Mike is an attorney, entrepreneur and industry thought leader with more than 24 years'experience as national coordinating counsel, trial counsel, and lead litigator throughoutthe U.S. in matters that include professional liability, product liability, toxic tort litigation,and class action litigation. He is a former United States Marine Corps JAG and has tried nearly 300 trials during his career.

In 2010, Mike co-founded A2SIX, applying his expertise and experience as a trial attorney to develop a pioneering legal services firm that consults with global businesses and law firms on e-discovery, document review and trial preparation. He lectures on ethics and conflict of interest, and is a leading best-practices advisor to international law firms and corporate legal departments.

Prior to leading A2SIX, Mike was a founding partner and Chief Operating Officer of iCorps Professional Services, LLC, a third-party claims administrator focused on professional liability, medical malpractice, and intellectual property claims.  Mike has created mediation best practices for managing large exposure claims, and is known for developing the triangle analysis for recognizing extraordinary claims. While with iCorps, Mike attended over 350 mediations where insurance policy limits were at risk.

Mike is a former Partner and Conflicts Chairman with the Chicago, Illinois insurance defense law firm, Gessler, Hughes & Socol, where he litigated complex liability lawsuits, managed ethics and professional conduct matters, and supervised numerous professional and intellectual property claims. Prior to this role, Mike served as a Senior Associate with the law firm Hinshaw &Culbertson.

Mike is a decorated, and formerly commissioned officer of the United States Marine Corps. He received his B.A from Lake Forest College and earned his Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law.

Rhonda Barnat is one of the leading crisis counselors, providing strategic advice to senior management in highly complex and sensitive crises.  She is often called upon at defining moments in a company’s or institution’s history.  Rhonda Barnat, along with other firm members, appears on the short-list of selected crisis counselors pre-approved by major insurance companies for major crises of all kinds.

Her clients cover the full spectrum of industries, including financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing, as well as not-for-profit organizations and other institutions.

Before joining The Abernathy MacGregor Group in 1996, Ms. Barnat managed media relations at The Bank of New York. She also managed communications and community affairs at River Bank America, where her corporate philanthropy work was recognized in Doing Best by Doing Good (Dutton, 1992). Earlier, she served as public information officer at The University of Michigan Hospitals.

She has published articles in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Detroit Free Press. Ms. Barnat, who has a B. A. degree in English Literature from the University of Rochester and a Masters degree from the University of Michigan.  She is a frequent speaker on crisis communications throughout the country.

Mr. Clay Scheitzach is Vice President & Senior Corporate Counsel at Affiliated Computer Services, Inc., a Xerox Company.  He handles worldwide commercial litigation for ACS and regularly represents ACS in trials, arbitrations, mediations, depositions and hearings. Mr. Scheitzach assists global business units with their daily legal business needs ranging from contract negotiations and compliance to global acquisitions and divestitures. He is responsible for conducting all internal investigations, including assessing and mitigating risk associated with issues including employee misconduct, privacy violations, FCPA, False Claim Act and governmental inquiries.

Mr. Scheitzach received his J.D. from Texas Tech University Law School, his M.B.A. from Texas Tech University and his B.A. from University of Texas at Austin.

Mr. Martin (Marty) Steinberg has over 20 years experience in the legal industry. He is currently National Managing Director of Complex Litigation for Advanced Deposiitons based in Irivine, CA. Prior to joining Advanced Depositions Marty was with Esquire Depsoitions for 11 years, Mr. Steinberg was also the founder and CEO of RealLegal.  As an industry leader, Mr. Steinberg oversees all complex litigation and specifically complex construction litigation management for Advanced Depositions.  Mr. Steinberg serves as a consultant and industry expert to all parties involved in all phases of managing construction related claims and resulting litigations.  Mr. Steinberg provides construction litigation management consulting daily to plaintiff’s attorneys, defense counsel, joint defense groups, forensic experts, homebuilders, general counsel, risk managers, insurance companies, contractors and sub-contractors.

His consulting expertise has positively impacted cost efficiencies as well as best practices for complex construction litigation in the following representative cases: Hayword vs. Del Webb, Willemsen vs. Rancho Cucamonga, and Perini Building Co. Inc., vs. MGM Mirage Design Group.

Frank Vasek is a Vice President in the in the P&C Severity Excess Claims Division of Chartis Insurance. Frank has over 25 years primary and excess claims experience in various technical and management positions. He served in the United States Air Force, and has a Masters Degree in History from Rutgers University. He is currently responsible for the claims aspect of the Chartis CrisisResponse® coverage, which provides immediate response and funding to help manage a crisis event and protect a company or organization’s image and reputation. His team has responded to over 300 crisis hot line calls over the last several years, including many high profile media intensive events. 

Mr. Page has been involved in the insurance industry for over thirty five years. Jim has an extensive background working with all aspects of health care self-insurance including administration, team leadership and claim analysis/resolution, auditing and consulting. He has a proven track record in the industry, having led more than 550 professional liability claim audits. He has consulted for over 25 Captives and worked with more than 400 hospitals, carriers, hospital systems, excess reinsurers, RRG’s and physician groups. In addition, Jim is highly recognized in the industry as an expert in third party self-insurance claims administration. He has led audit teams that have reviewed reserves, recommended claim strategies and conceived best practices for over 100,000 high exposure claims as a Divisional VP for 20 years. By the appointment of the Federal Bankruptcy Court, (representing all parties) he directed, investigated the facts and prepared an objective analytical report on exposures in 587 claims related to the largest hospital bankruptcy in New York City history. These findings remained unchallenged throughout the hospital’s emergence from reorganization. Jim also has extensive management experience focusing on strategy and process implementation tailored to improve operational and financial performance and results.

Mr. Page received his Masters of Professional Studies - Public Health & Health Care Administration and Bachelor of Science - Business Administration from Long Island University, Old Westbury, NY; Associate of Applied Sciences - Business Administration & Analytical Sciences from Nassau Community College, Hempstead, NY.

Dennis J. Franchetti, AIC is presently supervising all casualty claims for the New London County Mutual Insurance Company of Norwich, Connecticut, as well for the affiliated Hingham Mutual Insurance Company of Hingham, Massachusetts. Work experience also includes handling of medical malpractice, complex coverage, environmental, municipal liability, Jones Act, CGL, and Directors' & Officers' claims.

In addition, Dennis served as a Reinsurance Consultant with Aetna Life & Casualty during the early to mid 1990's resolving reinsurance disputes.

Dennis is a 1983 graduate of Rhode Island College. He resides in Norwich, Connecticut with his wife and 2 daughters, and is an avid New England Patriots fan.

Joanne’s career has evolved from that of an emergency department nurse in a teaching hospital in Chicago, to a community hospital in NH, then on to a trauma center in Massachusetts.  After the clinical setting Joanne worked as a nurse consultant for a plaintiffs’ Med Mal firm in Florida and a defense firm in Austin, TX.  While in TX, Joanne received her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin.

Medical Malpractice insurance defense work was the next logical step in career development.  Joanne worked for a physician insurer in NJ then started the Med Mal claims unit at Executive Risk Specialty Insurance in CT.  ERSIC was subsequently acquired by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies where Joanne spent the next ten years initially as a claim examiner then supervisor and ultimately heading up the Medical Malpractice Unit with a staff of 24.  As the Med Mal runoff occurred, Joanne also negotiated high-severity claims for Casualty Bodily Injury claims.

Joanne joined OneBeacon Professional Insurance in August 2009 and manages healthcare claims for the Eastern U.S. 

Over 20 years in claims with 13 creating and managing two nationally dedicated claims handling units for an international company.  Experience includes project and account management in a vendor partner and employer capacity, Third Party Administrator oversight and a proven ability to reduce the cost of risk through best reserving, and cost effective claim outcomes to achieve corporate objectives.     

Ron Mazariegos is Head of Public Entity and Non-Profit claims at Ambrdige Group.  Ron manages a claims unit handling complex, high impact commercial auto, municipal liability, E&O, MPL, EPL, workers' compensation, excess casualty and reinsurance claims on behalf of insured municipalities, school districts, public risk pools, religous organizations and higher learning institutions.

Previously, Ron was VP of Claims and Vendor Manager with Arrowpoint Capital, (formerly Royal and SunAlliance Insurance), where he led a team of Workers Compensation, No-Fault and PIP claim adjusters and supervisors. Ron also managed professional lines, including Architects and Engineers' Errors and Omissions claims in the U.S. and Canada.

Ron has extensive experience representing the insurance industry on both the claims and defense side. Prior to joining Arrowpoint, Ron was an attorney with Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, LLP in New York. His practice focused on litigation, with an emphasis on construction, professional and general liability defense, insurance coverage matters and subrogation claims. He regularly defended automobile negligence, premises liability, assaults and batteries and negligent security lawsuits on behalf of major insurance carriers, self-insureds, third-party administrators, reinsurers and municipal entities.

Ron was also a civil-trial attorney for the New York City Law Department, Office of the Corporation Counsel. As an Assistant Corporation Counsel, Ron successfully defended and resolved hundreds of lawsuits filed against the City of New York, the New York City Police Department, the Board of Education, the Department of Transportation and the NYC Sanitation Department.

Ron is a licensed attorney in New York and North Carolina. He also a licensed adjuster in NC, SC, FL, TX and GA.

Matthew Morrison has years of experience focusing on complex claims, litigation management and insurance coverage issues from both the perspective of an insurer as well an attorney in private practice. In his current position with American Faminly Insurance he is responsible for all litigation outcomes across the enterprise including claims and corporate litigation. He is admitted to practice before the state courts of Illinois and Wisconsin, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Wisconsin State Bar Association, Claims & Litigation Management Alliance Advisory Board and serves as a professor at CLM’s Litigation Management Institute. In 2013 Matt was named Litigation Management Professional of the Year by CLM.

Lisa Tillis has been consulting for the past several years in various capacities with TPAs, worker's compensation ancilliary and healthcare companies. Lisa held the position of Director of Risk Management for 99 Cents Only Stores.  She was previously a National Worker’s Compensation Manager at ABM Industries and a Regional Claims Manager for OneSource before ABM purchased that entity.  At ABM Industries, she was part of the Corporate Risk Management department that directed all internal and external communications and activities for this $3.6 billion corporation with more than 101,000 employees. ABM provides janitorial, parking, security, engineering services and landscaping for thousands of commercial, industrial, institutional and retail facilities in hundreds of cities across the United States, Puerto Rico and British Columbia, Canada. Earlier in her career, Lisa gained her extensive experience in healthcare and worker’s compensation claims adjudication and management, marketing and corporate risk management with various carriers and T.P.A.s. She also worked for hospitals, medical clinics, healthcare insurance carriers and government contracted companies.

Lisa has worked with CIGA as a Claims Supervisor/Consultant handling a unit that encompassed sports and asbestos claims. She is currently handling a unit with a hearing representative, claims examiners, and claims assistants in her capacity as a Claims Supervisor with Springfield Insurance Company.

Lisa was a Trainer at CLM, New Orleans Conference and is an active member of FIRMA. She previously served as President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Diabetes Association, coordinating the Los Angeles ADA walk.  Lisa continues her involvement in community service.

Diana Shafter Gliedman, a shareholder with Anderson Kill's insurance recovery group, represents policyholders in actions ranging from small disputes to multi-party, multi-issue insurance coverage litigations, with an emphasis on Professional Liability, Directors & Officers and Employment Practices Liability Insurance.  Ms. Gliedman, who is a Co-Chair of the Professional Liability Subcommittee of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee of the ABA Section of Litigation ("ICLC"), as well as a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance's Professional Liability subcommittee, frequently represents law firms, partnerships and other professional organizations seeking to analyze potential sources of coverage and maximize insurance recovery.  Ms. Gliedman is also a member of the Anderson Kill's Financial Services insurance coverage group, which serves clients such as broker/dealers, commercial banks, investment advisors, hedge funds, mutual funds and other financial institutions.  She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and two young sons.

Marilee Clausing is a Partner at Anderson, Rasor & Partners, LLP and has been admitted to practice before the Illinois Bar and the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Ms. Clausing earned her B.S.N., cum laude, from Marquette University in 1978, after which she worked as a Registered Nurse in the area of high-risk obstetrics. She has been a practicing attorney since 1985 after receiving her J.D., with Honors, from DePaul University, where she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the DePaul Law Review.

Ms. Clausing concentrates her practice of law in the areas of Medical Litigation, Birth Trauma Defense, Nursing Malpractice, and representation of health care providers before the Department of Professional Regulation. She is an experienced trial attorney and has tried numerous cases involving catastrophic injury to verdict, including those involving birth trauma, neonatal injury, death and neurological injury. Her extensive trial experience, combined with her obstetrical nursing background, led her to develop the Birth Trauma Defense Team at Anderson, Rasor and Partners, LLP.

Ms. Clausing is a nationally renowned speaker on medical legal matters involving hospitals, physicians, nurses and physician assistants.

Dennis Galvin is Assistant Vice President - Claims of Argo Pro, in charge of overseeing the Error and Omissions claims group, including Lawyers Professional Liability and Architects & Engineers claims.  Prior to joining Argo Pro, Mr. Galvin was Vice President – Professional Liability Claims for OneBeacon Professional Insurance, where he oversaw a group of claim attorneys handling claims in Lawyers Professional, Real Estate Professional, Insurance Agents Errors & Omissions, Content Technology and Cyber Insurance.  Prior to joining OneBeacon, Mr. Galvin worked for Lexington Insurance Company, where he was responsible for handling complex professional claims in a variety of areas including LPL, RPL, insurance agents, accountants, media corporations and government entities. Prior to joining Lexington, Mr. Galvin was in private practice in the Boston area where he specialized in civil litigation including insurance defense and coverage litigation.
Mr. Galvin received his Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, MA and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stonehill College in North Easton, MA.  Mr. Galvin is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He is a frequent speaker at various industry events and an active member of CLM.

Rated AV in Martindale-Hubbell.

Professional AssociationsAmerican Bar Association, Alabama State Bar, Birmingham Bar Association, Alabama Defense Lawyer’s Association, Defense Research Institute, Alabama Claims Association, Workmen's Compensation Claims Association, Chairman - Workmen’s Compensation Claims Association Legislative Committee 1995-96, Atlanta Claims Association, Alabama Self Insured's Association.

Specific Areas of PracticeCivil Litigation; Insurance Defense, Insurance (Bad Faith, Fraud, Coverage Issues), Litigation, Personal Injury, Products Liability, Workers’ Compensation. Trials in all State and Federal Courts. Appeals in both State and Federal Courts.

Reported OpinionsLandstar Ranger v. Kent, [No. 2000635, February 22, 2002] So. 2d (Ala. Civ. App. 2002); American Termite & Pest Control, Inc. v. Riley, 775 So. 2d 179 (Ala. 2000); Smith v. State Farm Ins. Co., 730 So.2d 125 (Ala. 1999); Ex Parte Boles, 720 So.2d 911 (Ala 1998); Glenn v. Flowers Specialty Foods of Mont., Inc., 718 So.2d 1137 (Ala. Civ. App. 1998); Lee v. Burdette, 715 So.2d 804 (Ala 1998); Underwood v. Mid-South Steel, Inc.,(No. AV 93000499)(Opinion rendered Sept. 2, 1994); Ex parte Ellenburg, 627 So.2d 398 (Ala. 1993); Rogers v. Flowers Specialty Foods, Inc., 621 So.2d 1339 (Ala.Civ.App. 1993); Patrick v. Femco Southeast, Inc., 590 So.2d 259 (Ala. 1991); Daubert Coated Products, Inc. v. Twilley, 589 So.2d 733 (Ala.Civ.App. 1991); Phillips v. J.H. Transport, Inc., 565 So.2d 66 (Ala.1990); Renfroe v. Goldkist, Inc., 559 So.2d 61 (Ala.Civ.App. 1990); Goldkist, Inc. v. Jones, 537 So.2d 39 (Ala.Civ.App. 1988); Goldkist, Inc. v. Oliver, 526 So.2d 588 (Ala.Civ.App. 1988).

PublicationsAlabama Workers Compensation Manual, William A. Austill (1995-2000); Alabama Workers Compensation Law – A Manual for Employers and Claim Handlers, William A. Austill and Conley W. Knott (2001-2).

Speaking EngagementsMontgomery Claims Law Seminar (October 1998); State of Alabama Department of Industrial Relations Seminars (1998-2000); Alabama Self Insurers Association Seminar (August 1998, August 1999); Alabama Workers’ Compensation Organization Seminars (May 1997, May 1998, May 1999, May 2000); Montgomery Claims Law Seminar (October 1997); Nationwide Insurance Company SIU Seminar (June 1997).

CivicJunior League of Birmingham Men's Committee; JAYCEES; Boy Scouts of America Den Leader; Volunteer coach through YMCA and Mountain Brook Sports for soccer, football and basketball.

Bill is a partner in the Mobile, Alabama office of Austill, Lewis, Pipkin & Maddox, P.C.  He has a civil defense practice, focusing on the defense of personal injury, workers' compensation, premises liability and general liability matters. 
 
 Admitted to practice in Alabama and Florida, he is an experienced trial and appellate attorney in both state and federal courts throughout Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.  He is AV rated in Martindale-Hubbell.  He is a member of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute (Construction Law, Trucking Law and Workers’ Compensation Committees) and the Florida Bar.  He is past Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Defense Research Institute and is a frequent speaker at professional education seminars.  He is a Fellow of the American College of Workers' Compensation Attorneys and co-Chair of the National Workers' Compensation Review Program at the annual WCI Conference. He co-authored the CLM Workers' Compensation Claims Handling Guide for the State of Alabama for use by claims professionals and members of CLM.  He served as chair of the Workers' Compensation Section of the Alabama State Bar from 2006-2007He earned his J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1989 and his undergraduate degree in English and History from Birmingham-Southern College in 1986.
 

William H. Lambros, Vice President, XL Catlin, has been in the insurance industry for 30 years.  He began his career in National Account Claims in the 1980's with the Aetna Casualty & Surety in New York City.  In 1992, Bill moved to Hartford, Connecticut, to work in the Aetna Home Office Claim Department as a Claim Consultant overseeing Large Losses for designated Claim Service Centers.  With the Aetna/Travelers merger in the 1990's, Bill began working in the Travelers Products and International Unit and ultimately became a Director in the Travelers Home Office Claim Department where he assisted field offices with managing catastrophic losses.  In 1999 Bill moved to Discover Re, an Alternative Risk Transfer (ART) insurer, where he began managing losses for individual risk clients and captive programs and eventually ran the entire Liability Claims area for Discover Re as Vice President.  In the Spring of 2010, Bill began working at SPARTA Insurance Company as Senior Vice President & Claims Officer.  In September 2014 Catalina purchased SPARTA Insurance where Bill was also a Senior Vice President.  As Vice President for XL Catlin, Bill is a Liability Claim Line Lead for TPA Claims – North America.
 

Working from Catlin’s London and U.S. offices, Franklin manages litigation and claims as well as coverage disputes across all lines of Catlin’s business in the United States.  Franklin graduated from Brooklyn Law School and from New York University with honors.  He is an “AV” (highest) peer rated lawyer by Martindale Hubbell. During his years of practicing law Franklin tried over 50 cases to verdict and was repeatedly recognized in Euromoney’s “Guide to the World Leading Aviation Lawyers” and “New York Super Lawyers.”  Before joining Catlin, Franklin was in private practice as a Partner with Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP in their New York office and Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP where he led the Aviation Team and was on the firm’s Executive Committee. Franklin is currently on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee (Vice President/President Elect) of the Aviation Insurance Association (AIA), President of the AIA Foundation and on the Board of Directors of AIA-Alternative Dispute Resolution, Inc. He is a licensed aircraft pilot.  Over the years, he has spoken at various insurance related forums, been quoted in the print media and interviewed on televised news as an expert in aviation insurance and complex litigation. Catlin Group Ltd. is an international specialty insurance and reinsurance underwriter.  Catlin underwrites 31 different lines of business with an emphasis on reinsurance, energy, aviation, property, marine, specie, professional liability, financial products and casualty.  Catlin’s Syndicate 2003 at Lloyd’s of London is the largest syndicate at Lloyd’s of London.  In addition to its Lloyd’s syndicate, Catlin has underwriting hubs in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Bermuda and Asia with 45 offices worldwide.  Catlin, Inc., The Group’s U.S. Hub, has 16 offices throughout the United States. 

Michael J. DeLonay joined AXIS as a Senior Claims Specialist in January 2021. Mike handles high exposure primary and excess casualty claims. Prior to joining AXIS, Mike was a Claims Expert/Vice President at Swiss Re Corporate Solutions based in Chicago. He is a CLMP. Mike's career has included handling all types of property and casualty claims with a focus on Public Entity claims including complex civil rights litigation. More recently, Mike's career has focused more on handling other high exposure GL claims such as product liability and premises security litigation.

After graduation from UW –Milwaukee, Mike started his career with Commercial Union and after 6 years moved to Providence Washington and then to Crum & Forster Managers. Mike served as a Village Trustee in Glendale Heights, IL (1983 to 1989) and Carol Stream, IL (1993 to 2001).

Mike is currently is member of CLM Coverage Committee & Extra Contractual Committee.

As Managing Partner and founder of Barry, McTiernan & Wedinger, relishes trial work, and tenaciously represents his clients, whether defending claims brought against them, or pursuing recoveries on their behalf.

Admitted to the New Jersey and New York bars in 1988, Rick is also admitted to practice in the United States District Courts in New York and New Jersey. He has also very successfully tried cases pro hac vice in the states of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Obtaining his law degree from Syracuse University in 1987 (where he was accepted to Law Review and graduated cum laude), after clerking for New York Supreme Court Justice Nicholas Clemente, Rick then commenced his legal career with Barry, McTiernan & Moore in 1988 in New York City. In 1991, he opened the New Jersey office for the firm. As such, Rick has grown and developed this office, through very careful selection of attorneys with whom he has chosen to partner. Mindful always of the need to provide consistent, reliable, servicing to all clients, Rick has staffed the office with those equally hard-working, and driven, to maximize client satisfaction and outstanding results.

