Marc Tepper of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney

Marc Tepper, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney

Tepper leads Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney's insurance and reinsurance group. As Philadelphia's managing shareholder, he spearheads the business development responsibilities for the firm's second-largest office.

Fueled by more than 25 years of trial and transactional experience, Tepper is known for his first-chair abilities in bet-the-company litigation. He has been at the forefront of sensitive, high-profile cases dealing with everything from romaine lettuce to delicate patient care issues. In 2018 and into 2019, he represented some of the largest regional health care providers in the state. He's currently working with a health care client to create a pioneering model for provider-owned health insurance.

He recently led a team in successfully defending Puerto Rico's secretary of the treasury in a federal trial of first impression involving a challenge to Act 72 business tax law. With Puerto Rico's economy on the brink of collapse, the trial was widely covered by news outlets and led to additional tax-related work for the firm on the heels of the new PROMESA legislation.

Under Tepper's leadership, his group has a long history representing one of the leading health care insurers in Pennsylvania in landmark litigation and numerous transactions and regulatory matters. The team is unique in that they provide counsel on statutory and regulatory issues, new initiatives and insurance law problems in the states where clients do business or propose to do business. This past year Tepper's group advised clients on very complicated matters such as the formation of insurance companies, complex insurance transactions, captives and multi-million dollar coverage issues. 

What career path would you have pursued if you weren't a lawyer?

If I was not practicing law, I would likely have stayed on Wall Street. At the age of 21, I worked for Dean Witter Reynolds, well before its merger with Morgan Stanley, at the World Trade Center in New York. At the time, I loved everything about the financial district. I also loved everything about New York and could easily have seen myself trading stocks, currencies or commodities. Even though the trading industry has changed dramatically, that is where I saw myself in the back early '80s and probably where I would have stayed if not for the practice of law.

Name a mentor or someone you admire.

I have been fortunate to work with some of the greatest minds in the Philadelphia legal community over the years at Buchanan. That includes legendary white-collar trial attorneys like Tom Bergstrom and long-time clients in public service who strive to make a difference in their respective communities. By working with government agencies in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, I learned what it meant to lead in the face of economic and natural disaster challenges. I also learned how to lead with a smile and solve difficult problems by consensus building, planning and smart execution. From Mr. Bergstrom, I learned the value of fighting for truth when representing challenged or unfairly targeted clients, even when public perception told a different story. Tom has taken on the most difficult injustices and pushed to do what's right, even in the face of scrutiny—not always easy! Tom's compassion for the law and his passion for what feels right never waivers.

What is the best advice you ever received?

The best advice I ever received was to keep my nose to the grindstone and good things will always happen.

In 50 words or less, what does the legal profession need to do to prepare the next generation of lawyers?

Wow … run! Just kidding. There is a misconception about the next generation of lawyers that they do not work as hard as we did while coming up the ranks. I don't see that at all. Our young attorneys work every bit as hard as we did and are probably a lot faster at what they do. I think the current generation is also more giving of their time to one another when it comes to mentoring and just listening. So, in terms of what the legal profession needs to do to prepare the next generation of lawyers, my response is we need to get over ourselves and embrace the young attorneys that have the same passion for cutting-edge work as we did. We need to provide more feedback and offer the same career advice we were so lucky to receive from our mentors.

What's the one piece of advice you would give someone when dealing with a crisis?

I will tell you a true story. My colleague Tom Bergstrom has a plaque in his office that reads ”… and this too shall pass.” In my office, was a similar small wood paperweight that read “… and this too shall pass” given to me by my assistant of over 20 years. I have given that item away to others during tough moments when they need to believe the sun will come up tomorrow. When that happens, my assistant magically replaces my old plaque with a new similar plaque. It is all unspoken, but real. It is my personal way of saying to others, “believe it if you need it, if you don't, just pass it on.”