At ICHQ, many of our attorneys and staff are from the Pelican State, the Gulf Coast, and other regions within the Deep South. We’ve seen firsthand the devastating effects of hurricanes, hailstorms, heavy winds, and other natural and man-made disasters — because we’ve lived through them.
Our founder, Galen M. Hair, started ICHQ after spending time volunteering in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. He helped gut houses and handed out supplies to displaced residents. Each day, he saw destroyed neighborhoods, long gas lines, and people with nowhere to go.
Shortly after, Galen joined a boutique defense firm in New York, where he learned how insurance companies work when it comes to disaster claims — in particular, the tactics they use to underpay, delay, or flat-out refuse to pay their policyholders. Then, in one moment, he gained a clear perspective.
“One day, I’m with a discrimination case client,” Galen recalls. “He starts weeping in the middle of our meeting, and he can’t focus: his house had just burned down. So, I worked with another attorney and a public adjuster to rehouse him. I was in love! This was when I discovered what I really wanted to do with my life.”
Galen decided to use his experience in defense work as an advantage for claimant-side property casualty law. On August 1, 2020, ICHQ opened its doors — and not a moment too soon, as Hurricane Laura was weeks away from touching down. With the same compassion he felt for the people stranded during Hurricane Katrina, Galen immediately started helping people with their insurance inspections during the day and barbecuing for hundreds of residents at night. Soon, many of America’s top property casualty lawyers joined the ICHQ family and would go on to help in the aftermath of Hurricanes Delta and Ida.
Giving back to the community is a large part of what drives us. We take part in several charitable efforts throughout the year. In addition, immediately following a hurricane or disaster, members of our team, including attorneys, mobilize to the affected area to provide a hot meal to those in need. We consider them neighbors who need a hand — and an advocate.