Proficient at the trial and appellate levels, Rick has won seven-figure results on behalf of plaintiffs, and defeated seven-figure demands on behalf of defendants. He has argued at the appellate level, not only in the state courts of New Jersey and New York, but also in the Federal Circuit Courts, as well as in the New Jersey Supreme Court; he has also submitted several briefs to the United States Supreme Court. Twice his winning arguments have been approved for publication by the New Jersey Appellate Division, and are frequently cited in the case books. Rick is a member of the Monmouth County Bar Association, as well as DANY (Defense Association of New York).

The American Medical Association has repeatedly listed Dr. Barth among their “internationally recognized experts”.  The AMA has repeatedly asked him to contribute to their publications focused on chronic pain, brain injury, and mental illness.  He has also served as faculty, editor, or author for theAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Psychological Association, the European Union of Medicine in Social Security and Assurance, the North American Spine Society, the American Academy of Neurology, the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the Official Disability Guidelines, the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions, the National Association of Workers' Compensation Judiciary, and several governments internationally.  Dr. Barth has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, for having made a significant contribution to science and practice.  His full time education culminated with a Harvard Medical School internship and Harvard Medical School post-doctoral fellowship training.

Gary F. Baumann is a founding partner of Baumann, Gant & Keeley, P.A., a Florida statewide defense firm with offices in Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Jacksonville. He earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Nova Southeastern University in 1996, receiving the Book Award in the Trial Advocacy Program. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1996 and is a member in good standing. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University in 1990. He was born in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Baumann’s primary areas of practice involve catastrophic injury, wrongful death, automobile negligence, construction defect litigation, construction bodily injury claims, products liability, bad faith litigation and general negligence claims. He has successfully tried to verdict and litigated numerous complex claims including class action lawsuits.

He was appointed on August 7, 2009 by the Honorable Eldon Fallon to serve as a member of the National Defense Steering Committee (DSC) for the thousands of Chinese Drywall claims being litigated in the Eastern District of Louisiana (MDL 2047).

He has been a panel member, chairperson and moderator at numerous national seminars including The Defense Research Institute (DRI), West Coast Casualty Seminar, The East Coast Region Construction Defect Seminar, The Claims and Litigation Management Alliance Annual Conference, and the CDCMA. The events have been attended by Federal Court Judges and State Court Judges from Florida, California, South Carolina, Oregon, Arizona and Nevada as well as attorneys from across the country. He regularly presents accredited seminars to clients on topics such as current events in Florida Construction Defect Law and Claims Adjuster Ethics.

He is admitted to practice law in all Florida State Courts since 1996 and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Federal Court for the Southern and Middle District of Florida.

Construction Defect Law; Premise Liability; and Claims Adjuster Ethics. 

Cynthia Khin is an expert in claims and litigation management with more than 25 years of experience managing and directing high exposure litigation, pharmaceutical and medical device product liability litigation and professional liability litigation.  Ms. Khin has consistently placed a premium on delivering exceptional results while providing high quality service and expertise to the Life Sciences.  Ms. Khin joined Berkley Life Sciences in 2014 following a stellar 25 year career with Medmarc Insurance Group where most recently, she served as the Chief Claims Officer.  In this capacity, she was responsible for pharmaceutical and medical device claim investigation and settlement oversight, defense counsel selection, litigation management, trial preparation/supervision, claim reserve audits and assessments.  Her specialties include general litigation management, mediation and litigation management for mass torts and class actions.Ms. Khin holds the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation from the American Institutes for CPCU, Associate in Claims, Associate in Risk Management and certificates in Claims Law from the American Education Institute, and designations in Management and General Insurance from the IIA.  Cindy has taught insurance classes in the Washington, DC area for more than 10 years.  Ms. Khin is a frequent speaker on claims and litigation management topics before a variety of audiences, including the annual conference of Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine, the International Risk Management Institute, American Conference Institute (ACI) and numerous Medmarc risk management seminars.  Her co-authored article, "We Love Settlements!" appeared in "For the Defense", the monthly publication of the Defense Research Institute.

Prior to joining Berkley Life Sciences in 2014, Ms. Khin was with Medmarc for more than 25 years and prior to joining Medmarc in 1989, Ms. Khin was with a leading casualty insurer, GEICO, in its home office where, for eight years, she assisted the company in shouldering litigation, management and training responsibilities.

Susan Clemson has over 30 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry, with over 20 years in a managerial or senior management role.  Currently, Susan is the Senior Vice President and Chief Claim Officer of Berkley Luxury group  which provides all-inclusive insurance solutions for luxury condo, co-op, rental properties and fine dining restaurants. Ms. Clemson has also held positions with Western Litigation, Everest National, Atlantic Mutual, AIG and Travelers.  Her diverse background includes supervising and managing General Liability, Property, Construction Defect, Medical Malpractice, Errors and Omissions, Directors and Officers, Senior Care Liability, Environmental and Toxic Tort claims.  Susan is a graduate of Lehigh University with a B.A. degree in Economics. 

AREAS OF PRACTICE

Products Liability, Insurance Defense, Toxic Torts,Environmental Law, Admiralty, Trucking Claims, Construction Defects

BACKGROUND

Native of Detroit, MichiganLouisiana State University, B.S., 1968Louisiana State University, J.D., 1974Admitted to Practice, 1974Married, one child

BAR ADMISSIONS

Admitted to Bar, 1974, LouisianaAdmitted to Bar, 1993, TexasUnited States District Courts:Eastern (1974), Middle (1980), andWestern (1976) Districts of LouisianaUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (1981)

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

American Bar AssociationLouisiana State Bar AssociationJefferson Parish Bar AssociationLouisiana Association of Defense CounselDefense Research Institute

HONORS/AWARDS

Moot Court Board, Louisiana State University

CIVIC ACTIVITIES

Rotary Club of New OrleansLouisiana Lodge No. 102, F. and A.M.

Ken is the Vice President of Emergency Services for BMS Global in Fort Worth, TX.  BMS Global specializes in transportation accident response.  Specifically,recovery, restoration, inventory and control of personal effects, documentation of recovery efforts, personal effects claims handling, temporary mortuary and repatriation of remains on-site as well as disposal and recovery of wreckage.

Before joining the BMS Global team, Ken was the Manager for American Airlines Emergency Response and CARE Program.  As a volunteer he was assigned to work with families for two American Eagle accidents in 1994.  In 1995, he was a Command Center Leader at AA’s Telephone Enquiry Center for the accident response in Cali, Columbia and in 1999 served as the Family Assistance Site Manager in Little Rock (AA 1420).  As the manager of emergency Response he was responsible for AA’s Family Assistance response for the events of September 11, 2001 (Flight 11 and 77), the response to AA Flight 587 in New York in 2001 and the response for Corporate Airlines (American Connection) Flight 5966 in Kirksville, MO in 2004.

Ken is currently completing his Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Science at Embry-Riddle University.  He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science as well as a Bachelors Degree in History.  He is the recipient of the prestigious Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities. He served as the Chairman of the IATA Emergency Response Planners Task force and as the Team Leader of the oneworld Emergency Planners Working Group.

Joseph V. Pitstick is Associate General Counsel of the BMW Group Legal Department located in Hilliard, Ohio. Joe has been with the BMW Group since 2006.

Prior to his coming to work for the BMW Group, Joe was in private practice for thirteen years. During that time, he litigated a wide variety of civil cases, including commercial disputes, real estate issues, contract issues, mechanic’s liens, workers’ compensation, and construction defects.

Joe received his B.A. degree in History from Kent State University and his law degree from the University of Cincinnati. He is a member of the Ohio bar and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. He has taught Real Estate Law as an Adjunct Professor, taught LSAT review courses, and has worked as a Volunteer Mediator for various courts in Ohio. He is also a member of the CLM  Advisory Board.

Warren has corporate responsibility for every aspect of risk management, including casualty, property, surety, benefits, loss control, claims, and captive management for its companies: Boh Bros. Construction Co., L.L.C.- a 100 year old diversified privately held civil and marine contractor operating in six Gulf Coast States; Broadmoor, L.L.C.- a Design Build Commercial Building Contractor operating typically in the State of Louisiana; and Boh Environmental, L.L.C.-a diversified environmental contractor. Warren is a licensed property & casualty insurance agent in Louisiana and Attorney-in-fact for Zurich North America.

He is a former president of local Risk & Insurance Management Society (RIMS) chapter, speaker @ National RIMS Conference; and has recently given presentations on post-Katrina restoration at the Associated General Contractors (AGC) Conference, in London to an International Construction Conference; Swiss Re; Munich Re.; & Lloyds of London; in Boston to Lexington Insurance Company and the Inland Marine Underwriters Association (IMUA) in New York. He testified before the U.S. Senate after Katrina on a bill to insolate liability for disaster emergency response contractors.

Warren is a member of the Chartis Construction Solutions Advisory Board and the National Associated General Contractors Risk Management Committee. In 2008, he was awarded the 2007 Business Insurance Risk Manager of the Year Honor Roll.

Michael Caspino is one of the Founding Partners of Brady, Vorwerck, Ryder & Caspino.  His energy and tenacity has resulted in a solid reputation as an accomplished trial attorney.  He is licensed to practice in the states of California, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado.   

Published appellate opinions include the landmark case of National Union v. Nationwide Insurance Company, 69 Cal. App. 4th 709, which dealt with the extent of indemnity obligations in contracts.  In Olson v. Aztech, 120 Nev. 240, Mr. Caspino argued before the Nevada Supreme Court in the first appeal that dealt with the Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 40 statutory scheme for resolving residential construction defect claims. 

Mr. Caspino's litigation efforts have lead to a number of advantageous settlements on behalf of the firm's clients.  In one matter, he was lead counsel in a construction dispute involving over 6,000 apartment units in Nevada and Florida.  Mr. Caspino litigated and resolved multiple personal injury and property damage claims, throughout the country, related to a legionella outbreak at a Las Vegas timeshare resort.

Recently, Mr. Caspino was quoted in The Wall Street Journal, wherein he commented on legal liability relating to automated external defibrillators.

James C. Wright is AV rated.  He also holds the CLMP designation.
He is listed in U.S. News as a Best Lawyer in America.  He has been selected as one of America's Top High Stakes Litigators.  He  is a Midsouth Super Lawyer both generally and in the Business Edition.  He has been selected as one of the top 1% of lawyers in America by the National Assoication of Distinguished Counsel.  He has been selected as one of the top ten lawyers in Tennessee in client satisfaction.Mr. Wright  has practiced with Butler Vines and Babb, a Tennessee law firm for over 37 years. The firm is recognized by both U.S. News as a Best Law Firm in America and Fortune Magazine as a top law firm.  His father was a trial lawyer and Mr. Wright maintains an additional Middle Tennessee office in his father's old law office building.  He also has a daughter who practices in Memphis.  Mr. Wright has served as a Lead State Chair for CLM.  He was a founding member and has chaired the Environmental Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association as well as the Knoxville Bar Association.He has also chaired the Tort and Insurance Practice Section of the Tennessee Bar Association.He has acted as a National, Regional and Local coordinating counsel and has tried cases in multiple jurisdictions.He is licensed before the United States Supreme Court, the Federal Court of Claims,  the Sixth and Fourth Circuit Courts of Appeals and all Courts of Record in Tennessee..In addition to his litigation and business practice, he has done rapid response to commercial vehicle accidents across the Southeast United States for over 30 years.

Thomas S. Thornton, III is a shareholder with Carr Allison and a resident in the firm’s Birmingham, Alabama office.  He is a member of the Birmingham and Alabama State Bar Associations as well as various legal and industry specific organizations.

Tommy serves as chair of the firm’s Retail and Hospitality Practice Group.  He has focused his litigation practice on the defense of personal injury, premises liability, product liability, transportation, retaliatory discharge, general liability, as well as catastrophic workers’ compensation matters.  He represents regional and national retail, restaurant, hotel, and convenient store chains, as well as national transportation, nursing home and long term care clients, and various insurance and third party administrators.

Tommy also serves as National CMS Coordination Compliance Counsel for a number of his national business and insurance industry clients ensuring compliance with the Medicare Secondary Payer and Section 111 Act.  These services range from guiding clients through an educational and risk analysis process in conjunction with the establishment of internal claim handling protocols.  He also provides support negotiating with local defense and plaintiff’s counsel on litigated matters pending nationally to responding to fines and penalties levied by Medicare.

Tommy has served as chair of the Retail Practice Group for the USLAW Network and was an original member of the Medicare Advocacy Recovery Coalition.  He provides frequent lectures for various clients, organizations and industry specific trade conferences on topics ranging from best practices and legal updates for defending personal injury claims to Medicare compliance and the defense of workers’ compensation claims.  Some of these organizations include regional and national RIMS, National Restaurant Association, Food Marketing Institute, American Hotel and Lodging Association, National Gas Claims and Litigation Association and SIIA.

Richard Tugman is Vice President and General Counsel for C.B. Fleet, Inc., a Virginia headquartered manufacturer of consumer healthcare products. Richard originally qualified as a lawyer in England and after having completed a Masters of Law in the US, re-qualified as an attorney, admitted to practice in Virginia. Richard’s professional career has included private practice in both the US and in England. Richard’s experience also includes time in the London and US insurance markets, as well as employment with a subsidiary of General Electric.

Edward is an experienced trial lawyer with an emphasis on defending construction general liability claims and prosecuting large dollar subrogation and declaratory relief cases.

He has successfully represented general contractors, developers, subcontractors and engineers in construction accident and defect claims. Edward has tried 19 cases and he recently tried and won a defense verdict on behalf of Los Angeles World Airport ("LAX") in a multi-million dollar construction negligence claim.

Edward also regularly represents insurance carriers and its insures in subrogation, declaratory relief and bad faith actions against carriers that do not comply with their fiduciary and contractual obligations. 

Edward is a member of the Defense Research Institute, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, as well as the Million Dollars Advocates Forum. He is also a frequent lecturer on topics regarding construction law, additional insured obligations, the defense of catastrophic injury cases, and the tripartite relationship between the insured, its carrier, and defense counsel.

Mr. Carlson has an extensive background in products liability litigation. He has successfully handled cases involving the following product lines: all-terrain vehicles, farm tractors, handguns, power tools, automobiles, car seats, textile machines, underground mining equipment, forklifts, tractor trailers, induction furnaces, latex gloves, industrial woodworking machinery, conveyers, kerosene heaters, tires, extruder machines, boats, steering cables, medical devices, pharmaceutical products, household appliances, cranes, industrial equipment, motorcycles, lawn mowers, power regulators/transformers, earth moving equipment, and electronic components. In addition, Mr. Carlson is designated counsel for various insurance companies.  He has extensive experience preparing witnesses through interpreters in both Japanese and German for both depositions and trial. He has tried numerous cases through interpreters. He has also represented product manufacturers located in Scotland, Germany, Japan, Austria, France, Italy, South Korea and England.

 Mr. Carlson has briefed and argued cases before the Alabama Supreme Court and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

 Mr. Carlson is consistently recognized by his peers in the legal industry, and especially in the area of products liability. Most recently, Mr. Carlson was listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Products Liability Litigation and Commercial Litigation and in Alabama Super Lawyers 2010 for Personal Injury Defense – Products. Mr. Carlson is an active member of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute, and the International Association of Defense Counsel.

 Prior to a career in law, Mr. Carlson had extensive experience managing livestock operations, the operation of over-the-road tractor trailer rigs and farm and underground mining equipment.

 Mr. Carlson’s community activities include membership on the Session of Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Executive Board for a private K-12 school, Chairman of the Legal and Financial Committee for this same school and teaching Sunday School at Briarwood Presbyterian Church.

Joe provides legal counsel to the global claim organization within the ACE Group. This work includes managing coverage litigation for ACE, managing catastrophe loss response and reporting, large loss management for all lines of business and overall guidance on claim process. In addition, he actively manages the relationship between ACE Group Claims and its outside and in-house legal providers. Joe joined ACE in 2005 after 19 years with CIGNA in various claim, legal and risk management positions.

Joe is a graduate of Fairfield University and Suffolk University School of Law.

Charles H. Clark, Jr. (Clay) is a senior partner in the law firm of Huie, Fernambucq & Stewart, LLP, based in Birmingham, Alabama. He is actively engaged in the practice of employment law, workers’ compensation, product liability, personal injury, toxic exposure litigation, industrial accident litigation, retaliatory discharge, sexual harassment, ADA litigation, discrimination, errors and omissions, motor carrier litigation, premises liability, and general liability litigation.Clay represents a wide range of local and national clients and is consistently “AV” rated by Martindale-Hubbell surveys. He is listed in “Birmingham’s Top Attorneys”, Birmingham Magazine, “Top Lawyers” by the Birmingham Business Journal, Alabama Super Lawyers, and is consistently recognized in The Best Lawyers in America. Clay is a frequent lecturer, speaking throughout the Southeast on the topics of employment law, industrial accident litigation, and workers’ compensation.

Joe, one of the founding members of Clark, May, Price, Lawley, Duncan and Paul, represents clients ranging from family companies to Fortune 500 businesses at both the trial and appellate level. His practice consists of the defense of claims relating to personal injury, product liability, contractual disputes, trucking and insurance coverage. Joe spends much of his time working with clients, contractors and trade groups to proactively reduce the risk of liability using lessons learned from litigation.

Joe has helped to mold Alabama law in both the legislative and judicial branches. He assisted in authoring legislation relating to contractor liability and argued to the Alabama Supreme Court on the subjects of indemnity, personal injury and product liability. In Hosea Weaver and Sons, Inc. v. Balch, the Alabama Supreme Court recognized the “accepted-work doctrine” based on arguments made by Joe as amicus counsel on behalf of the Alabama Road Builder’s Association. The Court’s decision reversed a $7.5 million verdict in favor the plaintiffs and rendered a judgment in favor of the defendant. More recently, in DISA Industries, Inc. v. Bell, Joe also successfully argued for the Court to reverse a $500,000 in favor of a plaintiff and rendered the verdict in favor of the Defendant.

Joe and his wife, Ellen, live in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, with their children Porter and Sophie. In his spare time, Joe coaches youth baseball, runs half marathons, travels and volunteers at Children’s Hospital as Santa Claus.

Joe earned his undergraduate degree from Auburn University and his juris doctor from The University of Alabama School of Law.

Amy R. Paulus is a partner and member of the Board of Directors of Clausen Miller P.C. who concentrates her practice in all areas of liability insurance coverage law, environmental and toxic tort coverage litigation, and reinsurance matters. Ms. Paulus also regularly assists insurers in drafting new policy forms and coverages.

Ms. Paulus is a CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter). Ms. Paulus has also received an AV rating (highest) from Martindale-Hubbell.

Ms. Paulus received a B.A. from Northwestern University in 1985. In 1989, she received her Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from Northern Illinois University College of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review.

Ms. Paulus is admitted to practice before the Illinois Supreme Court and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and is a member of the Chicago Bar Association.

Tina Zink Pernie serves as the Head of Strategy, Operations, & Compliance at the CLM. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing strategic initiatives, operational efficiency, compliance management, and implementing innovative solutions.
 
Before rejoining the CLM, Tina served as the Head of Strategic Partnerships at North American Risk Services (NARS). In this role, she provided vision and direction for service relationships, partnerships, and product development. From 2014 to 2021, Tina was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the CLM. She was responsible for overall operational efficiency, strategic vision implementation, talent acquisition and empowerment, as well as IT innovation and implementation. Prior to 2014, Tina served as Claim Manager for Litigation & Vendor Management at Arrowpoint Capital. She oversaw and directed claims professionals, vendors, and defense attorney contracts and billing. From 2000 to 2007, she held various positions at Arrowpoint Capital, including managing the legal bill review division, where she maximized legal bill savings and law firm compliance through the application of litigation management billing guidelines according to all company, state, and federal regulations and practices.
 
Tina graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and earned the dual degree Master of Business Administration/Master of Science in Leadership (MBA/MSL) from Pfeiffer University in North Carolina.

Paul R. Koepff is a senior equity partner at Clyde & Co.  He has handled insurance coverage and reinsurance disputes for over 30 years and has been counsel of record in some of the most significant and far-reaching insurance coverage and reinsurance disputes.He has served as lead counsel in numerous appellate decisions, including ones rejecting joint and several liability and adopting allocation; adopting a broad and fair reading of pollution exclusions; the proper interpretation of various kinds of liability policies (general liability, professional liability etc), and other significant coverage issues.Paul is a contributing author to the multi-volume Matthew Bender treatise on New York Insurance Law, the multi-volume treatise Appleman’s Insurance Law, the multi-volume treatise "Law and Practice of Insurance Coverage Litigation" and recently published book entitled "Inside the Minds: The Insurance Business."He is recognized by major publications, including Chambers USA and Legal 500 USA, as one of the nation's leading insurance lawyers. Commentators in the latest edition of Chambers USA applaud his "superior industry knowledge" and his skill in litigation and arbitration. In the Legal 500 USA guide, Paul's clients describe him as ‘a great team player; an excellent lawyer who provides a supremely good service’.

Bob McDade is the Vice President of Litigation Management CNA where he is responsible for all litigation programs and processes on behalf of CNA and its customers. Prior to joining CNA in 2022, Bob was at QBE, Zurich North America and prior to that he was in private practice for nearly two decades where he tried several cases focusing primarily on commercial litigation and coverage bad faith matters.Throughout his career, Bob has created and presented seminars to claims personnel, underwriters, third party administrators and insureds. He received his bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from LaSalle University and his juris doctorate from Duquesne University School of Law.

Jennifer Berard is a Director of Claims at CNA.  Her 15 year background in professional liability includes private practice as well as primary and excess/reinsurance claims in multiple lines of business including medical malpractice and lawyers malpractice.

After graduating from law school in 1996, Jennifer began her career in the medical malpractice defense group at a Kansas City firm, Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin.  Several years later she moved in-house at the General Counsel's office of a Kansas City hospital, Truman Medical Center, doing both claims and litigation as well as administration of its self insurance trust.  Jennifer thereafter accepted a position at GE-ERC (now Swiss Re) managing excess and reinsurance hospital claims, and she eventually moved within that company to the lawyers malpractice group.  She recently accepted a position as a Director in CNA's Strategic Claims Unit, which services several professional lines of business including lawyer's malpractice, accountants, real estate agents and design professionals.

