Expert Witness &
Insurance Consultant

Having held a Life and Health license for over thirty years and an Arizona Property and Casualty License for almost four decades, David Mitchell (“David”) has become an advocate of the truth through providing his opinions to help settle insurance court cases. As a well regarded active insurance agency owner since 1982, David Mitchell has been at the forefront in the insurance industry as a contributor to the Arizona Insurance Producer Licensing Exam(s), an Adjunct Instructor, Published Author. For further details please give me a call at 602-938-7579.

DAVID R. MITCHELL

CPCU, CIC, MA.HR, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC)

INSURANCE INDUSTRY AWARDS

  • Charles W. Traubel Memorial Award
    for high standards of service and integrity
  • Archie Mendelsohn Memorial Award
    for leadership and mentoring new agents
  • Committee Chair of the Year,
    Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of AZ

EXPERT WITNESS SERVICES IN ARIZONA

David Mitchell (“David”) has held an Arizona Property and Casualty License for over 40 years and Life and Health license since 1988. In addition, he has held the Certified Insurance Counselor (hereinafter “CIC”) for over twenty-five years. Per the latest statistics of the National Alliance for Education and Research less than 1% of insurance producers in the United States have attained this achievement. To become a CIC an individual must attend 100 hours of formal classroom hours and pass five rigorous examinations involving insurance policies their applications to the clients along with agency management policies and procedures. Upon receiving the designation, a CIC must attend 20 hours per year of classroom instruction over various insurance policies. David has attended over 500 hours of classroom instruction with CIC primarily involving insurance policies.
David and his father Jack Mitchell co-founded Ideal Insurance Agency in 1982. David is still an active partner with his brother Dan Mitchell, and his responsibilities include Marketing, Strategic Planning, Finances, Human Resources, and being the Director of the Commercial Property and Casualty Operations of the Agency. In addition, David, has written many life insurance policies and manages life sales in the Agency.
David has taught continuing education insurance courses for the Independent Insurance Agents of Arizona and the Customer Service Insurance Representation Designation through the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research since 2002. David has taught both personal lines (residential and personal auto courses), and commercial lines courses. One of the courses David has taught is Agency Operations. This course discusses standard of care that includes the duties of an insurance producer. In addition, this course includes some human resource issues, along with several other insurance agency procedures. Agency Operations is a state approved course for both property and casualty and life and health insurance.
As an agency owner, active insurance producer for over 38 years, teaches Agency Operations for insurance producers as continuing education, and a strong insurance and human resource background David has his experience to draw on as he reviews cases and renders opinions. In court cases David, has consulted on over 50 cases as an insurance consultant and/or expert witness. A list of cases is available upon request. The cases have involved standard of care and coverage issues. David has written reports and testified as both a plaintiff and defense expert witness. In addition, he has both deposition and trial experience.
David served the Arizona insurance industry through reviewing sections of the Arizona Insurance State Producer Licensing Exam(s) from 1998 through 2018. Some years he has reviewed property and casualty and some years life and health insurance. David has taught those entering the insurance industry through a pre-licensing class at Glendale Community College, along with other insurance courses.
As a non-paid position David was the State President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Arizona in 2008 to 2009 and served on the State Board of Directors four years and the Executive Committee for three years. He also served on the Education Committee for the Independent Insurance Agents of Arizona all as a non-paid positions. In 2004 David received the Archie Mendelsohn Award for leadership and mentoring new insurance agents in the insurance industry. In 2011 and then again in 2012 he received the Committee Chair of the Year Award from the Independent Insurance Agents of Arizona. In addition, in 2012 David received the Charles W. Traubel Memorial Award given as a tribute in recognition of Charles W. Traubel who maintained the high standards of service and integrity for insurance in Arizona and is awarded to a recipient who has made an extra effort and contribution in time and effort to further the interest of the Independent Insurance Agents of Arizona.
On September 8, 2016 David was appointed to serve again on The State Board of Directors for the Independent Insurance Agents of Arizona as a non-paid position. Then again David was appointed for a one-year term in September of 2017 to serve on the Board of Directors for the Independent Insurance Agents of Arizona. In 2018 he was again elected to the Board of Directors where he served on the Board until April 29, 2021 as a non-paid position.

David serves on the Board of Directors for Arizona Justice Center. An organization that provides legal services to the homeless and working poor in Arizona. This is a non-paid position He has worked on cases pro-bono as an expert witness.

