Bin Chen

I was an athlete growing up, playing primarily basketball and football. I remain a dedicated gym rat to this date. I am also a car and motorcycle enthusiast. I try to ride my Harley every chance I get. My wife and I love the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest. Bin Chen is the managing attorney here at Hooton & Chen LLP.  Prior to founding the firm he started his legal career as a defense attorney representing insurance companies and corporate clients for nearly a decade.  He is a former insurance claims adjuster and trained workers’ compensation claims examiners on claims processing in his former practice.  It is probably safe to say that Bin is an expert on insurance law. Although being a lawyer was at one point of his life a goal seemingly out of reach, Bin Chen is proud to share with you what he has accomplished thus far in life as a self-made first-generation immigrant through pure hard work and determination. “I was born and raised in Shanghai, China. At age 16, I made the bold decision (or perhaps rash and uninformed?) to leave my family and move to the United States for an academic exchange program. Following high school graduation, I qualified for a visa extension and moved to Oregon to attend Corban University. During these college years, I held a multitude of jobs, almost always simultaneously, to support myself and get through school. I worked as a line cook and dishwasher at the school cafeteria. I maintained campus facilities and painted houses during summer breaks. I was a movie theatre usher, cashier and projectionist. I was employed as a Subway sandwich artist. These experiences gave me a unique perspective and deep understanding of the rigors of physical labor most of my clients are required to perform daily. I fully understand what some may perceive as negligible disability can in fact be very disabling for most clients with strenuous jobs. After a brief stint working in the technology field, I stumbled into the insurance industry. In 2005, I took a job with AIG, a large insurance carrier. I initially worked as a certified workers’ compensation (Oregon and Alaska claims) and auto liability claims adjuster. I received two back-to-back Top Gun awards for my claims work with a local aircraft manufacturer. While working full-time, I attended graduate school in the evening and earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) in 2006. Shortly thereafter, I was promoted to a regional business analyst position. In that role, I provided claims data and insurance analytics directly to senior management. I implemented compliance protocols and audited insurance files of third party administrators (TPAs). I also designed staffing models for medical excess and auto liability field offices. Of the various projects I was involved with, the acme was a joint venture in Dallas, TX with a group of brilliant business consultants from McKinsey & Company, where the team developed a rule-based, automated claim processing system. Despite a demanding work schedule and frequent business travels required in this new position, I managed to attend law school in the little spare time I had and earn my law degree in just three years. I gained invaluable knowledge of the inner workings of the insurance industry during my tenure at AIG. I also discovered that I had a penchant for medicine.