Jennifer is a member of the Kansas and Missouri Bar associations and maintains a license in both states.  She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska and her law degree from Washburn University School of Law.  Additionally, she has obtained her CPCU designation and is the Educational Chair of the Kansas City Chapter of the CPCU Society.

Ms. Graham graduated with a Bachelor of Business degree in Marketing from Western Illinois University. She is currently employed at Copic as a Claims Consultant in the Claims Department handling high risk exposure medical malpractice, general liability and excess claims.  She was formerly employed at Curi, Coverys, NORCAL Group and a variety of other Professional Liability Insurance Providers. She has presented at seminars, both locally and nationally, on a variety of claim and risk management topics.  She has handled professional and general liability claims during her career for physicians, allied health providers, hospitals and long term care facilities.  

Ryan Bolick is a partner in both the firm’s Employment/Public Entity Practice Group and the Professional Malpractice Defense Group in the Charlotte office.

Serving as lead counsel, Ryan has litigated numerous cases to favorable jury verdicts in Western North Carolina. His experience includes the defense of North Carolina public entities and public officials against a myriad of claims ranging from constitutional challenges of ordinances to claims for wrongful termination and other statutory and common law torts.

Ryan defends employers in federal and state litigation against claims of wrongful termination, retaliation, and alleged violations of Title VII, ADA, ADEA and REDA.  He also has been successful in obtaining favorable results for clients in administrative hearings before the Equal Employment Security Commission and the Department of Labor.  In addition, Ryan has substantial experience before the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Ryan also defends attorneys, real estate professionals, and dentists against claims of professional negligence.

Tom Anderson currently serves as senior counsel for CSX Corporation in the Corporate & Transportation section of the Law Department.  Mr. Anderson’s areas of responsibility include asset transactions, public and private debt offerings, information technology, legal spending management and corporate governance matters.  He joined the Law Department of CSX Transportation in January 2005.  Before joining CSX, Mr. Anderson was an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Arnold & Porter LLP, working primarily in the environmental practice group.  Mr. Anderson received a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D, magna cum laude, from Washington & Lee University School of Law in Lexington, VA.  Mr. Anderson is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia and is an authorized house counsel in Florida.

St. Joseph's College (B.A., 1984); Hofstra University School of Law (J.D., 1987). Medaille Scholarship

Member, Staff Writer, 1985-1986 and Associate Editor, 1986-1987, Hofstra Law Review. Member: New York City New York State and American Bar Associations. Member on Committees on Litigation, Tort and Insurance Practice and Real Property, Probate and Trust Law. Member of the Defense Research Institute.  Member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance since its inception.

Admitted to bar, 1988, New York and United States District Court, Southern, Eastern, Northern and Western Districts of New York.

John Sparling is a senior equity partner of the law firm London Fischer LLP for over 15 years. He has been handling complex litigation in the insurance, construction, products liability and mass tort litigation fields for over 20 years.

Mr. Sparling's practice includes the representation of construction contractors, general contractors and owners in all aspects of construction litigation including, personal injury, property damage, construction defect, and delay claims as well as the drafting of construction contracts and insurance policies and endorsements. Some of the more recent construction projects for which John has defended include the new Yankee Stadium, the recent renovations of Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden and the Hearst Tower in New York. Mr. Sparling is also involved in the defense of and is on the Defense Steering Committee of the mass-tort litigation arising out of the World Trade Center 9/11 Disaster and the cleanup litigation involving over 10,000 lawsuits.

In addition, Mr. Sparling's practice involves insurance coverage and declaratory judgment actions. Litigation of large catastrophic fires, floods, construction and building claims. Some of the representative products for which John has defended include all aspects of industrial and construction equipment as well as the representation of tractor and agricultural product manufacturers and manufacturers of power press equipment on a national and local basis; manufacturers of, among other things, automobiles, motors, heating and ventilating equipment, aluminum bus bars, chairs and stools, tampons, excavation, construction and industrial machinery, boats and boating equipment, knitting machines, kerosene heaters, traffic signals, street lights, flue gas desulfurization units, forklifts, snowmobiles and snow throwing equipment, printing presses, fire extinguishers, fabric and sleep wear, golf carts, chainsaws, medical devices, and a myriad of consumer products; defense of toxic tort claims including manufacturers of asbestos, silicone and latex products and chemicals. John handles trials and appeals in all courts.

John is a member of the New York State, New York City and American Bar Associations (Member, Committees on Litigation, Tort and Insurance Practice and Real Property, Probate and Trust Law). He is a member of the Defense Research Institute and enjoys sitting on a number of Claims and Litigation Management Alliance committees.  

Jeff Vanderpool is Executive Vice President for the Cypress Insurance Group. He possesses extensive claims operational and managerial experience in both personal and commercial lines.  In his current role, not only does Jeff oversee the entire claims operation for Cypress, but also is responsible for ensuring quality and timely service through our affiliated general contracting company, Allied Restoration & Construction, Inc.
Prior to joining Cypress, Jeff held claims vice president level positions at People's Trust, Sunshine State Insurance Company as well as American Surety & Casualty Company and its related affiliates.  In addition, Jeff held various claims and regulatory management positions at Hanover Insurance Company, Dependable Insurance Group and GAB. 
He served on the Property and Liability Advisory Board for PLRB from 2011-2014 and the Advisory Board for Enservio, a firm specializing in contents software and solutions for carriers from 2008-2014.  Jeff is also a member of the Claims and Litigation Management (CLM) Alliance and has served on several working committees involving emerging issues in litigation management.  Jeff has served as a presenter for multiple industry sponsored educational events and has co-authored several claims and litigation management related articles.  He is also an active participant and advocate for needed industry change and legal reform.  Jeff received a B.S. in Business Administration from Central Michigan University and has also earned the industry designations of CPCU, ARM and AIC.

Renée Ramirez is an experienced Claims Professional with more than 22 years in the insurance industry in the Casualty and Premises areas. She has handled claims and litigation involving catastrophic accidents, personal injury, construction defect, trucking, explosive, and propane matters. Currently Renée is a Liability Claims Manager with Darling Ingredients, Inc. Previously she was a Sr. Claims Analyst with American Airlines, a Sr. Claims Specialist with J.C. Penney Corporation, and a Claims Representative with Nobel Insurance Company.
Renée was born and raised in Texas and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Texas at Dallas. She is has served as President on the Board of Directors of the NRRDA organization, and is an active Fellow of CLM. Ms. Ramirez is pursuing her passion of the law and is currently working towards her law degree. She also volunteers as an advocate with her local CASA organization and attends many football games of her beloved Dallas Cowboy team.

Mr. Radcliffe joined DeHay & Elliston, L.L.P. as a partner in the Baltimore office in 2002. Previously, he was a partner with Church & Houff, P.A., and an associate with Tydings and Rosenberg in Baltimore.Mr. Radcliffe has been a member of the Bar of the State of Maryland since 1986. Mr. Radcliffe concentrates his practice of law in mass tort litigation and insurance defense. He has trial experience in many of the Circuit Courts of Maryland as well as in states other than Maryland.  He has tried or participated in the trial of cases in California, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. Mr. Radcliffe maintains a trial case load on a national level and actively supervises attorneys in jurisdictions throughout the country.Mr. Radcliffe is AV rated by Martindale Hubbel. 

 Stephen Packard is a Director in Deloitte Consulting’sInsurance Strategy & Operations practice, based in Hartford, Connecticut.  He has more than 25 years of experience assisting insurance companies deal with some of their most complex business and legal  issues, including:  claims and litigation management; staff counsel operations; business strategy formulation and execution; competitive benchmarking; and claims and underwriting performance improvement..  Stephen is the leader of Deloitte’s Insurance Claims Litigation Management Practice.  

Stephen is an experienced trial attorney and a current member of the Bar of the States of New York and Connecticut.  Prior to joining Deloitte, Stephen served in a variety of senior executive positions at Aetna, Travelers, and The Hartford Insurance Group. He was formerly a partner in Accenture’s global insurance strategy consulting practice.

Stephen has written and spoken on numerous insurance topics at various U.S. and international industry forums.   He is a fellowin the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance and a Research Committee Member of the International Insurance Society.

Current Positions:

Previous Positions: Past Chair, ACC Council of Committees; International Legal Affairs Committee, and Law Department Management Committee; BOD Selection Committee

 Education:

B.A. Augustana College, Rock Island, IL

J.D. Northwestern University Law School, Chicago, IL

Colorado Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, CO

Mr. John V. Petrycki, Jr. is a graduate of Gettysburg College where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with honors in 1991. He graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law with his Juris Doctorate in 1994. Mr. Petrycki is admitted to practice in the State of New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Petrycki is a member of Mayfield, Turner, O'Mara, & Donnelly, where he has practiced since 2002.  Prior to joining his current firm, he was an associate for eight years with the law firm of Fitzpatrick, Reilly, Supple & Gaul in New Providence, New Jersey.  His current practice is focused on the defense of litigated matters for self-insured clients and insurance carriers in both state and federal courts in cases involving premises liability, construction site accidents, property damage, employment, toxic torts, general negligence, and appellate practice.  He has also served as a arbitrator for Uninsured/Underinsured claims.

Mr. Petrycki is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and the Camden County Bar Association. He was a member of the Supreme Court of New Jersey District IV Ethics Committee from 2008-2011 as well as Barrister in the Worrell F. Mountain Inns of Court in 2001-2002. He has also presented various seminars to clients on insurance coverage issues, contractual indemnity claims, verbal threshold issues for commercial clients, and other motor vehicle related topics.

Patrick Dowd is a senior partner at Dowd and Dowd, a mid-sized defense firm founded in 1950, specializing in civil defense litigation.  The firm has satellite offices in Indiana and Wisconsin.  Mr. Dowd specializes in catastrophic loss.  He has 25 years experience handling cases in State and Federal courts throughout the United States.  He has been ranked by Crain’s Chicago Business and Chicago Lawyer as one of the top civil defense lawyers in the State of Illinois. He has also been elected to Illinois Super Lawyers and Leading Lawyer’s (Top 2 percent of all Illinois attorneys).

Since becoming a member of the Georgia Bar after graduating from law school at the University of Georgia in 1986, Mr. Davis has focused his practice on the areas of professional/medical malpractice, automobile and transportation liability as well as insurance coverage/bad faith issues.  He has been lead counsel in well over 125 jury trials in the above scope of practice.  Over the years, Mr. Davis has specifically been involved in malpractice trials covering multiple medical specialties, including obstetric, pediatric/neonatology, internal medicine, cardiology, neurology, all areas of surgical practice, anesthesia and hospital/nursing liability.  In addition to having joined CLM in its inaugural year, Mr. Davis is a member of several other defense organizations, including Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, DRI and the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association.

Rich Lenkov brings a killer instinct and unparalleled focus to representing his clients. He partners closely with his clients, ranging from Fortune 50 Corporations to small businesses, to achieve successful litigation outcomes.

 Mike received both his MBA and Juris Doctorate degrees from Tulane University in 1984. Mike originally started working with Larry Duplass and Gary Zwain as a law clerk and a court runner while still in school back in the early 80s, and became an associate with the firm in 1984. Developing a general civil practice focused primarily in the insurance defense litigation field, Mike has considerable trial and appellate experience in both the federal and state courts of Louisiana. Mike also serves on the Duplass Executive Committee, which handles the day-to-day operations of the law firm. Mike and his wife, Carol, have two daughters, Rachel and Emily, and a son, Austin.

Areas of Practice:  Insurance Defense Litigation, Construction Litigation, Sexual Abuse, Extra-contractual and Bad Faith Litigation, Medical Malpractice, Auto and Premises Liability, Environmental and Asbestos Litigation and Insurance Coverage Disputes.

Professional Affiliations:  A member of the New Orleans, Jefferson, and Louisiana Bar Associations, Mike practices before all Louisiana State Courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Robert Wilson is an attorney with CSC's Financial Services Group and primarily practices in intellectual property, information technology, software licensing, and trade secret protection. Mr. Wilson joined CSC in 2010 and is a member of the American Bar Association, South Carolina Bar, and the American Association of Corporate Counsel.

Mr. Wilson received his BA in History and English from Clemson University in May 2003 and his JD from the University of South Carolina School of Law and MBA from the Moore School of Business. He also studied at the Groupe ESC Clermont School of Management in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Before joining CSC, Mr. Wilson worked at large- and medium-sized firms in Florida and South Carolina and was a legal intern for the United States Department of Commerce at the US Mission to the European Union in Brussels. He has lived in the Czech Republic, France, and Belgium.

Ms. Kershaw is the President, General Counsel and co-founder of the E-Discovery Institute (www.ediscoveryinstitute.org), a not-for-profit corporation conducting studies of electronic discovery processes and dedicated to resolving discovery challenges facing the legal community. 

Ms. Kershaw has been involved with high tech litigation management since 1993, taking management roles on national coordinating and trial counsel teams defending volume, multi-state, product liability claims. Ms. Kershaw has an AV+ rating in Martindale Hubbell and consults in complex and individual cases on electronic data discovery strategy and issues and has served as an expert for FRCP 30(b)(6) technology and corporate policy depositions. Ms. Kershaw also maintains ongoing involvement in federal and state civil rules reform to address electronic discovery issues and litigation fairness issues, providing litigation survey data and testimony before the Federal Civil Rules Advisory Committee.  In addition, Ms. Kershaw is a Faculty Member of Columbia University's Executive Master of Science in Technology Management Program, teaches at the Georgetown University E-Discovery Academy and is an Advisory Board Member of the Georgetown University Law Center's Advanced E-Discovery Institute.  She is a frequent lecturer and in March 2007, she joined Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Harvard Law Professor Arthur Miller at Georgetown’s Thought Leadership Summit. She is also one of the principal drafters of Navigating the Vendor Proposal Process: Best Practices for the Selection of Electronic Discovery Vendors and a contributing editor of The Sedona Conference Glossary For E-Discovery and Digital Information Management (May 2005 Version), both publications of the Sedona Conference® Working Group on Best Practices for Electronic Document Retention and Production RFP+ Group (www.thesedonaconference.org).

Ms. Kershaw is a 1987 graduate, cum laude, of New York Law School and a 1982 graduate of Bard College.  She is admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Third, and Ninth Circuits, United States Supreme Court, and all New York State Courts.

Suzanne M. Ganier has spent the bulk of her twenty-one year career working with, and for, insurance companies.  She has personally handled hundreds of cases in various insurance areas.  She has tried multiple cases to verdict, and arbitrated over 100 additional cases.

Suzanne began her career in Chicago, where she spent ten years trying insurance cases both in private practice and as part of the legal department of two major insurance companies, as well as the Chicago Transit Authority.  In 2005, she moved to Arizona, working private practice and as part of the legal department of a major insurance company, with a focus on all types of insurance matters.

In 2008, Suzanne transitioned into litigation management becoming the Director of Litigation for Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Suzanne managed thousands of litigated claims arising out of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Gustav, and non-catastrophe litigated claims and class actions.  Through this experience, Suzanne became an expert in bad faith law, good faith claim handling, and litigation management. Her responsibilities included, drafting & implementing Billing Guidelines & Litigation Procedures, implementing a legal invoice review program.  The program returned a ROI of 9% at her departure, including savings associated with flat fees.

In 2011, Suzanne became Corporate Counsel for a large, super-regional insurance carrier in Jacksonville, Florida.  In this position, Suzanne was responsible for various legal, regulatory, compliance, M&A, and corporate governance matters as well as reviewing the invoices of all firms assigned to these matters.   

In February 2013, Suzanne founded ALEXI Professional Services, Inc., offering her expertise in legal invoice auditing, insurance coverage, bad faith, claim and litigation management.

In August 2014, Suzanne joined Elevate Services, Inc. where she directs Elevate’s legal invoice review business.  Elevate’s Legal Bill Review department practice focuses on designing, implementing and overall management of legal bill review for diverse clients.  

Marc is a dedicated Insurance Professional, with over 10 years of industry experience. Marc currently works at SCOR Reinsurance handling Commercial Property risks with a focus on the Energy industry. Marc was formerly a Senior Vice President for Property Insurance Claims at Swiss Re America Corp. He possesses a unique combination of (Re) insurance knowledge in both Domestic and International markets, as well as a strong understanding of business fundamentals. He has experience handling claims in multiple product lines such as: Property, Casualty, Directors & Officers, and Professional Liability Errors & Omissions. Marc received his J.D. from Pace University and his B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Manhattanville College.

Mamoon Alyah , P.E., is an engineering expert with years of experience in litigation of matters involving equipment failures and accidents in commercial and industrial properties.

Kenneth Robinson is the Technical Manager for the Forensic Engineering Division of LWG Consulting. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and provides his expertise to the insurance and legal professions on matters involving all types of electrical and high-technology equipment.  He has provided his services as an expert to almost every major commercial property and liability insurance carrier.  

Ken is an approved continuing education instructor, and has given numerous seminars on topics such as lightning damage, contamination exposure, equipment failure analysis, and fire origin and cause investigation. He has been involved with countless claims concerning all types of perils, and when required, has provided court testimony as an expert witness.

Ken holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University and has over 40 years of professional experience. He is a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator, and a Licensed Private Investigator.

C.  J.  Childers was born in Virginia and raised in the resort town of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.  After graduating from Greenbrier East High School in Fairlea, West Virginia, he attended Bridgewater College where he obtained a degree in business administration.  He then obtained his J. D. from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1999 and has been licensed in North Carolina since that time.  In 2000, he was admitted to practice in South Carolina.

Mr. Childers began practicing in Charlotte, North Carolina with a regional defense firm that focused primarily on general liability, workers' compensation and medical malpractice litigation.  Following just over six years of private practice across North and South Carolina, Mr. Childers began with Family Dollar Stores, Inc. in 2006 as Litigation Counsel in charge of the company's general liability litigation.  In 2008, he stepped into the role of Senior Litigation Counsel and took on the additional responsibilities of managing the company's commercial and real estate litigation.

Mr. Childers resides in Matthews, North Carolina with his son.

Tom is a lawyer, admitted to practice in Minnesota in 1979, and in Illinois in 1997.  He was a civil litigator with experience at both the trial and appellate levels.  He represented both plaintiffs and defendants.  He has mediated countless cases as a party representative or as the neutral, and has served as an arbitrator in personal injury actions as well.  He left private practice in 1995 to join General Growth Properties, Inc., where he served as the Vice President for Risk Management until 2002.  Tom is currently the Senior Vice President for Risk Management and Human Resources at Federal Building Services, Inc. 

Mike Sharp represents companies and individuals in high exposure disputes in federal and state courts throughout Texas.

Mr. Sharp has been trial counsel for clients in a broad range of matters from transportation, construction liability and defects and labor/employment to premises liability and property management. Mr. Sharp regularly serves as lead trial counsel for national companies and individuals facing high-risk, multi-million dollar liability and catastrophic tort actions, including actions in some of the most dangerous, high verdict jurisdictions in the country. Mr. Sharp acts as state and regional counsel for several motor carrier, retailer and property management clients.

Mr. Sharp has developed a particular ability in quickly and accurately evaluating lawsuits and other risks for clients. He concentrates on implementing creative and aggressive strategies to change the dynamics of a case, even in its late stages, and to obtain the best possible result in settlement or trial. Mr. Sharp's diverse trial experience provides a solid foundation for him to counsel clients on the resolution of disputes through alternative dispute mechanisms such as mediation, arbitration, summary jury trials and jury trials.

Mr. Sharp has been recognized by his peers as a "Super Lawyer" in Texas (representing the top 5% of Texas Lawyers).

Accomplishments Texas Super Lawyer USLAW - Primary Contact Paul M. Hebert Law Center Moot Court Board Third Circuit Court of Appeals Briefing Attorney

Practice Areas: Transportation and Cargo Litigation Employment Disputes Commercial and Business Litigation Construction Liability and Defects Premises Liability (Property Management and Retailer)

Representative Matters and Significant Cases: McKee v. Roehl Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., et al, Walker County, Texas. Multi-commercial vehicle, burn fatality case tried to jury over two week period.

Hill v. Portillo Trucking, Collin County, Texas. Transportation, closed head injury case involving total impairment. Resolved through summary jury trial.

Cameron County v. Landmark Construction., Costal Engineering, Inc., et al., Cameron County, Texas. Construction defect case involving municipality seeking over $20,000,000 in damages.

Sorensen v. FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Services, Inc., Bexar County, Texas. Wrongful termination case brought in conjunction with ERISA.

White v. Docudata Solutions, Inc., Dallas County, Texas. Wrongful termination case brought in conjunction with FMLA.

Johnson v. Journeyman Construction, L.P., Travis County, Texas. Wrongful death case arising out of impalement injury at multi-employer worksite.

ASG Aviation Services Group, Inc. v. Landstar Express Collin County, Texas. Commercial litigation arising out of a dispute regarding the brokerage of aviation services for the FAA.

Bennett v. Averitt Express Dallas County, Texas. Slander case and employment dispute.

Professional Affiliations: Dallas Bar Association Defense Research Institute Texas Association of Defense Counsel American Trucking Association (ATA) Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA) USLAW Network Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)

Education: Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University, J.D. 1991 Louisiana State University, B.S. 1988 (Finance)

Bar Admissions: Texas Louisiana

Court Admissions: U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of Texas U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

Authored Articles and Seminars: "Liability for the Criminal Acts of Others" - National Restaurant Association, Risk & Safety Managers Executive Study Group "Construction Trends Across the Nation" - USLAW Network Client Conference "Evaluating Construction Contracts - Tenders of Defense and Indemnity" - FSSV Client Conference; Zurich North American Conference of Construction Professionals "Handling Trucking Litigation in Texas" - FSSV Client Conference - Swift Transportation Co., Inc. "Preparing & Presenting The Corporate Representative" - ATA Litigation Forum for Motor Carrier General Counsels

EDUCATION Southwestern University (B.S., 1973) South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1980)

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY- Briefing Attorney, Hon. Robert M. Campbell, Justice, Texas Supreme Court, 1981-1982 / Attorney with Flahive, Ogden & Latson, 1982 to date. Managing Shareholder since January 1, 2008.

