settlements, and Joint Defense Agreements,” Lorman Education Services seminar “Construction Defects and Insurance Coverage in Arizona,” Phoenix, Arizona, April 2007.
• “Swimming with Sharks: Managing Ethical Duties Triggered by Multiple Client Representations, Joint Defense Agreements and Aggregate Settlements,” Defense Research Institute’s Toxic Torts and Environmental Litigation seminar, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2005.
• “Malpractice Insurance,” at the State Bar of Arizona Convention, 2004.
• “Avoiding Trial Practice Malpractice,” at the State Bar of Arizona Convention, 2002.
• Presentation to the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association.
• Presentation at the ABA-LPL Conference on Professional Responsibility.