2020 was a record year for severe weather, with 22 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. It was the sixth consecutive year in which 10 or more billion-dollar disaster events occurred in the U.S.

As a result, insurance professionals were greatly backlogged and putting themselves in harm's way to inspect damaged properties. So, how can they keep up with the rising demand of insurance claims during severe weather season while keeping themselves safe? Enter autonomous drones and the rise of the Smart Inspection.

On August 12, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that Article II, Section 3, of the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards 1958 (commonly known as the New York Convention), which obligates signatory nations to enforce agreements to arbitrate that fall under the Convention, preempts state insurance laws that preclude the arbitration of insurance disputes and/or prohibit the inclusion of mandatory arbitral provisions in insurance policies. CLMS Mgmt. Servs. Limited P'ship, et al. v. Amwins Brokerage of Georgia LLC, et al.[i]