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS AND LECTURES

 - Contributing Editor, The Texas Workers’ Compensation Manual, annually 1982 to date, Covington Press

- Controlling the Cost and Quality of Medical Care, ADVANCED WORKERS’ COMPENSATION SEMINAR,  2005

- Preauthorization—Defining the Borders of Utilization and Medical Necessity, ADVANCE WORKER’S COMPENSATION,  2006

- Waiver Issues—Life, Death and Rebirth Under Statutory Waiver, ADVANCED WORKERS’ COMPENSATION SEMINAR,  2008

- Bad Faith Case and Issues Update, ADVANCED WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

 - The “Stop Loss Exception” Case Study, ADVANCE  ADMINISTRATIVE LAW 

- Using Treatment Guidelines and Predictive Outcomes to Evaluate Medical Services, CLM, ANNUAL CONFERENCE

- Fundamentals of Litigation Management, CLM, REGIONAL SERIES, 2011

- How to Examine a Doctor Using Evidence-Based Medicine, NATIONAL WORKERS’ COMPENSATION REVIEW, 

- Travel, Transportation and Access to the Workplace, WORKERS’ COMPENSATION EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE, 

- Legislative, Legal & Administrative Changes and Challenges in Workers’ Compensation, PRIMA CONFERENCE, 2011

- Evidence-Based Medicine:  Controlling the Cost & Quality of Medical Care, CLM, Annual Conference, 

- The Ethical Minefield Unique to the Workers’ Compensation Tri-Partite Relationship, 

- Case Analysis by Experts, 

- Using Evidence-based Medicine and Predictive Outcomes 

 CERTIFICATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS - * Board Certified: Civil Appellate Law,  Personal Injury Trial Law and Workers’ Compensation Law--TEXAS BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION * MARTINDALE-HUBBELL AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated * SUPERLAWYER® by TEXAS MONTHLY, 2003 * Member: CLM; DRI Workers' Compensation Committee; Workers' Compensation Defense Institute; The Faith Based Claims Association * Certified Litigation Management Professional, CLM Litigation Management Institute * Fellow, The College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers * Founding Member, Workers' Compensation Defense Institute * Past President, The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas

Jason A. Fogg is Executive Vice President of Wisconsin Reinsurance Corporation located in Madison, Wisconsin.  In his current role, Jason oversees corporate governance initiatives, enterprise risk management, information technology, marketing and corporate communications.  Prior to joining The WRC Group, Jason was CEO of Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company outside of Orlando.  Jason previously served as Vice President, Claims & Regulatory Compliance at Monitor Liability Managers, a member company of W.R. Berkley Corporation, where he was responsible for managing claims under Monitor’s various professional liability policies, including Employment Practices Liability, Management Liability, D&O, Nonprofit Management Liability, Accountants and Lawyers Professional Liability. Jason also had responsibility for the company’s Compliance department.

Jason studied law at DePaul University College of Law and graduated magna cum laude from Rosary College, where he was honored as the Distinguished Senior in Political Science. After law school, Jason began his legal career as a litigator before moving to a corporate position. 

An avid, yet tragically flawed, golfer, Jason lives outside of Madison with his two children and incredibly tolerant wife. When he’s not golfing, Jason spends his time thinking about insurance.

Paula R. Watson is presently Vice President and Senior Counsel for TD Bank, N.A. in South Portland, Maine and manages significant litigation for the Bank and its subsidiaries with a concentration in the New England region.  TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 15 largest commercial banks in the United States with $160 billion in assets, and provides customers with a full range of financial products and services at more than 1,100 locations from Maine to Florida.

Attorney Watson was a partner at the law firm of Thompson, Bull, Furey, Bass and  MacColl as a commercial litigator primarily for financial institutions for a decade.  She graduated cum laude from Vermont Law School and holds a Masters degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College.  She served over twenty-three years in the United State's Army Judge Advocate General's Corps and retired as a decorated Colonel.  She is a Fellow in the Maine Bar Foundation and a member of the American Bar Association, New England Corporate Counsel Association, Inc., Maine Bar Association and Vermont Bar Association.

Ben Mathis is the Managing Partner of Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP and also is the partner in charge of the Labor and Employment Law section. His employment law and directors and officers representation is national in scope and he has been lead counsel in cases in over 45 states.

Mr. Mathis has been named a Georgia "Super Lawyer" by Atlanta Magazine, a Georgia "Legal Elite" by Georgia Trend Magazine, a Leading Labor and Employment Lawyer by Chambers USA, and a “Star Litigator” by Benchmark Litigation.

Nominated by the Speaker of the United States House Of Representatives and was selected as a defense representative to the EEOC's first Rulemaking Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C. He also serves as Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia.

His wide ranging experience includes federal and state jury and bench trials, injunctive hearings, representation hearings, and appeals before a number of the federal courts of appeals (2d, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th circuits), as well as the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court.

Mr. Mathis has served in a variety of leadership positions in legal, business and civic groups. He has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, and has received the Outstanding Alumnus Volunteer Award. He has served as Chair of the Employment Law Committee of the Defense Research Institute and received the Committee's Dedicated Service Award. Mr. Mathis also serves as Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee of the Atlanta Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and has served as Vice-chair of the Civil Rights Committee of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. 

Edward Solensky Jr. is a Partner in Freeman Mathis & Gary’s Newark office. Mr. Solensky focuses his litigation practice in the areas of premises liability, transportation defense, and insurance and coverage matters in state and federal court. His clients include self-insured retailers and supermarkets, national trucking companies and primary and excess insurers. Before entering private practice, he served as corporate counsel for Burns International Security Services, where he directed the company’s self-insured litigation program. Mr. Solensky’s involvement at Burns affords him a unique perspective in defending cases of inadequate security. He is also experienced in all phases of alternative dispute resolution.

On January 11, 2007, Carl was elected as President of the Columbus Claims Association. Carl has been a long time participant and member and has served in other office capacities with the Association. The Columbus Claims Association was established in 1929, and consists of more than 300 members throughout central Ohio. The purpose of the organization is to cultivate good fellowship, to exchange information concerning matters of interest to the membership, to vigorously combat fraudulent claims, to promote the highest ethical practice in claims work, and to promote professionalism among the members. 

Significant experience handling a variety of civil litigation, including torts, product liability, business and other litigation, including first chair trial experience and appellate work.

Experience with property and construction claims, particularly mold claims. Served on a team as national counsel for a manufacturer of Ephedra products in consumer class action lawsuits brought throughout the country. 

Gregory McKenna currently serves as Counsel to Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc. ("GB"), a subsidiary of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., in Itasca, Illinois.  GB is a leading Third Party Claims Administrator serving customers in the administration of worker's compensation, property and casualty lines of insurance coverage in the US and around the world.  Mr. McKenna manages claims and litigation involving GB directly.

Prior to joining GB in October 2008, Mr. McKenna was a civil litigator with the firm of Cremer, Kopon, Shaughnessy & Spina, LLP in Chicago.  Mr. McKenna holds a law degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, a Master's of Science degree from Georgetown University, and he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame.

Mr. McKenna currently represents GB in the American Association of Independent Claims Professionals ("AAICP") and is a member of the Medicare Advocacy Recovery Coalition ("MARC") and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel ("FDCC").  With his wife and three children, Mr. McKenna lives in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago.

Stuart Mauney is a partner with the Gallivan White & Boyd law firm in Greenville, SC.  He is chair of the firm's Tort & Personal Injury/Property Damage Team in which he manages a staff of lawyers and legal assistants who provide legal and risk management  services to insurers, self insureds, and third party administrators.

Stuart devotes his practice to the defense of serious personal injury and wrongful death cases, including claims arising out of the trucking and healthcare industries.  In particular, Stuart is a member of the firm's Professional Negligence Team in which he serves as trial counsel for nursing homes and assisted living facilities. He is also a member of the GWB Trucking Team and provides emergency response services for catastrophic accidents.

Stuart is also a Certified Mediator and provides mediation and other ADR services, working with parties and their counsel as an alternative to litigation and trial.

In his role as Senior Executive Counsel, Mr. Hill has presided over GE’s successful strategies in a number of the Company’s most complex litigations in the areas of toxic tort, the environment and insurance. He was played a leading role in designing GE’s strategy in the Breast Implant Litigation, a precedent-setting win in the U.S. Supreme Court (Joiner v. GE), and one of the largest environmental insurance recoveries on record. He has managed GE’s toxic tort/mass tort litigations including, In re Paoli; Church, et al. v. GE; the Lockheed Skunkworks litigation, its asbestos and welding rod litigations, Newman v. Stringfellow, et al., and the Nuclear Waste litigation at Hanford, WA and Paducah, KY.

Most recently he was involved in the Companies defense of medical monitoring claims brought by German military personnel, dismissed on motion; and NRD claims brought by the State of New Mexico which where the Company was granted summary judgment after a pretrial process that lasted several weeks. He has represented the Company in litigation in the United States, Canada, throughout the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Taiwan Mr. Hill he is involved in proactive legislative reform, internal Health and Safety policy, and provides counsel to GE regarding general environmental liability and risk issues.

Mr. Hill is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, American Bar Association, International Association of Defense Counsel, Defense and Research Institute, the Product Liability Advisory Counsel, as well as a member of several State and National committees.

He is on the Steering Committee of the Civil Justice Reform Group, a public policy group supporting common sense tort reform at the state level. He serves on the Board of Lawyers for Civil Justice.

He served as Co-chair of the ABA committee on Litigation Management, and was Editor of the ABA report on Litigation Management: "Radical Solutions to Litigation Management". He is on the Advisory Board of the Class Action Litigation Report and a committee member of the CPR Institute for Conflict Resolution. He was on the Advisory Board for the RAND Institute’s Monogram on the impact of Daubert in the Federal Court System and the Federal Judicial Centers Desk-book on Expert Evidence. He is a frequent lecturer on litigation management, trial strategies, and product liability law.

He is a graduate of the Michigan State University Law School, (J.D., cum laude, 1983) and Wayne StateUniversity (B.S., 1979). 

Thomas F. Segalla, a founding partner of Goldberg Segalla, is a nationally recognized authority on bad faith, reinsurance, and insurance, and an ARIAS-U.S. certified arbitrator and mediator. Retained as counsel and as a consultant by numerous major insurance carriers and policyholders in more than 40 jurisdictions nationally and internationally, he has also served as an expert witness in more than 100 bad faith, coverage, and extracontractual cases across the country.
 
Tom is the co-author of the renowned insurance law treatise Couch on Insurance 3d and editor of the Reinsurance Professional’s Deskbook, published by Thomson Reuters and the Defense Research Institute (DRI). He currently serves on DRI’s Publications Board and Barrister Task Force and has previously served as chair of DRI’s Insurance Law Committee, chair of its Law Institute, and a member of its Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, and immediate-past president of the American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel. An AV Preeminent-rated attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and other publications and organizations for his superior skills and accomplishments across numerous areas of the law, Tom is also the recipient of DRI’s Louis B. Potter Lifetime Professional Service Award, Best Lawyers in America’s Buffalo Insurance Law “Lawyer of the Year” Award, the Defense Association of New York’s (DANY) James S. Conway Award for Outstanding Service to the Defense Community, and the State University of New York at Buffalo Law Alumni Association’s “Distinguished Alumni Award for Private Practice.”

Michael S. Saltzman is a partner at Goldberg Segalla LLP and is resident in the firm’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania office. He concentrates his practice in insurance coverage and defense, commercial litigation, construction, contracts, surety, trucking and products liability. He has appeared before trial and appellate courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in addition to federal courts in both states.

Mr. Saltzman is a member of both Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey. Mr. Saltzman is a member of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations. He serves on the ABA's Surety and Fidelity Committee along with the Defense Research Institute's Surety and Fidelity Committee. He is also a member of the Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel, Pennsylvania Defense Institute and the Defense Research Institute. He is a fellow at the Temple University Academy of Advocacy. Mr. Saltzman is also a member of the Louis D. Brandeis Law Society and the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.

Mr. Saltzman frequently serves as Judge Pro Tempore, Settlement Master and Arbitrator for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. He is a frequent lecturer at the Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Company's annual claims seminar on issues of bad faith litigation and is a frequent speaker at seminars dealing with litigation of insurance-related issues.

Mr. Saltzman received a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University, an M.A. from Villanova University and a J.D. from Rutgers University-Camden.

David draws upon more than two decades of representing the insurance industry to advise and counsel carriers on complex first- and third-party insurance coverage matters. During his career, he has successfully represented insurers in construction defect, intellectual property, environmental, auto policy and property matters. David also defends cases dealing with underwriting issues and allegations of bad faith.

He has tried complex coverage and liability matters to verdict in multiple jurisdictions in cases involving construction defect claims and product liability disputes. His trial experience extends to significant property subrogation matters as well as insurance agency/broker disputes. He has also achieved victories for insurers in cases involving questions of first impression in state and federal courts throughout the Southeast at both the trial court level and on appeal.

Jeff Albinson has practiced law since 1985.  His practice is focused on professional liability law with an emphasis on issues facing lawyers and law firms.  Jeff also defends claims brought against the Directors & Officers of non-profit organizations.

 His law practice has always been focused on litigation.  Following graduation from Stetson College of Law, Jeff served as an Assistant State Attorney in the 6th Judicial Circuit of Florida.  He served as a lead trial attorney over a misdemeanor division and also handled serious felony cases, including trials involving murder, arson, white collar crime and child abuse.

After nearly five years of service as an Assistant State Attorney, Mr. Albinson was recruited by former US Attorney Robert Merkle to enter the private practice of law.  Once into private practice, Jeff utilized his extensive trial experience to handle complex commercial litigation including civil conspiracy actions and may other types of large dollar commercial disputes and he began to develop a professional liability defense practice coupled with the defense of clients before The Florida Bar and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.  Jeff’s trial experience includes handling such complex matters as first degree murder, professional liability, personal injury, commercial contract and non-contract disputes and state tax cases.  In addition to his trial practice, Mr. Albinson has utilized his knowledge of litigation based issues to also develop a consultative practice focused on managing and controlling the risk inherent in professional practices and other commercial enterprises.

 During his professional career, Jeff has also served as general counsel to a large professional liability insurance brokerage and President of a statewide professional liability insurance agency.  This experience allowed Jeff to develop a strong understanding of the underwriting, marketing and administrative side of professional liability insurance.

 In sum, Mr. Albinson’s practice focuses on professional liability defense, risk and practice management for professionals (including the formation, merger and dissolution of firms), general commercial litigation, and all aspects of litigation regarding the commercial nature of professional practice.  The firm also defends grievance cases before The Florida Bar and Bar applicants before the Board of Bar Examiners and represents licensed professionals before the DBPR and all licensing bodies.

William L. (Bill) Wood, Esq. is Vice President and House Counsel/Risk Manager for the Graycor Family of Companies based out of Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.  In this role, Bill serves in an executive role responsible for the day-to-day management of all legal matters for the three Graycor operating companies that are leading providers of construction, maintenance and facilities services throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.  Bill also manages Graycor’s risk management department and insurance program. 
 
Prior to coming to Graycor, Bill worked for ten years as in-house corporate counsel for three of the largest construction companies in the country (Austin Industries, Inc., Baker Concrete Construction, Inc. and Turner Construction Company).  Bill was responsible to oversee and execute all legal duties and project support to mitigate risk and legal exposure to the company on various issues relating to ongoing business operations and projects.  In his past roles, Bill was intimately involved with all facets of the company’s operations, by providing legal guidance and assistance on contractual matters, labor issues, dispute resolution, claims and risk management, as well as corporate training.
 
Bill was also a litigator in private practice for 10 years in Chicago, Illinois, where he concentrated his practice primarily on construction defense, defect and delay claims, products liability, automobile warranty/lemon law and insurance coverage.  Bill is a graduate of University of Cincinnati College of Law (J.D. 1997) and Xavier University (B.A. 1993).  He is a member of the Illinois Bar, 1997, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1997, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 2004.

JoAnn Ross is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law and a member of the Ohio Bar.  She began her legal career with a mid-size Cincinnati firm handling plaintiff personal injury and medical malpractice cases.  She also worked at Lexis-Nexis where she was a Research Specialist in the Business Information Services division.  She was an expert in the Medical Libraries and Databases online. JoAnn was the Compliance Officer of a large health network in southwest Ohio, overseeing compliance with Medicare and Medicaid billing regulations for a hospital, nursing homes, home health company, dialysis center, and multiple physician offices.  She became a specialist in EMTALA and HIPAA regulations and was an editor of Strategies for Health Care Compliance, an industry newsletter.  She is also a specialist in ICD-9 and CPT coding for both hospitals and private physician practices. JoAnn currently works for Great American Insurance Group where she manages the Claims Litigation Services department.  Her department performs bill review for 19 divisions of the company, reviewing close to $100 million in legal bills this year.  

Eileen M. Letts graduated from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1978 and received the degree of Juris Doctor. She was admitted to practice before the Illinois Bar and the Federal Bar. She received her Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University in 1975. Ms. Letts prior employment includes serving as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Glenn T. Johnson, Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court from 1978 to 1980. In January of 1990, Ms. Letts and Martin P. Greene left another Chicago law firm to form Greene and Letts.

Ms. Letts has practiced law since 1979 and has extensive experience in litigation. Her emphasis has been on personal injury defense matters, where she has tried numerous cases to verdict. She has also tried contract disputes and construction litigation claims. She remains extensively involved in continuing legal education and the constant changes taking place in the practice of law and in the business of law.

Ms. Letts also served on the transition team for Chicago Mayor-elect, Harold Washington. She belongs to the American, National, Chicago, Cook County, and Black Women Lawyers Associations.

Julius W. "Will" Grubbs, Jr. was appointed in April, 2014 to  serve on the Louisiana Property & Casualty Insurance Commission.  The commission is charged with reviewing and examining the availability and affordability of property and casualty insurance within Louisiana.

In July, 1986, Will joined the firm of Haik & Minvielle. He became partner in 1992. The firm's name was changed to Haik, Minvielle & Grubbs in 1998. His case load primarily involves  the defense of  complex, comprehensive casualty claims including automobile, bad faith, catastrophic loss, excess, highway defect, premises liability, property and  transportation matters. He has also handled a multitude of medical and governmental liability cases. About ten percent of his practice is devoted to the general practice of law, which includes the pro-bono representation of individuals and charitableorganizations.

Will is a member of the Iberia Parish and Louisiana Bar Association as well as the Louisiana Association of Defense Council and the Council on Litigation Management Alliance (2010). He served as the 2013-14 President for the Inn on the Teche, Inns of Court Chapter.  He is a past presenter for CLM.  Since 1988 he has served as Special Assistant Attorney General for the Louisiana Department of Justice. In 1989, he served on the Governor's Commission on Medical Malpractice. He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in Louisiana and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Smith has achieved Martindale-Hubbell's highest rating for legal ability and ethics for more than 20 years. He has been listed for the past three years and is currently honored as one of Georgia's "Super Lawyers" by Atlanta Magazine in a peer-reviewed selection process utilized around the country. He currently chairs the Firm's Professional Liability Practice Group and served as chair of the USLaw Professional Liability Practice Group from 2005-2007. He is a frequent speaker assisting the Georgia Bar's Institute for Continuing Legal Education, state and national professional associations' continuing education programs, and risk management seminars across the state. Mr. Smith also has developed a specialty in the defense of airline travelers' claims relating to ancillary airport services provided on the tarmac, in the concourses and in the terminal and its approaches. Rush Smith is one of Georgia's leading malpractice defense lawyers, having defended physicians, hospitals, attorneys and other professionals in jury trials across Georgia and in federal court for more than 28 years. Mr. Smithi is a graduate of Law Emory University, J.D., 1978, Undergraduate Universitaet Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany, 1969-1970 and Georgia Institute of Technology, B.S. Physics, 1972.

http://www.hbss.net/index.php?option=com_attorney&view=attorney&cityid=1&attid=323&Itemid=27

Tracey Dodd is a Senior Managing Principal at EFI Global.  She has lead teams that are respected for exceptional success addressing complex mattersin various locations arund the globe.  She has overseen a multi-talented group of professionals who collectively bring years of technical field experience to provide consulting services in construction and related fields, including environmental, safety and industrial hygiene services.  Tracey Dodd has  expertise ranging from environmental risk evaluation or facility compliance assessments to full-scale remediation design, litigation support services, and environmental catastrophic response. Her experience includes clientele such as facility owners, design firms, governments, insurance companies, contractors, attorneys or developers to help them assess environmental damage, uncover potential environmental liability and safety problems or manage the problems that have already become evident. A Toxicologist and Risk Assessor by graduate degree, Tracey Dodd has managed a litany of projects across the U.S., including the investigation, remediation design, and oversight of remediation/abatement projects associated with buildings, impacted property, and waterways.  This includes the performance of work associated with emergency releases due to explosions/plant upsets/etc., and work performed has included the protection of public health and the environment, as well as protection of resources and site stabilization.  In her current role she supports EFI Global's Large and Complex Loss practice.

Mr. Wisinski has been in the legal technology industry for more than 20 years and currently serves as the firm’s Chief Knowledge Officer.  As one of the many hats Wisinski wears in his position, he is the firm’s internal consultant for matters that deal with electronic evidence, litigation hold, records retention issues, and litigation technology.  Wisinski is also an active member and participant of The Sedona Conference (http://www.sedonaconference.com).

Wisinski has lead the firm in this area since the mid 90’s due primarily to the firm’s Securities Litigation practice which traditionally lends itself to immediate preservation issues that includes electronic evidence.  In addition to electronic discovery is the amount of data generated during the litigation or investigation.  Wisinski uses technology tools to manage this data consisting of discovery documents, testimony, exhibits, and eventually trial presentation software that creates an interactive courtroom experience.

Mr. Wisinski regularly advises clients and the firms attorneys in the following areas:  Preservation of evidence and the litigation hold process, Electronic discovery, Document review and production The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure as it relates to electronically stored information.

Memberships

The Sedona Conference; American Bar Association; ARMA International; Electronic Data Reference Model

Recent Publications and Speeches

“Ethics in eDiscovery”  Internal, September 2010

“Effective eDiscovery and Review,”Internal, October 2009

“The New FRCP: The Anniversary – Love ‘em or hate ‘em they’re here,”Internal 2008

“Electronic Document Production: A Technical Primer,”Lorman Education Services, December 2004 – June 2007.

