James P. Novak is Director of the Business Law and Compliance Group at Allstate, responsible for all legal aspects of the lender services business. Previously, he served as SVP and General Counsel at QBE Financial Insurance and former VP and General Counsel at National Interstate Corporation. He has served as a principal regulatory liaison with state and federal regulators, agencies, and legislators in addition to assisting in the design and roll-out of new businesses, including real estate tax services, homeowner and consumer-affiliated agencies, mergers and acquisitions; and asset purchase and sale transactions. Novak has been a mentor in mentoring programs and is a frequent speaker in leadership development programs.