Back to Claims School
Kirsten L. Kaiser Kus brings a rare perspective to the CLM Claims College School of Workers’ Compensation because she has represented people on both sides of the system. She began her career representing plaintiffs before transitioning to workers’ compensation defense and is now an Equity Owner and Capital Member of Downey Lenkov Milstein Kus. Her practice includes workers’ compensation and general liability with substantial experience in litigation, mediation, subrogation, Medicare and Medicaid matters, and complex claim strategy. She has tried and argued cases before the Indiana Workers’ Compensation Board and has also handled matters involving general liability, medical malpractice, criminal law, and Social Security Disability.
Her professional recognition reflects the strength of that work. Kirsten has received the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance Professional of the Year Award for Outside Defense Counsel and the 2025 Influential Woman of the Year in Law Award from the Northwest Indiana Influential Women Association. She has also been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Indiana Super Lawyers and holds both the Certified Claims Professional and Certified Litigation Management Professional designations. Her experience gives her the legal foundation to teach the rules while her years in practice give her something equally valuable to share: judgment.
As a member of the Executive Council for the School of Workers’ Compensation, Kirsten wants students to understand what happens after they learn the law. She challenges professionals to recognize the claim that could become a problem before it does, identify missing information, communicate with the right people, and understand how one decision today may influence the file months later. Her approach is practical because she knows claims professionals need information they can use when they return to their desks. The objective is stronger thinking that leads to better decisions.
What originally drew you to workers’ compensation?
My path to workers’ compensation was somewhat unconventional because I began my career on the plaintiff side before transitioning to defense.
That experience gave me an appreciation for both sides of a claim and, more importantly, for the people behind it. Workers’ compensation appealed to me because it sits at the intersection of law, medicine, business, and human behavior.
No two claims are exactly alike. Resolving them well requires strategy, communication, judgment, and an understanding of people.
What perspective do you bring to the School of Workers’ Compensation?
I bring the perspective of someone who has seen workers’ compensation from multiple sides: first as a plaintiff’s attorney, then as a defense attorney, and now as an equity owner of a law firm working closely with employers, carriers, TPAs, and claims professionals.
I am certainly going to teach you the law, but I am much more interested in teaching you what to do with it.
How do you recognize the claim that could become a problem before it does? When should you fight? When should you resolve? What questions should you be asking your attorney? What information is missing from the file?
One decision today can completely change the trajectory of a claim six months from now. Experience teaches you how to recognize those moments.
Why is that expertise important for today’s claims professionals?
Claims professionals are being asked to manage increasingly complicated files while working faster, handling larger volumes of information, navigating evolving technology, and controlling costs.
Technical knowledge gives professionals the foundation they need. Strong judgment helps them decide when to investigate further, when to involve counsel, when to push back, and when resolving a claim is the smartest business decision.
The decisions made early in a file can influence what happens months or years later. Developing the ability to recognize those decision points is incredibly important.
What is one missed opportunity you regularly see within workers’ compensation?
We sometimes overcomplicate claims because we under-communicate.
An email chain involving ten people is not always better than a five-minute telephone call between the right two people. One of the greatest missed opportunities I see is waiting too long to get everyone aligned on the objective of the claim.
What are we trying to accomplish? What is preventing us from getting there? What information do we need? Who needs to act?
Early, candid, and strategic communication can change the entire life of a claim.
What has professional experience taught you that a textbook never could?
Being right and getting the best result are not always the same thing.
A textbook can teach you the law. It cannot teach you how to read a room, recognize when a witness is going to be a problem, understand what is really driving a dispute, or know when it is time to stop fighting and start solving.
Experience teaches judgment. It teaches you when to push, when to listen, when to negotiate, and when to pick up the phone instead of sending another email.
Most importantly, it teaches you that human beings sit behind every claim. You can never lose sight of that.
What do you hope students gain from learning with you at Claims College?
I want students to leave with information they can actually use when they return to their desks.
My goal is to help them understand how to think through a claim strategically, ask better questions, recognize issues earlier, communicate more effectively with counsel and their insureds, and feel more confident making difficult decisions.
If something we discuss causes a student six months later to look at a claim and say, “I know exactly what I need to do here,” then I have accomplished what I came to Claims College to do.
Complete this sentence: “Excellent claims professionals understand that…”
Every decision on a file has a ripple effect, and the best claim handling combines knowledge, strategy, communication, common sense, and humanity.
What advice would you give someone building a career in workers’ compensation?
Never stop learning and never underestimate the importance of relationships.
Learn from experienced claims professionals, attorneys, employers, medical professionals, and the difficult cases that did not go the way you expected. Ask questions. Find mentors. Be willing to admit when you do not know something and then figure it out.
Your technical knowledge will open doors, but your reputation will follow you throughout your career. Workers’ compensation is a much smaller world than people realize. Be someone others trust, someone who keeps their word, and someone people want on their team.
What might Claims College students enjoy knowing about you?
When I am not practicing law or helping run a law firm, there is a very good chance you will find me on a youth football field.
I serve as President of Valparaiso Pop Warner and I am also the very proud football mom of an eight-year-old who absolutely lives for the game. Leading a large volunteer organization with hundreds of athletes and coaches has probably taught me as much about leadership, communication, problem-solving, and managing personalities as anything I have done professionally.
There is something incredibly grounding about going from making major decisions at a law firm to spending the evening worrying about jerseys, helmets, paperwork, and practice schedules.
I always joke that if you can successfully manage lawyers and youth sports parents, you are prepared for just about anything.
Ready to Head Back to Claims School?
The strongest claims professionals never stop learning. Join the workers’ compensation community in Baltimore from September 9–11, 2026, for the CLM Claims College and three days of practical education, meaningful discussion, and professional connection. The School of Workers’ Compensation gives students the opportunity to strengthen technical knowledge, sharpen professional judgment, and learn directly from experienced industry leaders. Each class is designed to help professionals return to their organizations with greater confidence and new ideas they can apply to their work. Explore the School of Workers’ Compensation and reserve your seat at Claims College today.
The CLM Claims College School of Workers’ Compensation is powered by Paradigm. WorkersCompensation.com proudly sponsors the School’s study halls.