“The New FRCP: The Price of Poker,”Financial Executives International, October 2007

“The New FRCP: What you need to know,”Internal, September 2006

“Practicing as a Lawyer in the 21st Century,”State Bar of Texas, 2002

Christa Hinckley has more than 25 years of experience in commercial transactions, aviation, claims, risk and insurance management issues, mass tort litigation, environmental, asbestos and other long tail claims, business interruption claims, as well as crisis management and response. Ms. Hinckley began her career with a major Denver based law firm before joining the Legal Department of American Airlines, Inc., in 1986. From 1986 to 1994, Ms. Hinckley held various positions in American’s Legal Department and, in 1994, she became Managing Director of Insurance and Risk Management for American and its affiliates, a position she held until late 2001. In that capacity Ms. Hinckley was on the “Go-Team” for four fatal accidents involving American Airlines and American Eagle and for 9/11.

She worked several years as an insurance claims consultant and then as an employee of GE’s Employers Reinsurance Corporation. She has been in private practice since 2004, and is currently Counsel to SNR Denton in its Dallas office. Ms. Hinckley’s practice is focused on providing legal advice to her aviation and aviation-related clients in the following areas: (1) general corporate matters, (2) domestic and international transactions, (3) regulatory issues, (4) claims management, (5) aviation insurance, and (6) risk assessment, emergency management and crisis response.

Dan Boho has a national trial and mediation practice with verdicts in Illinois, California, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Mr. Boho, former State Chair of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (600 top trial lawyers from the US and 30 other countries), and member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), handles high profile, media-intensive matters.

Crain's Chicago Business also featured Mr. Boho as one of six lawyers honored as Chicago's best lawyers in its, "Chicago's Best, On the Record." Leading Lawyers Magazine, in a survey of Illinois lawyers, listed Mr. Boho as one of the top two personal injury defense lawyers in Illinois, from 2015 to the present.

Leading Lawyers Magazine: Business Edition listed Mr. Boho as one of the top business lawyers in Illinois and featured him in the article, "Enjoying the Human Element of Defense Litigation." He is listed among Best Lawyers in America in Commercial Litigation and served as Chairman of the Commercial Litigation Section of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.

Mr. Boho has served as General Counsel of the 22,000 member Chicago Bar Association and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Boho joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in May 1977. He was a member of Hinshaw's Executive Committee for more than 30 years, and is the co-leader of the firm's national Personal Injury and Property Damage Practice Group.

Attorney Geoffrey Coan focuses his practice in products liability, drug and medical device and complex litigation.  A significant portion of his practice involves serving as national coordinating counsel to medical device and pharmaceutical companies.

A selection of Attorney Coan's representative cases includes:

Attorney Coan began his legal career in the United States Navy, Judge Advocate General's Corp.  He left active duty in 1999 and continues to serve in the Naval Reserve.  He has been with Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP since May, 2010.  Prior to that he was a partner in the Boston office of Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, LLP.  Attorney Coan has received numerous awards and recognition throughout his career, including being named MEDMARC Attorney of the Year in 2008.

Attorney Coan is a member of the Products Liability Committee of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, where he serves as co-chair for the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Subcommittee.  He is also a member of the Defense Research Institute.

Mark C. Goodman focuses his practice on litigation for companies ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to small startups operating in the United States and around the world. He is particularly experienced in complex commercial cases including insurance coverage, product liability and mass tort actions, unfair competition actions, contract disputes and intellectual property. Mr. Goodman has acted as lead counsel in multidistrict litigation involving consumer products. Mr. Goodman’s extensive federal and state court appellate and trial experience includes landmark California advertising injury cases involving trademark, trade name and copyright disputes, as well as other intellectual property, antitrust, privacy and sophisticated business litigation matters. He has completed trademark registration and other transaction work around the world, handling the drafting of licensing agreements, e-contracts, leases and vendor agreements.

Mr. Goodman has published several articles on insurance coverage and complex commercial litigation matters including articles on advertising injury coverage for intellectual property losses. He is listed in the Who’s Who in American Law and has been regularly recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer and a member of the International Who’s Who of Professionals. Mr. Goodman was included in the 2009 and 2010 editions of The Legal 500 US as a leading lawyer in product liability cases.

Mr. Goodman is a member of the American Bar Association and the Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections of the Bar Association of San Francisco.

Mr. Goodman is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, J.D., editor in chief, Loyola Entertainment Law Journal, 1991 and received his B.A. from Pomona College in 1987. 

Bob Horst is HKR’s Managing Partner.  An active litigator, Bob also acts as a mediator and a private Arbitrator within HKR’s burgeoning ADR practice group with a focus on commercial disputes, insurance claims/cases and subrogation.

With numerous jury trials to verdict, Bob litigates in his native Philadelphia often.  He also sits as a Judge Pro Tem in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas, having conferenced hundreds of civil matters for settlement. His publications and presentations have addressed trial tactics, emerging issues and insurance coverage.  Bob also co-authored/edited the treatise Extracontractual Litigation Against Insurers and served for 6 years as General Counsel to the 4000 member International Association of Special Investigative Units (“IASIU”), along with a term on the National Committee of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (“CLM”).

Named among America’s Top 100 Civil Defense Litigators® since 2018, Bob has been recognized as a Best Lawyer® (2019-present), Super Lawyer®, and rated 10/10 by the national website, avvo.com. He’s also been quoted in Claims Journal, The New York Times, PropertyCasualty360, Inc. magazine, Law360, National Underwriter magazine, The Legal Intelligencer, Student Lawyer magazine and The Jackson Clarion Ledger.

Bob and his wife, Kelly, met in law school and have resided in Bucks County for over 30 years, where they raised 3 adult children. Penn State Football has been known to take over Bob’s life for a few hours at a time and the central Jersey shore is a passion.  Soccer also holds a special place in the Horst household. Two of Bob’s children played Division 1 soccer, while Bob coached his children — and many others — at club and high school for more than 2 decades, including very special runs with both the girls and boys teams at Central Bucks West HS (Go Bucks!) in Doylestown PA.

Mr. Bernstein is the Regional Claims Advocate at HUB International Insurance Services, Inc. He is based out of the Company’s San Diego office.

Mr. Bernstein has over 25 years of experience in the insurance and claims industry. His experience includes handling cases involving professional liability, attorney malpractice, catastrophic injuries, asbestos litigation and other toxic torts, as well as construction defect from the investigate stage through trial; all for both the defense and plaintiff bar.

Mr. Bernstein’s legal background provides great insight into the handling and supervising of claims, negotiations and litigation, and it benefits both our clients and employees. Mr. Bernstein graduated from Queens College, City University of New York with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He then went on to receive his Juris Doctorate degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He is on the faculty of the CLM Casualty Claims College as well as a member of the College's Executive Council. He has been a frequent speaker at ESOP events, the NCEO and many CLM conferences and is an active member of both the local San Diego Chapter of RIMS and national RIMS.

Mr. Bernstein is licensed in Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington & West Virginia.

DIANE GILBERT JACOBY, J.D., LL.M., is Vice President and General Counsel of Ingalls Health System in Harvey, Illinois.  As in-house counsel, Ms. Jacoby is responsible for all legal, regulatory, and transactional matters that involve the System and its affiliates.  Ms Jacoby is responsible for the self-insured workers’ compensation and professional liability programs.  Ms. Jacoby was President of the Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys from 2004-2005 and has served on numerous committees for the Illinois Hospital Association.  She is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the American Health Lawyers Association.  Ms. Jacoby is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and she received her JD from North Carolina Central University School of Law, and her LL.M. in Health Law from DePaul University.  She is a member of the North Carolina, Missouri, and Illinois bars.

Bradley York, Vice President of Business Development for OneBeacon Government Risks

Brad has worked more than 20 years in the insurance industry, almost exclusively in the public sector. Prior to OneBeacon, Brad spent 14 years in the public entity division of a national carrier in increasingly responsible regional and national roles. Brad is actively involved in developing coverage forms and products, monitoring trends for public entities and managing agent relationships. He also has extensive experience in public entity legal issues and claims management, including excess exposures, reinsurance and TPA/Self-insured monitoring and management. Brad holds a Masters in Business and has achieved the AIC and SCLA designations. He is a member of and prior speaker of DRI's Civil Rights and Governmental Tort Liability Seminar

A CPA, CFE, and MBA, Jim is celebrating twenty years as President of InTune Business Advisors LLC, a Pittsburgh-based litigation support firm he founded in 2004.  Jim has more than thirty years of forensic accounting, litigation support, auditing, and receivership experience.  His economic damages engagements have involved cyberattacks, storm damage, personal injury, employment, fraud, and other claims.  Jim's experience also includes business valuations (including in the context of lost business value), and he has testified as an expert witness in a variety of legal matters on behalf of both defendants and plaintiffs. 

Key differentiators include Jim’s data mining expertise and analysis, his clear and concise communications, and his sound professional judgement that only comes with decades of experience.  Prior to founding InTune, Jim held leadership roles with Ernst & Young LLP (EY), Campbell Soup Company and MBNA America (Bank of America).  As a CPA, Jim has developed and implemented scalable data mining and analysis protocols, financial reporting structures and data visualization solutions that engage diverse groups of stakeholders. As a CFE, Jim has worked with financial institutions and the FBI on fraud investigations and has significant experience in governance, risk management and compliance.  He is a frequent writer and speaker on fraud and forensic accounting topics.  A graduate of John Carroll University with a double major in Accounting and Finance, Jim received a full-tuition scholarship from the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his MBA.  He is a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.  He enjoys golf, tennis, platform tennis and playing music.

Vince is currently Vice President of claims for Mass Litigation and Pollution. He supervise over 75 people that handle multiple policy year claims including, toxic torts, pharmaceutical and product cases etc. worldwide. He has been with Zurich Insurance Company for five years. Prior to that he was with AIG for 12 years where he was in charge of the legal malpractice and miscellaneous E&O division. At AIG he was also in charge of the Financial Institution department. Prior to that Vince was a Regional Litigation Manager with the Home Insurance Company where he was responsible for the management of the staff counsel offices and panel counsel for the Eastern section of the United States. Before joining the insurance industry Vince was a practicing attorney in New Jersey. He was with two defense firms in New Jersey commencing in 1973. He was also first assistant with the City of Jersey City law department where he was in charge of all litigation against the City. He handled and supervised his staff of five attorneys on cases ranging from minor accidents to Federal Civil Right claims under section 1983. Vince also acted as Risk manager for the City and is an ARM. Vince is a graduate of New York Law School and is a Navy Vietnam Veteran.  

Steven G. Janik is the founder and Managing Partner of Janik L.L.P.

Mr. Janik graduated from Denison University in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, having majored in Economics. Mr. Janik obtained his Juris Doctorate from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1975.  On September 1, 1988, Mr. Janik founded the firm.

Mr. Janik is admitted to practice before the Courts of the States of Ohio, California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia, as well as the United States Districts Courts for the Northern District of Ohio, District of Maryland, Central District of California, and Southern District of California, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Sixth, and Ninth Circuits, United States Tax Court, and the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Janik is a member of the Ohio, California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, Federal, American and Lawyer-Pilot Bar Associations.

Mr. Janik has served as Special Master to the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, in complex antitrust and asbestos litigation proceedings, as a member of the Federal Judicial Center Task Force on Reducing Trial Delay, and as Chairman of the Magistrate Merit Selection Committee, United States District Court for The Northern District of Ohio.

Mr. Janik is a member of the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference, Ohio Court of Appeals Judicial Conference, International Association of Defense Counsel, and Defense Research Institute. He is listed in The Best Lawyers In America, Ohio "Super Lawyers", and Cleveland's Best Lawyers for Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, and Personal Injury Litigation. Mr. Janik is a member of the Orthopedics Leadership Board of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and is a private pilot, single engine land, instrument rated.

JEFF KICHAVEN is one of the country's leading mediators of litigated cases, with a particular emphasis on Insurance Coverage matters.  He is an Honors Graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D. Cum Laude, 1980) and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (A.B. Economics, 1977).  He practiced Business Litigation for 15 years before becoming a full-time mediator in independent practice in 1996.  In 2006, he was named California Lawyer Attorney of the Year in ADR, and in 2007 he taught the Master Class for Mediators for Harvard Law School.  In 2010, he received the Award for Excellence in Mediation from the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center for his commitment to Diversity and his national leadership in the field.  He has been named to the Daily Journal's list of California's Top Mediators five times, most recently in October, 2010.  He has served as a Trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (2002-2004) and President of the Southern California Mediation Association (2005).  He is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators and a Director of Los Angeles' Center for Civic Mediation.   www.jeffkichaven.com, www.youtube.com/user/jeffkichaven. 

Jeffrey W. Johnson is the founder of The Johnson Law Group. Mr. Johnson is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell. He has extensive litigation and jury trial experience in matters involving wrongful death, personal injury, and construction-related matters in the areas of general tort liability and commercial litigation. Mr. Johnson’s experience includes litigating matters involving the trucking industry, amusement industry, automobile accidents, premises liability, product liability, and construction/contractor liability.

He has served as the Past President to the Florida Defense Lawyers Association (FDLA) and to the International Amusement and Leisure Defense Association (IALDA) and is still a Board of Director of IALDA. He is an active member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI); Council for Litigation Management (CLM); International Association of Amusement and Parks and Attractions (IAAPA); Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA); Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA); Housing Authorities Insurance Group (HAI); National Restaurant and Retail Defense Association (NRRDA); Palm Beach County Bar Association and the Broward County Bar Association. He has spoken at conferences throughout the United States. He currently represents one of the largest privately owned amusement company in the United States in their litigation throughout the State of Florida.

Mr. Johnson is admitted to practice before the Florida Bar. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Miami, School of Law.  He is admitted to practice in all trial and appellate courts in the State of Florida, as well as the U.S. District Court (Southern and Middle Districts of Florida).

Mr. Yacoubian is an AV-rated partner in the New Orleans law firm of Johnson, Johnson, Barrios & Yacoubian where he specializes in class action litigation, contracts law, corporate law, insurance coverage and defense litigation and transportation law.  Mr. Yacoubian graduated with honors from Tulane Law School in 1985.  He is a member of the American Bar Association, American Judicature Society, Defense Research Institute, Federal Bar Association, International Association of Defense Counsel, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, Louisiana Association of Self Insured Employers, Louisiana Organization for Judicial Excellence, Louisiana State Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, Louisiana Association of Self Insured Employers, Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc., and the New Orleans Claims Association.

Mr. Yacoubian recently was elected to the Board of Directors of the Bureau of Governmental Research.  He also serves as a member of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry’s Liability Task Force and Labor Management Relations Council and is a fellow of the Louisiana Bar Foundation and serves on its Kid’s Chance Committee. Mr. Yacoubian serves as the Louisiana Restaurant Association’s General Counsel – Business and Governmental Affairs.  Mr. Yacoubian also acts as General Counsel for Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana, Inc. and serves on its Board of Directors.  Mr. Yacoubian previously served on the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Committee and Legislative Committee and currently serves as a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Professionalism and Quality of Life Committee.  Mr. Yacoubian is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Sections on Civil Law and Litigation, Labor and Employment Law, Fidelity, Surety & Construction Law, Insurance, Negligence, Compensation and Admiralty Law, and Sole Practitioners and Small Firms. 

Mr. Yacoubian speaks regularly at various legal and trade seminars and has written numerous articles on various trade and legal topics including corporate law, employment law, ethics, hospitality law, insurance law, professionalism  and workers’ compensation law.

Ed Hochuli is a founding partner in the Phoenix law firm of Jones, Skelton & Hochuli, a 90+ lawyer firm that was established in 1983.  Mr. Hochuli’s firm is the largest litigation firm in the State of Arizona and handles more civil trials in that state than any other law firm.  Mr. Hochuli has personally tried over 150 civil jury trials to verdict and is one of the most experienced trial lawyers in Arizona.  He practices primarily in the areas of personal injury defense, including products liability and the defense of the transportation  industry, professional liability defense, and extra contractual defense.  He is currently a Director of the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA), as well as a Director of the USLAW Network.  He is a frequent speaker, nationally, on a wide range of defense orientated issues, including the Art of Negotiation.  In his spare time, Mr. Hochuli is also a Referee in the National Football League.

http://www.jshfirm.com

Mr. Myles is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Association of Trial Lawyers.  He is a Member of ABOTA and Past President of the Arizona Association of Defense Counsel, The USLAW Network and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC)  Hehas been a partner with Jones, Skelton & Hochuli since 1987 and concentrates his practice on insurance coverage, bad faith and professional liability. He is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Arizona as well as the Ninth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court.

 He is a former  Arizona State Representative for the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.

Mr. Myles has tried cases involving insurance bad faith, professional liability, product liability, construction defects and insurance coverage, many  involving punitive damage claims.

Eric D. Kaplan is a co-founder and partner in the law firm of Kaplan Papadakis & Gournis, P.C. in Chicago, Illinois.  His litigation practice concentrates in the defense of business professionals including lawyers, real estate brokers, mortgage brokers, architects, engineers, builders, insurance brokers, appraisers, debt collectors and auctioneers.  He also represents employers in employment practices liability cases.  He has a B.A. degree from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois where he graduated cum laude in 1988 and J.D. degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1992, where he was a member of the Washington University Journal of Urban and Contemporary Law.  He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court in Illinois and Wisconsin as well as the United States District Court for the Northern, Central and Southern Districts of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.  His clients include insurance companies, third party administrators and a variety of business professionals and firms that he has represented in state and federal courts in the Midwest.  He is a frequent speaker and presenter for professional liability insurance issues in the professional liability community.  He is a member of the Professional Liability Underwriters Society and is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance and serves as the Co-Chair of the Professional Liability Committee as well as the Lawyers Professional Liability Committee.

Randall Epps is currently Claim Manager for Unitrin Services Group, a multi-lines commercial insurer. Mr. Epps  Mr. Mr. has 33 years of multi-lines claims/management experience.  He also has Commercial lines adjusting and management experience in the handling of all type GL claims including Construction defect, Employment-related practices, Products Liability; Environmental, Druggists’ Liability; also  Auto Liability, Property, Jones Act, USL&H, Trucking, HO Liability, Inland-Marine; Workers’ Comp, Employer’s Liability; complex litigation involving high exposure and significant coverage issues.  He is proficient in mediations and arbitration, all in a multi-state environment. 

Mr. Epps was previously a National Account Manager for TPA; Regional ECO Coordinator; Home Office ECO Coordinator and established and managed first-ever CD Units in Oregon and Texas for Unitrin.    

Mr. Epps was previously licensed in every US state requiring an adjuster's license, including the supervision of claims in Puerto Rico.   

Mr. Epps holds the FCLS designation; Vale National Auto Appraiser; ARM 55. 

William A. Nebeker, Esq. is the managing partner of the Phoenix office for the law firm of Koeller, Nebeker, Carlson & Haluck, LLP. He practices in the area of insurance litigation defense with an emphasis on personal injury and construction defect litigation. Mr. Nebeker received his B.S. degree in political science from Arizona State University and his J.D. degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. After admission to both the California Bar in 1976 and the Arizona Bar in 1977, Mr. Nebeker began his career as House Counsel for Home Insurance. After entering private practice, Mr. Nebeker became one of the first lawyers certified by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization for personal injury and wrongful death litigation. Mr. Nebeker has tried to conclusion over 75 civil jury trials. Mr. Nebeker is an active member of the Arizona Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, the International Association of Defense Counsel, the Arizona Association of Defense Lawyers and the American Bar Association. He is also a member of the California Bar Association and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel. Mr. Nebeker is AV peer rated by Martindale Hubbell and in 2008, Mr. Nebeker was elected an Advocate Level Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Mr. Nebeker has been selected as a Super Lawyer for the Southwest Region four the past four consecutive years and was nominated for Fellowship in the Litigation Counsel of America, Trial Lawyer Honorary Society.

Mr. Nebeker is a recognized national speaker on construction litigation issues and has successfully represented developers and general contractors in all phases of litigation for the past 30 years in both Arizona and California. Mr. Nebeker has spoken at and presented written materials for the following organizations: West Coast Casualty, Mealey Publications, Lorman Educational Services, National Business Institute, Maricopa County Bar Association, MC Consultants' Construction Law Seminars, Defense Research Institute and the State Bar of Arizona.

The Arizona office, currently managed by Mr. Nebeker, includes ten attorneys as well as five paralegals. The caseload involves traditional litigated cases including automobile, premises, and product liability. In addition, in the construction defect arena, the firm is currently representing Beazer Homes, Centex Homes, Fulton Homes, Ryland Homes, Meritage Homes, D.R. Horton Homes, Toll Brothers, Shea Homes and Pulte/Del Webb Homes. Recently, this firm was named Pulte Homes Litigation Counsel of the Year (2006 and 2008).

Mr. Nebeker has several published opinions in the Arizona and California Court of Appeals. See: Gouvis Engineering v. Superior Court, 43 Cal.Rptr.2d 785 (1995); Camelot by the Bay Condominium Owners' Assn. v. Scottsdale Ins. Co., 27 Cal.App.4th 33, 32 Cal.Rptr.2d 354 (1994); Equitable General Ins. Co. v. Helm, 128 Ariz. 6, 623 P.2d 365 (Ariz. 1981); La Jolla Village Homeowners' Assn. v. Superior Court, 212 Cal.App.3d 1131, 261 Cal.Rptr. 146, Prod.Liab.Rep. (CCH) P 12,277 (Cal.App. 1989); Decca Design Build v. American Automobile Insurance Co., 206 Ariz. 301, 77 P.3d 1251 (Div. 1 2003).

Ms. Wilkins is the President and Managing Director of Langlois, Wilkins, Furtado & Metcalf, P.C. with offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She has litigated cases in Massachusetts and Rhode Island State Courts as well as the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island.  Ms. Wilkins' practice focuses on defense litigation, including insurance coverage, fraud, and bad faith claims. She has a wide range of cases concentrating in motor vehicle accidents, construction accidents, landlord/tenant, premises liability, dealer and rental car liability, products liability and employment cases.  Ms. Wilkins is currently acting as neutral arbitrator and/or mediator in a wide variety of matter.

Ms. Wilkins has lectured extensively on insurance and legal issues at seminars for clients and the insurance industry throughout the United States.  A list of these seminars and programs is available upon request.