David has attended several colleges. In 1995, he received his bachelor’s in management. He received his master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Phoenix in 1998. David Mitchell then went on to receive his second master’s degree in Human Resources (MA.HR) in 2001 from Ottawa University. Along with the MA.HR Dave holds the Senior Professional Human Resource Designation (SPHR) issued through HRCI and Senior Certified Professional in HR (SCP) issued through SHRM. Both the SPHR and the SHRM-SCP are two of the highest professional designations in the discipline of Human Resources. David’s unique background in insurance and human resource management provides an in-depth opinion on insurance agency operations, and the duties performed by an insurance producer and agency.

David was an Adjunct Professor at Western International University (“WIU”) from 2002 through 2015 and has also taught at DeVry University. At WIU David primarily instructed General Business and Human Resource Courses. He has taught Business Management, General Human Resources, Employment Law, Health and Safety in the Workplace, and Labor Management through various classes at the collegiate level. At the collegiate level, David, has taught both the undergraduate and graduate level courses. At the graduate level, he has taught Intrapreneur/Entrepreneurship. In addition, David taught the Undergraduate Capstone class for several years that included several disciplines.

David has served and continues to serve on the President’s Circle Advisory at Glendale Community College from 2004 to present. This is not a paid position, but he was and continues to be invited to serve as a consultant.
In 2015, he was hired as an Adjunct Professor to teach at Glendale Community College (hereinafter “GCC”) in their insurance program. He has taught both personal lines and commercial insurance to current and future (and some current licensed producers) insurance producers, claims adjusters, and underwriters.

David continues to serve in a non-paid position on the Northern Arizona University PL Management Advisory Board. He has served on this board since October of 2018.

Ideal Insurance Agency currently belongs to two west valley Chambers of Commerce (Peoria, Surprise and Glendale). The Agency has been a member of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce since 1994. In 1999 the Glendale Chamber of Commerce awarded Ideal Insurance Agency “Partner of the Year Award,” The Agency was given another Award as “Member of the Year” in 2001. In 2005 the Business Journal and the Glendale Chamber of Commerce presented the “All Star Company Award” to Ideal Insurance Agency. In February of 2016 David won the award “Volunteer of the Year” for the Surprise Chamber of Commerce.

David was elected as a non-paid position to the Glendale Chamber of Commerce Board in 2001 for a three-year term and re-elected in 2004 for another three years. In 2004, he served as Chair of the Board as a non-paid position. In July of 2011 David Mitchell was asked to again serve on the Board and was appointed to this position. In 2013 David was elected and in January 2014 began serving as Chair of the Board for the Glendale Chamber of Commerce as a non-paid position. In 2015 David became Past Chair and served on the Board of Directors and Executive Board through 2015. David serves on the Peoria Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. In June of 2019 David was elected to serve as Chair for the Peoria Chamber of Commerce, and he finished his term as Chair on December 1, 2020. He continues to serve the business community on the Board of Directors as a non-paid position.

David was co-chair for the 2017 Hometown Christmas Parade in Glendale and served as co-chair as a non-paid position. It has grown to be the largest parade (number of entries) in Arizona with the proceeds going to Operation Santa Claus and Glendale’s Food Bank “Hope for Hunger” a part of Phoenix Rescue Mission. In 2017 over 100,000 lbs. of food was donated to Hope for Hunger from the Hometown Christmas Parade.

Articles Written and Published include:

01 HR Risk Management Tip-Employees Using Their Own Vehicles for Company Business February 2006. Published by News and Views 2005 (Independent Insurance Agents of Arizona Publication) also revised and published in HR & Employment Law Compliance Guide for Arizona Employers
02 How to Navigate Employees through the Storms of Our Economy. Co-authored with Stewart Segall PhD News and Views March/April 2009
03 Independent Contractors or Employees News and Views March 15, 2011
04 Happy New Year It’s That Time Again News and Views Co-authored with John Perkins MBA, SPHR January/February 2012
05 Is it a Just a Job or is it a Profession? The Auto-Owners Trade Magazine Emblem August 2016

Expert Witness Cases Worked in Arizona

Over 50 cases worked on by David Mitchell CIC, MBA, MA.HR, SPHR, SHRM-SCP available upon request.

INSURANCE INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP

Reviewer of AZ
Insurance State
Licensing Exams
Instructor, state certified education for insurance
professionals (“CE”) since 2002
Former President, Independent
Insurance Agents of AZ
Holds all AZ
Insurance Licenses and several other states
Published Author and Adjunct
Professor; two
Business Master’s Degrees