BER Berkley W R Cp

W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: BER) today announced the respective appointments of Jane B. Parker as vice president � senior counsel and of Jessica L. Somerfeld as vice president � corporate actuary. The appointments are effective immediately. Ms. Parker has been with the company since 2004, serving most recently as assistant vice president � litigation counsel. She has over 20 years of legal experience in the property and casualty insurance and reinsurance industry. Ms. Parker received a J.D. from Boston College Law School and is a graduate of Barnard College in New York City. Ms. Somerfeld joined the company in 2005, serving most recently as assistant vice president � corporate actuary. She has over 11 years of actuarial experience. Ms. Somerfeld, who graduated with distinction from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in statistics, is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Founded in 1967, W. R. Berkley Corporation is an insurance holding company that is among the largest commercial lines writers in the United States and operates in five segments of the property casualty insurance business: specialty insurance, regional property casualty insurance, alternative markets, reinsurance, and international.