Victoria Metaxas is an attorney in the New Haven, Connecticut office of LeClairRyan, P.C. She focuses her practice on insurance defense and products liability. Over her career, she has worked for the New York City Corporation Counsel, a major property and casualty insurer and in private practice. She has represented the City of New York, insurance companies, property owners, real estate developers, construction companies, manufacturers, motor vehicle lessors, retailers, trucking companies, doctors, hospitals and nursing homes. Throughout her career, she has handled cases involving negligence and intentional torts. Ms. Metaxas has handled all stages of litigation, from inception through trials and appeals. She is the co-author of a training manual on New York law governing joint and several liability, contribution, indemnity and the collateral source rule.  Ms. Metaxas has also presented on these issues for in-house claims personnel.

Dan Ruderman is responsible for business development of the Strategic Consulting Group in the LexisNexis Business of Law and Litigation Software division. With over 25 years leadership experience in sales, service and account management, Ruderman plays a key role in helping customers realize the full strategic value of deployed technology and advises on process improvement and best practices. He has developed innovative methods to service and grow the company’s largest accounts, and directly contributes to product development and customer configured solutions. Ruderman has helped companies such as Hanover Insurance, Bank of America, Allstate, Boston Scientific, and Travelers dramatically improve access to information and improve fiscal responsiveness within the corporation. Ruderman has sixteen years tenure at LexisNexis, is a founding Claims and Litigation Management Alliance Fellow, a member of Risk Insurance Management Society, active in Toastmasters International, and rides a BMW F650GS for fun. In 2016, he will recreate the ride his grandmother and her sister, Adeline and Abigail Van Buren, made in 1916 when they became the first women to ride across the United States on motorcycles in 1916. Ruderman has a degree from Cornell University.

As Director of Consulting and Business of Law Services at LexisNexis’ Redwood Analytics Division, Russ has worked with over 150 law firms across the globe ranging from smaller firms to several within the AmLaw 10. With a focus on the business of law, he leads a team that consults with firm leadership on Redwood tools and methodology, business analysis, and process improvement.  In addition, Russ plays a lead role in designing and implementing training and consulting programs.  

As an authority in the business of law, Russ has been recognized as an expert in matter management, alternative fee arrangements, and profitability consulting.  He has been a featured presenter, panelist, and moderator at conferences addressing these topics.  In addition his research has been published by several journals.  Russ is a primary contributor to the MorePartnerIncome.com blog. 

Prior to joining Redwood, Russ worked for more than seven years in Research and Project Analysis at two Fortune 500 companies.   

Michael has extensive experience at the federal, state and county level, including over 100 jury trials and numerous appellate arguments before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Michael’s government liability practice has ranged from the successful defense of the municipal solid waste ordinance in Houlton, Citizens v. Town of Houlton to road reconstruction and taking claims in King v. Town of Monmouth and various employment practices litigation. Michael also handles employment practices liability cases, product and premises liability and professional liability claims. He served as  Assistant Attorney General, State of Maine, Criminal Division 1979-1982 and  Assistant District Attorney, Prosecutorial District # 1 (York County, Maine) 1982-1984. He is co-author: Commentary to the Maine Juvenile Code, Vol 8 Maine Revised Statutues Annotated (1980) Chair, Committee to Monitor the Implementation of the Juvenile Code-1981-1983; Chair, Maine Criminal Law Advisory Commission-1987-89; Chair, Maine Juvenile Justice Advisory Group-1990-1997. National Chair, Coalition for Juvenile Justice, Washington D.C.- 1994. Award of Excellence in Law, Boston College Alumni Association-1996.

BORN: Waterville, Maine

EDUCATION: Boston College, A.B. cum laude, 1975; University of Maine School of Law, J.D. 1978; Maine Law Review, staff member 1976-1978

BAR ADMISSIONS: Maine and U.S. District Court, District of Maine, 1978; U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 1979; New Hampshire 2011; U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire, 2012.

PRACTICE AREAS: Civil Rights Defense Environmental & Toxic Tort;Employment Practices Liability; Fire and Premise Liability; Insurance Defense Municipal/Public Official Liability Products Liability State County and Local Government Liability.

Helen is Vice President and Manager of Enterprise Legal Services for the Liberty Mutual Group.  She serves as Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.  She is also a member of the ACC Law Department Executive Leadership Group.  Helen has had over 30 years of experience at Liberty Mutual Group including various management positions in the Claims and Legal Departments and the Field Legal Organization.  She assumed her current position in 2005, where her responsibilities include managing the outside legal expenditures for Liberty.  Her group is responsible for analytics on $1 Billion of legal spend.  Her responsibilities also include legal finance, technology, auditing and process improvement initiatives for the litigation management function.  Liberty Mutual is a diversified global insurer which ranks 71 on the Fortune 500.  Helen has a Bachelor of Science of Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

Mr. Liskov is an attorney in Liberty Mutual’s Corporate Legal Department in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to joining Liberty Mutual, Mr. Liskov was an Associate at Schneider, Reilly, Zabin & Costello. He also spent several years, first as associate, then partner, at the firm of Morrison Mahoney in Boston. Mr. Liskov joined Liberty Mutual in 2005.  In his current role, he manages the Legal Client Services group within Liberty's Legal Strategic Services department.  In this role, he assists in marketing Liberty’s legal services and provides consultation to Liberty’s Strategic Business Units (Claims, Service, Underwriting), as well as Liberty and Helmsman customers regarding litigation management issues.   Mr. Liskov has significant litigation experience handling product liability, medical malpractice, and general liability matters. Mr. Liskov received a B.S. in Business Economics from Bentley College in 1990 and and his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the New England School of Law in 1993.

Robert M. Cavalier has been the managing partner of LUCAS and CAVALIER, LLC since its inception in 2000.  He received his B.S. in business administration in 1989 from The College of New Jersey (nee Trenton State College).  In 1992 Mr. Cavalier received his J.D. from Rutgers University.  He is admitted to the state and federal courts throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  His litigation experience includes professional liability, product liability, general negligence, intellectual property, coverage, commercial/real estate and maritime.  He is a member of: CLM, DRI, Maritime Law Association of the U.S. - proctor status, various bar associations and the Union League of Philadelphia.  He resides in the historic section of Philadelphia with his wife and 4 young children in their home built in 1774.

Mr. Castino is employed with Marsh preforming risk, insurance, and claims management duties onsite for their client General Growth Properties. He has been employed previously with Chicago Bridge & Iron Company and Nalco.  His claims management experience is in the areas of Property, Casualty, Cargo, Environmental, and Construction, and he has developed and
implemented in-house Litigation Management and Subrogation programs.

Mr. Castino received his MBA from Texas A&M and his B.S. from Northern Illinois University. He has obtained Associate in Risk Management (ARM), Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS), and Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist (CLCS) professional designations, and he is currently a licensed Commercial Property and Casualty Insurance Broker in the State of Illinois.
 

Matthew P KerisScranton, PennsylvaniaShareholderphone (570) 496-4602fax (570) 496-0567email mpkeris@mdwcg.com

Matthew P. Keris has extensive experience in medical practice defense, having represented doctors, physician groups, hospitals, and regional health centers for over a decade. He concentrates his practice in medical malpractice, general liability (slip/fall), and auto defense work.Matthew has handled hundreds of medical malpractice matters, both as an attorney and an adjuster, including the management of claims in the Philadelphia area.

Matthew lectures extensively, both locally and nationally, on issues pertaining to medical malpractice through educational institutions including the National Constitution Center, Lorman Education Services, Stafford Legal Teleconferences, and Progressive Business Publications. He is recognized nationally for his expertise in electronic medical record issues, and has spoken for numerous organizations including the American Society for Health Risk Management; American College of Obstetrician/Gynecologists; Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association; The Commonwealth Medical College; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania MCARE Fund; CPACHRM of Central Pennsylvania; Center for Health Training, NOR-PANPHA and the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Health Information Management Association; Cassatt Health System; and PMSLIC/NORCAL, and for publications including National Health Law Week, Hospital Litigation Reporter, and New York Health Law Update. He also advises medical institutions on the establishment of policies and procedures regarding responses to electronic discovery.Matthew is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and the United States Middle District of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute, Lackawanna County, and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.

Bar Admissions:

Pennsylvania, 1996U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania, 2000New York, 2011

Education:Roger Williams University School of Law, Bristol, Rhode Island, 1996Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, 1993

Published Works:"What's It Worth? Best Practices in Defending Economic Damages in the Catastrophic Accident," Co-Author, Litigation Management Magazine, Fall 2012

"Reducing Medical Malpractice E-Discovery Issues and Costs," The Legal Intelligencer, February 14, 2012

"A View From The Trenches: Discovery Issues With Electronic Medical Records", Risk Rx, Special Edition on the Electronic Health Record, University of Florida, Vol. 8, No. 1 January-March, 2011; and Florida Hospital Association's Risk Review, August 23, 2011Civil Litigation Update of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Co-Contributor/Author 2007-Present

Classes/Seminars Taught:

Co-Presenter-Working with Experts post-Barrick and Cooper, Panelist, PDI/NEPATLA Regional CLE, Mohegan Sun Casino, Wilkes-Barre, PA November 14, 2012

Panelist-Defending the Electronic Medical Record Deposition, ASHRM Annual Conference & Exhibition, National Harbor, MD, October 9, 2012

Panelist- OMG?!-The Impact of Social Media on the Tripartite Relationship, Moderator/Co-Presenter, Claim & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, March 27, 2012Moderator--Roundtable on the Discovery of Incident Reports, Central PA Association for Health Care Risk Management Fall Education Forum, Harrisburg, PA, November 4, 2011Co-Presenter, Electronic Medical Records 101: What Claims Professionals Need to Know. March 24, 2011--Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.Panelist/Speaker--E-Discovery Update--Pennsylvania Defense Institute Annual Conference, Omni Bedford Springs Resort, Bedford, PA, September 30, 2010Moderator--Ethical Issues Pertaining to the Insurance Relationship, PDI Regional CLE, Mohegan Sun Casino, Wilkes-Barre, PA, August 27, 2009

Honors and Awards:BV Peer Review Rating by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell

Professional Associations and Memberships:Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, MemberLackawanna County Bar Association, 2000 - PresentPennsylvania Defense Institute, Board of Directors, 2007 - 2009Pennsylvania Defense Institute, Secretary, 2009 - 2011Pennsylvania Defense Institute, Treasurer, 2011 –2012

Pennsylvania Defense Institute, Executive Vice-President-2012-2013Secretary, PBA Health Care Law Committee, 2010-PresentPresident  Central PA Association for Health Care Risk Management -- 2012Chairman of PBA Healthcare Law Subcommittee on Civil Litigation, 2011-Present

Primary practice areas

Civil Litigation; Construction Law – defects: Insurance law; Personal Injury and Products Liability; Toxic Torts; Litigation and Trial practice; Arbitration

Education:

Concordia College (B.A. magna cum laude 1972); University of Minnesota Law School (J.D. 1975)

Admitted:

Minnesota state and federal courts, Colorado state courts

Member:

American Bar Association (Tort and Insurance, Construction, and Alternative Resolution Dispute practice sections); MN State Bar Association - Residential Construction Defects Committee; Hennepin County Bar Association; Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association (Section on Construction Law); Defense Research Institute – Construction Law Committee; AAA Arbitration Panel; Amdahl Inn of Court; Claims and Litigation Management Alliance; Professional Liability Defense Federation, Member and co-chair Construction Professionals

Recognition:

Designated "Super Lawyer" in 2006 - 2010 by Minnesota Law & Politics. A/V Individual Rating from Martindale-Hubbell

Lecture and publication subjects:

Instructor: Course for Licensing Minnesota Real Estate Agents; Lecturer: State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education seminars on: No-Fault Auto Claims, Defense Perspectives; Drug and Alcohol Testing in the Workplace; Introduction to FMLA; Select ADA issues; and Residential Construction Defect Claims, Defense Perspectives (presenter and Co-Chair); National Association Home Remodelers, Responding to Construction Defect Claims. Author: Minnesota’s Notice & Opportunity to Repair Law, Hennepin Lawyer, Nov. 2006

Rich King, Managing Member of Melchiode Marks King LLC (“MMK”), litigates disputes in all Louisiana and Mississippi courts and is also licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Rich has vast experience defending his clients in the areas of Professional Liability, Insurance Coverage, Bad-Faith, First-Party Property, Construction Law, Employment Law, Commercial Litigation, Environmental/Toxic Tort liability, Subrogation and General Casualty.
 
Rich has lectured to several organizations and clients on a variety of subjects and issues including but not limited to, Property, Bad-Faith, Construction, Professional Negligence, Alternative Dispute Resolutions, Trial Tactics, and General Litigation.
 Rich is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, Mississippi Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, Federal Bar Association, and the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM), where he was a member of the Management & Professional Liability Advisory Board from 2014 -2019. Also, Rich is a 2013–2024 Top Lawyer, a 2012-2023 Super Lawyer, an America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigator from 2018 - 2024, has an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating and was named the 2015 Outside Counsel of the Year by the CLM.

Lauren joined Motorola to manage complex, global IT programs. Since 2002, Lauren began working exclusively with the Law Department to lead the selection and implementation of a new invoicing solution, establish portfolio management processes as well as lead a number of initiatives.

Lauren applied Digital Six Sigma principles to significantly reduce the internal cost of invoice review, optimize workflow and gain efficiencies through analytics and process mapping.

Lauren’s educational background includes a Master’s certificate in Global Business Management, PMP (Project Management Professional) credential since 2006 and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Business and Psychology. In her spare time, she enjoys design, art and gardening.

Karen has held many leadership roles at Motorola over the past 24 years. A majority of those years were spent leading strategy and business planning as well as product and technology licensing for global marketing and engineering product teams. Karen joined the Motorola legal department 5 years ago developing and leading legal operations bringing together the General Law and Intellectual Property disciplines. Karen brings a fresh perspective to legal operations by bringing strong strategic and business planning skills and applying that framework to tools, processes and performance. Karen has utilized her business acumen, analytical skills and creativity to take complex legal information and translate this legal data into actionable understandable information for Motorola’s senior leadership. Karen’s educational background includes an MBA and an undergraduate degree in Finance with a minor in Computer Science. Her hobbies include walking, woodworking and golfing. In 1983, Karen won the Palm Beach County Women’s amateur golf tournament.

Mark Hanna is a graduate of Creighton University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985 and a Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University Law School in 1988. Mr. Hanna's areas of practice include governmental and municipal liability, defense of class action litigation, automobile and transportation, maritime and insurance litigation, products liability, SIU/insurance fraud litigation and commercial litigation. Mr. Hanna also has extensive experience in the area of toxic tort and asbestos litigation. Mr. Hanna has received Martindale Hubbell's highest "AV" rating.

He has participated in numerous trials both as lead counsel and second chair counsel in state and federal courts and has argued appeals in the Louisiana Supreme Court; First, Fourth, and Fifth Circuit Courts of Appeal and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal. Mr. Hanna is also a mediator following the completion of training at the Attorney Mediators Institute in Dallas and has participated in dozens of mediation.

Mr. Hanna has been active with the Defense Research Institute and its Governmental Liability Committee, where he currently serves as membership chair, Claims and Litigation Management (CLM) Alliance, the Louisiana Center for Law Related Education and has been a lecturer at Continuing Legal Education Seminars and to the Louisiana Public Risk Managers Association. Mr. Hanna has participated as a judge/mediator at ABA mediation competitions for law students.

Mr. Hanna is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, the New Orleans and Jefferson Bar Associations and the Louisiana Bar Foundation.

Philip C. Silverberg has more than twenty years of experience in commercial, tort, corporate, insurance, and reinsurance litigation. His litigation practice has included arbitrations, trials, and appeals involving insurance coverage disputes, third-party defense, environmental claims, subrogation, reinsurance, broker liability, property and casualty losses, and fraud claims. Mr. Silverberg has litigated in state and federal courts throughout the United States and has served as national coordinating counsel on matters arising out of 9/11 and other catastrophes, including Hurricane Katrina. He also has lectured on reinsurance and claims-handling practices. He is admitted to the New York and New Jersey bars and is a member of the ABA and New York County Lawyers' Association.

MEMBERSHIPS/HONORS

PUBLICATIONS

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

ADMISSIONS New York, 1985 New Jersey, 1985

EDUCATION B.A., Montclair State University, 1980 J.D., Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 1984

Michael B. Lawler is a Senior Partner and Co-Chair of the Employment and the Health Law Practice Groups of Murchison & Cumming, LLP.  Mr. Lawler focuses his practice on complex litigation cases involving employment law, nursing homes, elder care abuse, general liability, construction injury and defect. He has successfully tried over one hundred jury trials in the federal and state courts.  Mr. Lawler is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized as a Leading Employment Lawyer in California by the Daily Journal and a Southern California Super Lawyer®.

Mr. Lawler’s professional affiliations include:  Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (President, 1994-1995; Chairman, Court Liaison Committee, 1985; Chairman, Special Activities Committee, 1986); International Association of Defense Counsel (Member, Product Liability and Casualty Claims Committees); American Board of Trial Advocates (Member, National Board of Directors, 1996-1998; Member, Los Angeles Chapter Board of Directors, 1995); The Federation of Insurance Counsel (Member, General Liability Committee); Defense Research Institute; and Los Angeles Superior Court Arbitration Administrative Committee; and listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith (New York:  Woodward/White, 1987 ed.).

Mr. Lawler has served as Arbitrator, Los Angeles Superior Court, Special Arbitration Panel; Member, Attorney Settlement Panel for the Los Angeles, Van Nuys, Santa Monica, and Torrance Superior Courts.  He has also served as Speaker for the Defense Research Institute, the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, the California Trial Lawyers Association, the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association and the Independent Insurance Adjusters.  He has served as Speaker for USLAW's Client Conferences and Employment Law Roundtable.  Mr. Lawler was featured as a guest speaker, discussing the nature of defense litigation and his practice specialties, on radio show "Champions of Justice," which aired across California.

Mr. Lawler has published articles, including:

Mr. Lawler is a member of the State Bar of California, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the American Bar Association Court Liaise Committee.  He is admitted to practice before the California State Courts and the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He is also admitted to practice in the state of Colorado and the District of Columbia.  Mr. Lawler is a graduate of Loyola University of Los Angeles (B.B.A.) and Southwestern University (J.D.).

Ebru Craft got her Chemistry degree from the College of Charleston.  She started her career in operations in the chemical industry working overseas.  Upon moving to the US, she entered the construction chemicals field.  17 years ago, She joined Lafarge and after several years of working in safety, Ebru moved into Risk Management.  She is currently the Director or Risk Management of Lafarge a LafargeHolcim Company with responsibilities in the US and Canada.

Ebru is a Certified Risk Manager (CRM) and also has her AIC and ARM designations.

Frank J. Brier was graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington DC in 1994.  Following graduation, he returned to Pennsylvania and served as law clerk to the Hon. S. John Cottone in the Lackawanna County, Court of Common Pleas.  Mr. Brier has spent the past sixteen years as a trial lawyer litigating in Pennsylvania state and federal courts.  He specializes in defending health care providers in complex cases.  In 2006, Mr. Brier joined Geisinger System Services as General Counsel and Litigation Counsel where he serves currently. He has been selected a Pennsylvania Super lawyer in the area of medical malpractice defense.  He lectures frequently on health care legal topics including professional liability, electronic medical records and fraud and abuse/anti kick back litigation.   Geisinger is a an integrated health services organization widely recognized for its innovative use of the electronic health record, and the development and implementation of innovative care models including advanced medical home and ProvenCare® program. The system serves more than 2.6 million residents throughout 42 counties in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org.   

Mark J. Bunim is an advance trained mediator (by the CPR Center for Dispute Resolution and the New York State Supreme Court Commercial Division) and Arbitrator and an attorney licensed to practice in the Courts of New York and the United States Courts since 1976. Mr. Bunim has conducted numerous mediations and arbitrations concerning insurance coverage issues, securities issues and Directors and Officers liability. He has mediated attorney and accountant professional liability disputes, partnership disputes, real estate related disputes, World Trade Center property-loss and business interruption recovery disputes. In addition, Mr. Bunim mediates and arbitrates commercial, contractual and business/ partnership matters and has an expertise in family business and estate conflicts. He has mediated complex tort cases using structured settlements. From 1996 to 2005 he had been a partner in Robinson Silverman Pearce Aronsohn & Berman, which became Bryan Cave, LLP (in 2002) focusing on commercial litigation, insurance related and coverage cases, and alternative dispute resolution. He was co-leader of the insurance recovery and risk management litigation group. He has spoken at meetings, conventions, and seminars around the country on ADR and insurance issues, i.e. The Claims and Litigation Management Alliance Annual Convention in New Orleans, La., March 2011; and has appeared on radio, television and in the press, talking about risk management and insurance coverage and recovery and Structured Settlements. He has authored articles on Mediation in many publications including the New York Law Journal.             

CJ Hester Inc – Adjusters/Investigators was incorporated in Mobile, AL in 2005 by Cathy Hester, Owner/CEO, following Cathy’s ownership in another Independent Adjusting Company for 10 years.

CJ Hester  is a regional independently owned and operated company, handling claims in the southeastern United States. CJ Hester offers   Residential/ Commercial Property and Casualty claim and investigative services. Customer service is the cornerstone of our business. We provide professional independent claim services at fair and equitable prices with integrity of work product, high ethical standards, attention to detailed documentation and skillful communication to insure unquestionable results and customer satisfaction. We recognize the importance of making ourselves readily available for our clients. We strive to be flexible to effectively represent our clients, in a professional and responsible manner.  We work hard to earn the confidence and trust of our clients on every claim.

We appreciate our clients who entrust us with their business and allow us to continue to do what we love. Please visit our website, www.hesterinc.net.

Ms. Pujals is Vice President & Assistant General Counsel for the NBA.  At the NBA, her areas of responsibility and oversight include litigation, the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, player discipline and arbitrations, compliance and game operations enforcement.  Before joining the NBA, she was a litigator with Cahill, Gordon & Reindel and Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman in New York City.  Ms. Pujals received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center (magna cum laude), where she was the Senior Articles Editor of the American Criminal Law Review.  She received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Boston University (summa cum laude).  Ms. Pujals is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey. 

