Texas Lawyers’ Insurance Exchange Appoints Steve Couch, JD as Next President & CEO
TLIE NewsAugust 28, 2023 – Austin, Texas
Texas Lawyer’s Insurance Exchange (TLIE), the premier provider of legal malpractice insurance in the State of Texas, has elected Steve Couch, JD as the company’s next President & CEO. Mr. Couch will succeed Mike Yarber who will retire in October after 38 years with TLIE and nine years of distinguished service as President.
Mr. Couch joins TLIE with over 25 years of experience in the legal malpractice insurance segment, most recently serving as President & CEO for the Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company (OBLIC) for the past eleven years. In this role, Mr. Couch significantly expanded the number of firms and attorneys insured, improved and streamlined underwriting processes, and built a market-leading loss prevention program while consistently providing superior service to the company’s insureds.
Mr. Couch is a member of the State Bar of Texas and holds bachelor’s and JD degrees from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He began his career in private practice in Texas. In 1997, he transitioned to working as a claims executive for a prestigious national carrier. In 2007, Mr. Couch assumed the role of Vice President of Claims for The Bar Plan in Missouri, a bar-related legal malpractice insurer, before becoming President & CEO of OBLIC. Mr. Couch comes to Texas Lawyers’ Insurance Exchange with a demonstrated history of growing an organization while providing best-in-class claims, loss prevention and underwriting services for the organization’s policyholders.
“Mike Yarber has been a great President of TLIE, and we wish him well in his retirement. We look forward to continuing to serve our policyholders and the lawyers of Texas under the leadership of Mr. Couch.” – Suzan E. Fenner, Chair of the TLIE Board of Directors
About Texas Lawyers’ Insurance Exchange
Since 1979, TLIE has been the trusted source of legal malpractice insurance for Texas lawyers and judges. TLIE is owned by its member insureds and is operated by a member-elected board of directors. TLIE currently insures over 6,450 Texas lawyers and judges. Through superior underwriting, loss prevention and claims handling, TLIE has returned over $73,800,000 in policyholder distributions to its member insureds over the past 26 years.