William B. Oberts is a director at Tribler Orpett & Meyer, P.C.  He is a litigation attorney that focuses his practice on counseling and representing professionals in civil litigation and ethical issues before various courts and professional regulatory bodies, such as the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission and Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. He also represents municipalities, including police and fire departments and their employees, in tort, civil rights, labor, employment and class action litigation and has been appointed as a special assistant state’s attorney for various cities, counties and municipalities. Mr. Oberts also practices in other areas of civil litigation such as automotive, transportation, premises liability and construction, and has achieved successful outcomes for his clients as lead counsel in several jury trials and appeals in both state and federal court.
 
Mr. Oberts has been named a “Leading Lawyer” by Leading Lawyer Magazine, a distinction earned by fewer than 5% of lawyers licensed to practice in Illinois. He was also recognized as a Rising Star in Illinois by Super Lawyers magazine and was selected from over 700 nominees as one of the top "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty" by Law Bulletin Publishing Co. Mr. Oberts has received the Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service from the United States District Court and the Federal Bar Association for his successful representation of an inmate after securing a jury award of both compensatory and punitive damages for his appointed client. Mr. Oberts is the former Chair of the Council on Litigation Management’s Municipal Law Committee, a former member of the Chicago Bar Association’s Board of Managers and is a past Chair of the CBA’s Young Lawyers’ Section, an organization with over 9,000 members. He regularly presents and publishes articles on various issues involving municipalities, schools, professional liability, civility and professionalism.



 

David McMahon is the Managing Partner in Barger & Wolen LLP’s San Francisco office. His practice focuses on large complex litigation. He has worked on numerous high-profile litigation matters involving life settlements, multi-million dollar insurance coverage disputes relating to intellectual property matters, wage and hour litigation, environmental claims, directors and officers liability insurance, maritime matters, and cases involving alleged insurer bad faith.

His expertise also includes international marine transactional work with experience in negotiating shipbuilding contracts. He also has experience in appellate litigation, reinsurance litigation and counseling clients on attorney fee disputes and ethical issues relating to the practice of law.

Mr. McMahon has extensive experience in matters relating to computer-related discovery, large case document management, and the efficient use of technology to streamline the handling of large cases.

He is a co-editor of the firm’s Litigation Management & Attorney Fee Analysis blog.

Old Republic Construction Program Group, Inc.,

2006 to present

Kathie is a key member of the ORCPG Claims management team, with extensive construction claim experience. She has overall responsibility which focuses on claim account management and claim service to our clients.  Since ORCPG utilizes vendor services for the day- to- day adjusting of claims, her experience as a TPA Auto/GL Claim Manager and overseeing TPA’s while with GE is valuable and beneficial for our clients.

 Industry Experience

 CambridgeIntegrated Services Group Inc.

Claim Manager, Auto/GL Operation

Responsible for overseeing 10 file handlers, client services to brokers, carriers, reinsurers and various self-insured clients

2000-2006

 General Electric

Supervisor

Responsible for niche program claim operation with various exposures including theme parks, refuse operators, pest control companies, and wholesale distributors.  Oversight and due diligence of TPA operations for self-insured clients.  The claims were handled on a nationwide basis from one office.

1996-2000

 AetnaLife and Casualty

Sr. Claim Representative

National Account representative for large national companies (Carl Karcher, Ritz Carlton, Morrison Knudsen).  Dedicated representative for all Hawaii operations.

1989-1996

 Continuing Education

AIC designation

CPCU I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, IX and X

Six Sigma - Green Belt training with GE

Ms. Garrett received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the City College of New York in 1990.  She was an emergency department nurse for several years prior to attending law school at Roger Williams University School of Law, from which she graduated in 2004.  Ms. Garrett is admitted to the state and federal bars of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.  She practiced law in Rhode Island, and is currently employed at ProAssurance in Birmingham, Alabama.

Kathy Elsea, AIC, ARM, leads Sara Lee's Corporate Claims Department providing more than 25 years of diverse workers' compensation and liability claims management, strategic planning, project management, and negotiations experience.

She is responsible for designing, developing, and executing claims and litigation management policies and processes.  

She is an active member of  RIMS, Disability Management Employers Coalition, and 60 Summits.

Kevin J. O'Toole is a nationally recognized litigator with an emphasis in environmental, toxic tort and complex litigation matters.  Kevin has been retained by Fortune 500 companies to provide litigation strategy and risk management.

Kevin received his B.A. degree from Seton Hall University (1986) and his Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University School of Law (1989).  He currently serves in the New Jersey Senate.  During his previous post in the state Assembly, Mr. O'Toole held the posts of Deputy Republican Leader and Assistant Majority Leader.

Kevin can be reached at kotoole@oslaw.com.

Steven A. Weiner holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry.  He is a former Assistant County Prosecutor and Acting Special Deputy Attorney General.  With over 30 years of experience in the Courts of New Jersey and New York, Mr. Weiner is a recognized and respected litigator. He maintains an active litigation practice in product liability, toxic tort, environmental and maritime matters and has represented corporate clients in the courts of New Jersey, New York and West Virginia.

Steve, who is also a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), is a former Director of Litigation with Home Insurance Company; a home office claims position where he had responsibility for management of the Company’s litigation in the northeast United States. He is a member of the state and federal bars in New Jersey, New York and Washington D.C. and is a retired Captain, U.S. Naval Reserve and a former member of the District Ethics Committee.

THOMAS P. SCRIVO graduated from Fairfield University in 1985 and from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1989, where he served as an editor of the Law Review. He served as Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Arnold M. Stein, Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. He has served as an adjunct professor of law at Seton Hall University School of Law. He has extensive experience in the areas of complex commercial and corporate litigation, contract disputes, business litigation, banking litigation, labor and employment law, land use and zoning, construction litigation, health care law, real estate tax appeal litigation, estates and trusts litigation, professional liability litigation, patent, copyright, trademark infringement and anti-trust litigation, municipal law, ERISA, election law, environmental law, workers' compensation, toxic tort and product liability litigation, class actions, and securities litigation.

In his employment practice, Mr. Scrivo represents businesses in cases alleging wrongful discharge, discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, and related claims. He has litigated many cases involving the enforcement of restrictive covenants in employment agreements. He provides counseling to clients on all aspects of the employment relationship, including general employment advice and counseling, preparing employee manuals and handbooks, and conducting internal investigations. He also conducts management and employee training. He also has an active workers’ compensation practice, primarily focused on cases involving claims of occupational exposure as well as mass layoffs or plant closings.

In his municipal law practice, Mr. Scrivo serves as Township Attorney to two New Jersey municipalities. In addition, Mr. Scrivo has served as special counsel to municipalities for cases involving real estate tax appeals, labor and employment, civil rights litigation, public bidding and contracts, redevelopment law, and election law. He also represents developers in land use matters before planning boards, boards of adjustment and municipal bodies. He has extensive expertise in redevelopment law. Mr. Scrivo is the author of the treatise, New Jersey Local Government Deskbook, which is updated annually.

Mr. Scrivo is a past President of the Essex County Bar Association. In 2001, he served as Chair of the Essex County Bar Association’s WTC Disaster Relief Task Force, which coordinated the training of more than 250 attorneys to provide free legal services to families and victims of 9/11. He is a member of the American Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, the Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey and the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey. In 2002, he was appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court to the District V-B Ethics Committee, where he served until 2006. He regularly lectures at seminars presented by the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the Essex County Bar Association, and other groups.

In 2002, Mr. Scrivo was named one of New Jersey’s “Top 40 Lawyers under 40” by the New Jersey Law Journal. He was also presented with the Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2002 by the Peter W. Rodino, Jr. Law Society at Seton Hall University School of Law. He also serves as Vice Chair of the Essex County College Board of Trustees.

Vice President of Corporate Risk Management & Safety -  1994 to Present

Graebel Companies is the largest wholly owned relocation company in the world with their family led third-party relocation and move management companies, van line, forwarding operation, nationwide U.S. moving and storage centers, as well as a workplace services divisions. s..s.ssss

Given this unique structure in their industry, Graebel has consistently won industry awards for their Risk & Safety programs and results, most recently winning the 2009 American Moving & Storage Association Fleet Safety Initiative Award.

Mr. Payne oversees many areas of Risk for Graebel, including the following:

Loss Control Driver Qualification Safety Insurance Claims Audit Litigation Management

Graebel self-administer claims and utilizes a strategy of heavy and early involvement in claims and litigation management, including the use of Empathic claims handling ADR techniques.

Having control of both pre and post loss functions has resulted in over a decade of continual declines in both the frequency and severity of claims for Graebel. 

Mr. Payne is also active in RIMS, TIDA and AMSA and previously held positions in the legal department for the Colorado Department of Labor.

I am a highly experienced litigation and complex liability claims manager. I lead my units to administer claims in a hands-on and proactive manner focusing on cost effective and creative resolutions. My units achieve quality results by applying creative and unique claim handling strategies, litigation management strategies and core administration principles. I am proficient in litigation management including the administration of panel counsel and creation of litigation management strategies, protocols and guidelines. I built a group designed to implement and ensure the implementation of the guidelines. I am highly knowledgeable in specialize claims and have created units whose purpose is the management of specialty claims including environmental mass tort and construction defect. I am a leader who strengthens and inspires his direct reports to accomplish shared goals. I shape the organization’s values, promote the organization’s values, protect the organization’s values and exemplify the organization’s values.

Kristin Seabrook has a Bachelor of Science in Business, Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Virginia Tech.  She also has a Juris Doctorate/MBA from the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia.  Following law school, Ms. Seabrook worked for Clark County District Attorney's Office (Las Vegas) as a Deputy District Attorney.  In 2005, she moved to Knoxville, TN where she joined Butler, Vines and Babb as an insurance defense attorney and focused primarily on tractor trailer accidents.  In 2007, Ms. Seabrook joined Pilot Travel Centers LLC as an Associate Attorney.  In 2008, Ms. Seabrook was  promoted to General Counsel and Secretary, where she currently serves.  Ms. Seabrook is responsible for corporate compliance, litigation management, contract drafting and review, environmental and real estate matters, employment law, mergers and acquisitions and corporate books.

Pilot Travel Centers LLC is the nation's largest retail operator of Travel Centers, catering to the professional driver and traveling motorist in 43 states in the US and 7 provinces in Canada with over 550 retail interstate properties. The company is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, employs 20,000 nation-wide and generates revenues in excess of $25 billion.  For more information, visit www.pilotflyinj.com

Kevin E. Wolff, Esq. is a shareholder of the firm of Kinney, Lisovicz, Reilly & Wolff, PC., located in Parsippany, New Jersey and New York, New York. He is admitted to practice in NJ and NY.  His practice concentrates in the areas of insurance and reinsurance coverage, including general liability, property, environmental, employment, errors and omissions, directors and officers, marine, technology matters.  Kevin’s insurance and reinsurance practice is limited to the representation of insurers and reinsurers.  He also counsels and advises clients on the drafting of policy language, contracts and agreements, claims handling, and represents parties in commercial litigation. He has extensive experience in handling bad faith claims.  Kevin is a member of several organizations, including CLM, and is active in its Northern New Jersey Chapter.  Kevin has been recognized as a Band 1 coverage attorney by Chambers USA for 2018. 
 

Preston McGowan is an accomplished insurance executive with expertise in transforming core, legacy operations at some of the world’s largest financial services companies.  As the Senior Vice President – Digital and Customer Experience at AIG, he is responsible for delivering the Private Client Group’s new digital sales and services capabilities.  He is also responsible for collaborating with various service teams to develop new customer experience strategies and product roadmaps.  Prior to joining AIG, Preston spent over 30 years in the commercial insurance marketplace and held senior leadership positions in information technology, corporate strategy, marketing and legal operations. 

Preston earned an MBA from The Wharton School and a BS in Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.  He also holds a Management of Technology diploma from the Georgia Institute of Technology and executive education certificates from Harvard Business School and Wharton/INSEAD.

Patrick O’Doherty, RPLU
Vice President and Managing Director Excess & Surplus Lines
ProAssurance Companies

Patrick O’Doherty has 20 years of experience in the Insurance Industry focused mainly on Medical Professional Liability Insurance.  He is a graduate of the Catholic University of America with a BA in Biology.  He was one of the first 100 people to obtain the RPLU designation from the Professional Liability Underwriting Society.  Currently he manages the Excess and Surplus Lines Division for the ProAssurance Companies. His responsibilities include development of innovative new products and creative risk transfer mechanisms. Prior to that, he managed the underwriting for the southern region of ProAssurance Companies.  Patrick came to ProAssurance after participating in the turnaround effort of Frontier Insurance Companies located in Rockhill, New York. At Frontier he was responsible for the improving the profitability of the Medical Professional Liability Line.

Patrick began his insurance career in Washington, DC with Caronia Corporation spending 3 years as a Litigation Manger and Risk management Consultant.  He next spent 2 years as a broker of professional liability insurance before moving into the Underwriting side where he has been ever since. 

 

Former General Counsel to Protection One, the second largest provider of security alarm monitoring and related services in the U.S.  Responsible for handling all facets of legal operations involving 1,000,000 active residential, commercial, and multifamily customers, 68 branch locations, 2,700 employees, and $380M in annual revenue.  Extensive experience with corporate merger and asset acquisition and disposition, regulatory compliance and licensing, marketing and sales issues, corporate communications, human resources, records management, consumer protection, and litigation management.  

Juris Doctorwith High Honors- University of Tennessee College of Law

Admitted to practice in the States of Texas and North Carolina (currently inactive)

Member: State Bar of Texas; American Bar Association; Dallas Bar Association; Association of Corporate Counsel; Society of Corporate Secretaries & Governance Professionals

Edgar Allen Poe, Jr. is an equity member in West Virginia based law firm of Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe. Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe is an insurance defense law firm with approximately fifty attorneys practicing in the states of West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. The law firm has offices located in Charleston, Beckley, Morgantown and Martinsburg in order to service all areas of the state. The law firm services insurance clients in all aspects of insurance law from general liability to bad faith to coverage issues. The law firm prides itself on a responsive and collaborative method of doing business in the industry.

As an equity member in the law firm, Mr. Poe has over twenty-five years of experience in defending insureds and insurance companies throughout the state of West Virginia. Mr. Poe is well recognized within the industry as a trusted advisor and panel counsel to insurance companies and as a seasoned trial lawyer for their insureds. Mr. Poe has also received the designation of Certified Litigation Management Professional (CLMP) from the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance Litigation Management Institute hosted at Columbia Law School.

Mr. Poe routinely conducts and participates in seminars relevant and timely to the insurance industry and to the defense of insureds. Mr. Poe is actively involved in the West Virginia legal community through the West Virginia State Bar, Defense Trial Council of West Virginia and other organizations. Nationally, Mr. Poe is active in DRI and serves as a State Chair for The Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.

Mr. Poe is also active in his community, having served in a variety of volunteer capacities in the past through various professional, religious and political organizations. Mr. Poe presently serves as Vice President and legal counsel of the United States Tae Kwon Do Won, Inc.

For a separate bio descriptive of Mr. Poe, you may visit the website of Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe at www.pffwv.com or you may call Mr. Poe directly on his cell phone at (304) 549-1505.

Year Joined Organization:  1999 – Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe, PLLC

Areas of Practice:

Insurance Defense Litigation - General Liability and Major Claims

Product Liability

Construction Law

Trucking Law

Mass Tort / Environmental Law

Professional Liability - Medical, Legal, Architect and Engineering

State Government Law

Lance J. Albright is  Vice President of Claims for QBE the Americas.  He has responsibility for management and oversight of the Program Business claims department. He reports directly to the Chief Claims Officer of Program Business. QBE the Americas is a division of QBE Insurance Group Ltd, Australia's largest international general insurance and reinsurance group. It is one of the top 25 insurers and reinsurers worldwide and the 15th largest insurer in the United States.

As Vice President and General Manager, Mr. Albright was responsible for the Legal Solutions Division of Computer Sciences Corporation, the third largest software and IT consulting and services firm in the world.

Prior to joining CSC, Mr. Albright was the Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance Company of America, where he was responsible for the management of Interdepartmental Operations and was a member of Yasuda’s Board of Directors.

He began his insurance career with The Hartford Insurance Company in NYC as a field claims adjuster. He then moved to international insurance with AFIA Worldwide Insurance where he was responsible for international claims. He spent four years at The Home Insurance Company in NYC where he was home office branch claims manager for the Western Region of the United States and Canada.

Mr. Albright received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame. He received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Seton Hall University. Mr. Albright holds the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation.  He also has an Associate in Risk Management (ARM) degree.

He is the current Chairman of the Insurance Federation of New York.  He is on the Board of Directors of the New York City Chapter of CPCU having previously served as the chapter President.

He is a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.

He has two daughters, Kristen and Blair.

Hamp Moody is a shareholder in Quilling, Selander, Cummiskey & Lownds, P.C. with thirty (30) years of experience in representing domestic and foreign primary and excess insurance companies in a broad range of tort, contract and business disputes.  He specializes in handling first- and third-party coverage claims, as well as extra-contractual “bad faith” litigation.  In addition, he has experience representing both domestic and foreign underwriters in reinsurance arbitrations and litigation.

Moody is an experienced trial lawyer who has obtained defense verdicts in cases ranging from routine tort cases lasting as little as three (3) days, to complex bad faith cases lasting ten (10) weeks.  He has also had success at the appellate level where he has represented carriers on a number of key insurance issues. 

Moody has also been recognized for his legal skills by his peers.  He has been voted a “Texas Super Lawyer” each year since 2004, one of the “Best Lawyers in America” since 2006, and one of “America’s Leading Business Lawyers” since 2003.  Chambers USA, a rating guide for lawyers, reports that his peers have described him as “extremely bright, practical and responsive” and “the type of lawyer everyone wants to be.”  A more detailed listing of Mr. Moody’s accomplishments, experience, affiliations, published opinions, publications and speeches is available on his website.

Daniel J. Knight is the Senior Manager of Workers’ Compensation for Raytheon Company based in Waltham, Massachusetts. Raytheon Company, with 2009 sales of $25 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. Raytheon employs 75,000 worldwide.

Mr. Knight is responsible for the management and oversight of the domestic and selected international workers’ compensation program, including a self insured and self administered component in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, along with providing consultant services to Raytheon’s business units and functional organizations.

Before joining Raytheon in 1995, Mr. Knight was an attorney in private practice specializing in litigation and disability law. He also worked as a field investigator and a claims examiner with the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs in Boston.

Mr. Knight is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, and currently serving as senior defense counsel in the 685^thTrial Defense Detachment covering Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. He served on active duty in Baghdad, Iraq as a Civil Affairs officer from May 2007 – April 2008.

Mr. Knight is a graduate of Suffolk University (B.A., 1979) and New England School of Law (J.D., 1983). He is licensed to practice in Massachusetts, U.S District Court – MA, 1^stCircuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

ED STOLARSKI  has a comprehensive  litigation background which spans 30 years. His cases have covered various practice areas, including professional liability, product liablity and general liability matters. He has tried cases  in both the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Ed's  practice currently includes matters within the areas of  medical malpractice.  He also has experience in the areas construction defect  general liability litigation,  first property property and insurance coverage and bad faith litigation.  He has worked within the insurance industry, serving  as a senior trial attorney with The Travelers Insurance Group and as the Managing Attorney for the TIG Insurance Company’s Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey’s litigation offices.Ed graduated from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa. where he obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees.  He obtained his J.D. from the Widener University School of Law.  He obtained his CLMP designation in 2011. He was an instructor at the CLM Claims College in 2014 and will again instruct at the Casualty School of the College in 2015.

Bill is the Corporate Director, Safety & Risk Management for Recology, Inc. in San Francisco.

Prior to joining Recology Bill spent four and a half years as Vice President, Risk Management for PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc. Prior to that he spent more than 20 years with Marriott International / Sodexo, Inc. in various Safety and Risk Management positions, including: Director, Risk Management - Host Marriott; Vice President, Loss Prevention - Marriott Management Services; and Vice President, Risk Management - Sodexho Marriott Services/Sodexo, Inc. Bill also spent 5 years with EBI Companies/The Orion Group Insurance Companies.

Bill has been a speaker or panelist at numerous professional development conferences.  He is a member of the Risk Insurance Management Society, the American Society of Safety Engineers and the CLM.

Bill is a graduate of San Diego State University with a B.S. Applied Art and Science, with emphasis in Occupational Safety and Health. Bill also has an Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation from the Insurance Institute of America.

John joined Reed Smith in June 2008 as a partner in the Insurance Recovery Group and is resident in the firm's Chicago office. His practice focuses on representing policyholders in complex litigation and insurance coverage matters involving Commercial General Liability, Directors & Officers, Errors & Omissions, First Party Property and Business Interruption, Pollution Liability and Fidelity coverage. In addition to wide experience with all major U.S. insurers, he is experienced in litigation, mediation and arbitration with Lloyd's of London, and other London and Bermuda market insurers. His significant representations have encompassed major U.S. policyholders such as Nicor Gas, Boyd Gaming Corporation, Tribune Company, Kraft Foods, Valero Energy, Republic Services, and Anadarko Petroleum. 

After graduating with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1987, John began his legal career in the litigation department at Jenner & Block in Chicago focusing on insurance coverage matters for policyholders. He was one of the principal attorneys involved in developing Jenner & Block's insurance recovery practice on behalf of policyholders, and  he became a partner at Jenner & Block in 1995. In 2000, he joined Zevnik Horton, a national policyholder firm, as a partner in its Chicago office and chair of its insurance recovery practice. In 2003, when Zevnik merged with Morgan Lewis & Bockius, he opened and became the Managing Partner of Morgan's Chicago office. In 2007, he was made co-chair of Morgan's Insurance Recovery Group. 

John is recognized as one of the top policyholder insurance practitioners in the country by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, Legal 500 and Who's Who Legal. He writes and lectures often on insurance coverage topics, including business interruption claims, D&O liability insurance issues, environmental insurance coverage, coverage for emerging areas of tort liability, use of ADR in insurance disputes, and special issues relating to Lloyd's of London and the London insurance market. He has also co-authored the treatise Insurance Coverage Dispute, published by Law Journal Press. 

John is a former co-chair of the American Bar Association Litigation Section's Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee. He twice co-chaired the Committee's annual meeting, and co-chaired a bi-partisan American Bar Association task force that prepared the Manual for Complex Insurance Coverage Litigation.  

Bruce R. Meckler serves as vice-chair of Cozen O'Connor's Commercial Litigation Department and chair of Legal Fee Solutions LLC. He is a member of the firm's Board of Directors and Management Committee. Prior to joining Cozen O'Connor, he was a founder and co-chairman of Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP in Chicago. Bruce began his career as a prosecutor in the State’s Attorney’s Office of Cook County, Illinois as an assistant state’s attorney. Bruce has been providing clients with litigation and counseling services for three decades. As an active litigator, Bruce’s practice consists of high-profile, complex commercial, insurance, professional liability, non-compete/trade secret and constitutional/political litigation. As an adjunct to his professional liability practice, Bruce frequently serves as an attorney’s fee expert and is regularly retained to assist litigants in managing their high stakes litigation. Bruce has conducted in excess of 500 legal bill audits involving in excess of $5 billions of dollars in legal fees.

Bruce currently serves as a gubernatorial appointee on the Judicial Inquiry Board for the State of Illinois. This nine-member board investigates and prosecutes allegations of judicial misconduct or incapacity against active Illinois state court judges – reviewing complaints, determining if an investigation is appropriate, determining which matters will be prosecuted. Bruce previously was a long-standing appointee to the Illinois Supreme Court’s Standing Committee of Professional Responsibility, advising the Illinois Supreme Court on the ethical rules governing attorneys in Illinois.  Bruce recently served as Special Counsel for the United States before the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal of the World Court in the Hague.

Bruce services as an ex-officio director on the Board of Trustees at the John Marshall Law School and on the Board of Advisors at GEMS World Academy.

Dean S. Rauchwerger, partner with Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP, concentrates his practice in the handling of complex, multi-million dollar recovery, insurance  and business litigation on a national basis.  Mr. Rauchwerger has considerable experience in multi-party matters involving product liability, aviation, toxic tort and mass disaster.  His practice has covered extraordinary building fires and a myriad of industrial explosions, structural and industrial equipment failures and other disasters involving substantial property damages and bodily injuries.  Mr. Rauchwerger is a frequent speaker at industry and professional conferences, presenting on a wide variety of topics such as: Fires and Explosions; Federal Tort Claims Act; Fire Spread Liability; Art of War: Litigation Strategies; Effective Negotiation and Mediation; Managing Experts in Complex Litigation; Jumping Over The Evidentiary Hurdles To Victory; False Claims Act/Qui Tam Litigation; Product Liability; and more.  Mr. Rauchwerger has also authored numerous published articles, quoted in mainstay media sources, on cutting edge legal and litigation-oriented issues.

Jeff Scarpitti has spent more that 15 years consulting to law firms and corporate legal departments.

A former practicing attorney, Jeff is focused on enhancing the litigation process through efficient talent acquisition, professional development of litigation executives, streamlining litigation and claims departments and implementing litigation and claims specific technologies.

Jeff is a past speaker at Masters Legal Conference and various Association of Litigation Support Professional and International Legal Technology Association events as well as writing on human capital issues. In addition, Jeff is a Fellow of The Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.

Jeff is the Founder and Managing Principal of the Kennett Group, an international executive search firm specializing in legal services and legal technology industries. The Kennett Group works with AmLaw 200 law firms, leading corporate legal departments and many of the leading consulting organizations

Wendell Large has been trying cases in Maine for more than 25 years.  His cases are not limited by subject matter, but have generally included the defense of professional liability claims, (medical and non-medical, and architectural), the defense of product liability claims, the defense of commercial transportation claims, and the prosecution and defense of large exposure personal injury claims.

Wendell has been recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, elected as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and has been Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.  He has served on the governing boards of the Maine Bar Foundation, the Maine State Bar Association (President, 2006), and the bar conference known as the New England Bar Association (President, 2008).  He currently serves on the Board of Governors for the American Bar Association, and is the liaison from that Board tot he ABA's Standing Committee on Lawyers Professional Liability, of which he was formerly a member.  He is listed in the current editions of "Best Lawyers in America", "New England Super Lawyers", "Benchmark Litigation", and Chambers USA".

389 Sutherland Place 

Chad Callaghan is the Principal for Premises Liability Experts, LLC, a litigation support and security consulting company. He previously served as Vice-President of Global Safety & Security - Americas for Marriott International, having responsibility for the safety and security for all Marriott businesses and brands in the U.S., Latin America and the Carribean.  He has been in the loss prevention profession for 37 years, and with Marriott International for 35 years.

Mr. Callaghan is a member of the CSO Roundtable and a past co-chair of the Commission on Guidelines for ASIS International.

He currently serves as the Security Consultant to the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Mr. Callaghan also serves on the Board of Directors for ASIS International and is a past chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association Loss Prevention Committee.  Additionally, he served on the Security Planning Councils for the Atlanta and Salt Lake  Olympic Games. 

Mr. Callaghan has been a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) since 1984, a Certified Lodging Security Director (CLSD) since 1999, and attained the Certified Security Consultant (CSC) designation in 2006.  In 2001, Mr. Callaghan received the Raymond C. Ellis Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Hospitality Industry and, in 2002, received the Presidential Award of Merit, both from ASIS International.  In 2007, he was recognized as one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People in the Security Industry” bySecurity Magazine.  In 2008, Mr. Callaghan was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from Hospitality Lawyer.com.

Mr. Callaghan has authored several articles on safety and security in the lodging industry and contributed to the reference book Security Business Practices.  Additionally, he currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for Corporate Security and Hospitality Law publications.  He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Houston, Cornell University, Georgia State University and Delaware State University.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Callaghan received a BA degree in Communications from the University of South Florida in 1974 and did graduate work at Georgia State University.  He has a wife and two sons and resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland 

Mr. Peters is Vice President with Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc., an international forensics engineering company where he has investigated over 2,000 construction defect, product liability, environmental, maintenance, design defect and Legionella investigations. He is a licensed Professional Engineer with over 30 years of engineering, construction and facility management experience; he is also a Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Consultant. He has worked as a project manager designing healthcare facilities, as a healthcare facility executive maintaining over 2 million square feet of hospital buildings and as an owner’s representative managing construction projects totaling over $100 million. He is a frequent presenter on various topics including Legionellosis, plumbing, healthcare maintenance, building science, and indoor air quality.

Larry Smith is a founding partner of SmithAmundsen, an Executive Committee member emeritus (1997-2007), and Co-chair of the firm's Labor & Employment Practice Group. Larry is experienced at alternative dispute resolution including mediation and arbitration, case monitoring, case evaluation, and trial litigation, having tried over 120 jury cases throughout his career.  His experience covers many areas including product liability, transportation, aviation, employment, and commercial law.  He is also an authority on the defense of traumatic brain injury claims.  His practice focuses on risk management consulting, case monitoring, mediation, and implementing successful trial strategies. Larry was named to the Illinois Super Lawyers* list for 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, a peer review designation published by Law & Politics magazine. He will also be included in the Super Lawyers* list, Corporate Counsel Edition, for 2010. Larry received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell for his legal ability and ethics and was named a Leading Lawyer in transportation defense law (aviation, FELA, and maritime), alternative dispute resolution (employment and personal injury), and products liability defense law by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company.

Carmella is an Associate in the New York City office. She has over 30 years of experience in structured settlements, and specializes in high exposure cases, including medical malpractice, product liability, trucking accidents and other catastrophic injury claims.She has been a pioneer in the use of periodic payments in non-traditional cases, such as sexual harassment, employment discriminations and financial institutions. As an expert in her field, Carmella is frequently called on as a speaker and lecturer by industry organizations, including the New York State Bar Association , the New York Mediator’s Conference and as a guest panelist for the CLM Annual conference.. Additionally, she has trained judges in the use of special needs trusts and structured settlements.Other accomplishments include implementing and writing training manuals on structured settlements, Medicare set-asides, special needs trusts and the art of negotiation for several major insurance companies.Carmella’s knowledge and background in the medical field and her expertise in the economics of life care plans have established her as a recognized expert on personal injury cases by members of the bar and insurance claims managers involved in general liability cases.By using settlement annuity tools, such as sub-standard age ratings, special needs and other trusts, Carmella can design settlement annuity plans that provide the greatest benefits to injured parties. These financial plans provide protection and guaranteed tax-free income to injured persons, often for life.She is a member of the National Structured Settlements Trade Association (NSSTA)  including the NSSTA Women's Cauccus and DEIB committee, and a Certified Structured Settlement Consultant (CSSC), having received that designation from NSSTA in concert with the University of Notre Dame. Carmella is also a member of the National Association of Insurance Women.

Mr. Fabian is a lawyer with twenty years of experience in the resolution of complex insurance and reinsurance disputes, both within the industry and in private litigation practice. Mr. Fabian joined the run-off team in 1999 as a senior attorney in the strategic unit. In 2000, Mr. Fabian became Director of Assumed Reinsurance. In 2001, Mr. Fabian assumed responsibility for managing the run-off group’s coverage litigation as Vice President, Director of Litigation. In 2008, Mr. Fabian was appointed General Counsel and Director of Litigation. As General Counsel, Mr. Fabian manages a team of highly experienced lawyers and paralegals responsible for all litigation and other legal matters involving the company. He also concentrates on new business development.

Before joining TRG, Mr. Fabian was national counsel to various major insurers and reinsurers at the national law firm, Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps. Mr. Fabian is an experienced negotiator and he has resolved numerous high exposure insurance/reinsurance and commercial disputes during his career. He is also a frequent lecturer and writer on a variety of insurance and litigation oriented topics and is a graduate of Boston University School of Law.

Mr. Rosenberg focuses his practice on construction law and civil litigation. He has been recognized for the past twelve years as one of Ohio's leading construction lawyers by Chambers USA. In recent editions of Chambers USA, it is stated that Mr. Rosenberg is "esteemed for his broad expertise, and he has an impressive list of clients." He has been selected as an "Ohio Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics magazine and Cincinnati Magazine for the years 2004 - 2016. He is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America" in the specialty of construction law and has an AV rating from Martindale - Hubbell Law Directory.

Mr. Rosenberg is an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association, past Chairperson of Division 4 - Project Delivery Systems of the American Bar Association, Forum on Construction Law, former Chairperson of the Lawyers Group of the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio, former Chairperson of the Construction Law Committee of the Columbus (Ohio) Bar Association and a member of the Construction Law Committee of the Ohio State Bar Association. He has served as a mediator in construction disputes on projects of all sizes.

Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law (2010 to present); AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory; Selected by Chambers & Partners USA 2003-present in "Leaders in their Field" for Construction Law (Ohio) Ranked as one of Ohio's leading construction law attorneys by Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyer's and Chambers USA Client's Guide.  Selected as an "Ohio Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics magazine and Cincinnati Magazine (2004-present) . Assistant Attorney General, State of Ohio (1983-1988); appointed as special counsel to the Attorney General (1989-1995).

Jay M. Feinman is Distinguished Professor of Law at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Law at Camden.

Feinman is a well-known expert on contract law, tort law, insurance law, and legal education. His scholarly work, including more than fifty scholarly articles, has been widely cited in the academic literature and by courts, including the United States Supreme Court.

Among his professional activities, Feinman is an elected member of The American Law Institute and a member of the New Jersey bar.

Feinman has received every teaching prize awarded at Rutgers, including the Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching (2005), the Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in Teaching (2004), and the Provost's Award for Teaching Excellence (1999).

Feinman received his B.A. degree summa cum laude from American University and his J.D. degree cum laude from the University of Chicago, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and Comment Editor of the University of Chicago Law Review.

His many publications include "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It" (Portfolio/Penguin 2010); "Un-Making Law: The Conservative Campaign to Roll Back the Common Law" (Beacon Press, 2004; paperback 2005); "Law 101: Everything You Need to Know About the American Legal System" (Oxford University Press, 2000; 2nd ed. 2006; 3rd ed. forthcoming May 2010) (also published in English edition in China and in translation in Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, Dari, Pashtu, Urdu, and Bulgarian) and "1001 Legal Words You Need to Know" (Oxford University Press, 2003; paperback 2005) (also published in Chinese-English edition).

Harold L. “Lou” Tabor, Esq. 

Casualty Claims Manager for Saia Motor Freight Line, LLC

Lou is a lifelong resident of South Louisiana.  In 1975 Lou graduated from Nicholls State University with a B.A. in Communication Arts. While working full-time as a claims adjuster Lou earned a J.D. in Civil Law (class of ’89) at Loyola University, New Orleans School of Law and he has been admitted to the bar since 1990.

Lou has been with Saia Motor Freight Line, LLC since 2000.  At Saia, Lou directs or supervises the adjustment of casualty claims and casualty litigation working with a staff of internal adjusters or a third party administrator.  For serious accidents Lou is on call 24/7 and he directs the initial response to accidents by coordinating the activities of independent adjusters and accident reconstruction experts with local counsel. Lou’s territory covers the 34 states in which Saia has operations.

For ten years prior to joining Saia Lou managed litigated casualty and auto claims first at Travelers and then at Progressive. Prior to focusing on litigation management Lou adjusted or supervised property claims at Travelers, Crawford, First of Georgia and Republic Insurance Group.

Kenneth M. Roberts is Executive Committee Member/Partner at Schiff Hardin LLP and concentrates his practice in the field of construction law, project controls and procurement contracts, particularly on behalf of owners in the energy industry. Mr. Roberts is consulted on a daily and ongoing basis by energy companies’ procurement and risk management departments concerning every aspect of planned or ongoing construction projects and outages. Mr. Roberts engages in a range of services from preparation of and negotiation of contracts, project controls monitoring and advice during on-going projects, negotiation of change orders and contract additions, alternate dispute resolution through mediation, arbitration, dispute review boards and, when necessary, litigation. 

Mr. Roberts has an extensive background of representing owners, contractors and architect/engineers in multi-faceted, complex disputes involving delays, disruption and losses of efficiency; breaches of contracts for performance, scope of work and payment; and complex multi-party insurance coverage issues.  He is widely recognized for his successful use of alternate dispute resolution, having successfully resolved virtually every type of construction dispute.

Mr. Roberts is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law (J.D., with distinction, 1985) and the University of Iowa (B.G.S., Business, Political Science, Rhetorical Studies, with honors, 1982).

ason B. Schlossberg is the founding partner of the Law firm Schlossberg & Umholtz where he practices defending workers’ compensation claims in the Los Angeles office.  He is an attorney who is licensed to practice law in the State of California and Connecticut.  Mr. Schlossberg is a Certified Specialist in workers’ compensation law and has received his Certificate of Specialization from the California Board of Legal Specialization.  Mr. Schlossberg’s practice consists 100% in defending employers, against workers’ compensation claims.  This practice consists of all aspects of workers’ compensation including but not limited to Labor Code Section 132(a) claims, Serious & Willful complaints, and Subrogation issues.  He provides employers with consultative advice as well as a full defense to claims.  He is a frequent speaker at Seminars for the general public as well as for specific employers upon request.  In 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011 he was listed in Los Angeles Magazine as one of the top “Super Lawyers” in Southern California.  In 2010 he was also listed as a “Super Lawyer” in the Corporate Counsel Edition.  Mr. Schlossberg earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in business from the University of Southern California and a J.D. degree from Emory University. 

Robert Scott graduated summa cum laude from Austin College in Sherman, Texas with a B.A. in economics. He earned his law degree from Hofstra University School of Law in New York. Robert is a member of the State Bar of Texas Data Security and Privacy Committee, the Dallas Bar Association's Computer Law Section, International Association of Information Technologies Asset Managers, Metroplex Technology Business Council, Council of Litigation Management, Dallas/Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Association, and serves as a member of the MSP Alliance Advisory Board.

Robert is admitted to practice before all Texas State Courts, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, United States District Court for the Northern, Western and Eastern Districts of Texas, United States District Court for the District of Colorado. 

Thomas J. Little is a Litigation Manager for Veolia/Sedgwick CMS and licensed to handle claims in 18 states along with several other states not requiring licenses. He routinely attends depositions and mediations for Veolia which has been his dedicated client for the past 10 years. He has been in the insurance claims business for 31 years and has also taught classes through the Insurance Institute of America. He represents Veolia at 20 to 30 mediations every year and also attends all key depositions and trials. Mr. Little has attended mediations in all areas of insurance including General Liability Claims, Auto Liability claims, Workers Compensation subrogation, PD subrogation and Jones Act claims. He has attended mediations on the east coast, Midwest and across the south from Florida to Texas. Mr. Little graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater - Deans list 1st honors with a BBA in Finance. He has his Associate in Management and Associate in Risk Management degrees from the Insurance Institute of America and has classes toward his CPCU and Masters. TJ graduated from the first CLMP (Certified Litigation Management Professional) program at Columbia Law School in October of 2011.

Erin Rowan Myers has 15 years of legal and medical malpractice claim experience. Erin began her career with the Pennsylvania MCARE Fund handling medical malpractice claims. While at MCARE, she also served as a Litigation Supervisor managing a team of medical malpractice attorneys. She is trained as a mediator and served as Mediation Coordinator for the MCARE Fund. Erin also served as a Territory Manager at Medical Protective where she managed claims for physicians throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 2007, Erin took a position with Catholic Health Partners managing medical malpractice claims in Pennsylvania and Ohio.  She has managed claims throughout the United States.  Erin is currently a Senior Claims Consultant with PHT Services, Ltd. in Columbia, SC. She received her BS in Accounting from Gannon University and her JD from Widener University School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania.

Karen Woodward is a trial attorney who focuses her practice on the defense of class actions as well as complex product and professional liability matters.  Ms. Woodward has extensive experience coordinating national and statewide litigation against tobacco, medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, as well as defending these entities and other product manufacturers in individual products liability actions involving catastrophic injuries. She has also successfully handled actions against directors, officers, broker-dealers and attorneys. She heads the Los Angeles office’s Professional Liability group and is active in Sedgwick’s Class Action Task Force and Co-Chairs the Drug & Medical Device Practice Group.

Ms. Woodward works in collaboration with her clients to serve their business and strategic objectives.  It is her professional mission to provide legal services that are value-based.  To this end, Ms. Woodward’s case management practices are specifically tailored to the demands of a particular action, in conjunction with her client’s needs, and with an emphasis on forward thinking and efficiency at all times. 

Litigation Matters

Ms. Woodward’s litigation experience includes:

She has also procured favorable results for her clients — from negotiating early settlement to prevailing on dispositive motions to obtaining defense verdicts at trial — in numerous individual products liability and general liability actions.

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

Ms. Woodward is admitted to practice in Texas (1996) and California (1999).  She is also admitted to practice in the Fifth and Ninth Circuit Courts as well as various U.S. District Courts in California and Texas.

Ms. Woodward is a proud member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, for which she serves on the Live Standards Training Program Committee and is a State Chairperson for California.  In this capacity, Ms. Woodward worked with other committee members to develop a “Trial Practices” program that has been offered throughout the country. She also Co-chairs the ABA Mass Torts Committee’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Subcommittee.

As the Chairperson of Sedgwick’s Los Angeles Women's Forum, she is dedicated to the recruitment, retention and advancement of female attorneys.  She has facilitated and/or presented a variety of programs aimed at serving this constituency, including career advancement, business development, and networking seminars.

Since 1998, Ms. Woodward has served as an attorney for the Something of Value Program, sponsored by the National Panhellenic Conference.  She travels to college campuses around the country to present a mock trial program and facilitate conversation among students about avoidance of risky behaviors.

Presentations and Publications

Education

Ms. Woodward graduated cum laude with a B.A (1992) in government and religion from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Ms. Woodward received her J.D. (1996) from Southern Methodist University School of Law in Dallas, Texas. While at SMU, she was inducted into the Order of the Barristers and named Outstanding 3L Advocate. She participated on ten state and national mock trial and moot court teams.

FultonCounty is the largest metropolitan county in Georgia with Atlanta as its county seat.  Denise McHam- Pinto, RMPE manages P&C risk management operations for Fulton County Government in Atlanta Georgia. Her focus is on contractual /coverage analysis , risk transfer strategies, complex claims, subrogation strategy setting and regulatory compliance issues in  property assets facility management. Denise believes knowledge management, the acquisition and leveraging of same is what sharpens the competitive edge. She actively advocates combining technology and human factor experience to profile and model business scenarios. She has developed the Risk Management Information System at Fulton to  be a signature tool to support decision making that is data driven and corroborated by presenting experiential knowledge and professional  expertise .

 She draws from over  twenty years of private and public sector  experience, with high skill competencies  in operational audits  and performance  metrics setting,  contracts analysis and coverage interpretation, strategy and performance setting, developing strategies for successful litigation,  subrogation and complex / claims outcomes.  Her Risk Management career was preceded by a deep rooted multi line adjusting experience with major P&C carriers in NE, SE, and CA that included stints at Home Office level direct Reporting and advising on Fidelity &Surety coverage’s and as a Senior Investigator in the Home Office  Special Investigations Unit.  Denise also enjoys the distinction of being a trailblazer recruit of the inaugural class at the  Howard University Center for Insurance Education. 

Denise oversees and auditsthe overall Risk Management Division’s Operations; directly manages the STARS Risk Management Information System’s database development and knowledge management, as well as the Litigation and Subrogation and Recovery Programs at Fulton. Denise collaborates with the Division Manager of Risk Management, Agency heads, and the Office of the County Attorney in developing programs, implementing and monitoring risk and compliance controls, policies and procedures, contract review and mitigation efforts that affect internal stakeholders and citizens.

Denise is a member and participant  with various industry and community groups including Atlanta Claims Association, National Association of Insurance Women, RIMS, including service as VP of Operations , Atlanta Chapter, and Executive Committee Member of PRIMA External Affairs Committee. She is a frequent adviser and speaker on practical risk management strategies, governance and compliance and has been a featured presenter at Public Risk Manager’s Conference (PRIMA) and CLM National Conference.

While an in-house attorney, John was one of the earliest adopters of electronic invoicing technology, allowing him to aggregate invoice and performance metrics data, generate litigation management reports, evaluate the effectiveness of outside counsel, implement cost reduction strategies and evaluate internal staffing choices.

After completing a clerkship for a Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court John entered private practice concentrating on the defense of architects and engineers. After leaving private practice he held a variety of legal positions with national insurers in the areas of environmental coverage and litigation management, most recently as Chief Claims Counsel for OneBeacon where he had responsibility for staff counsel, panel counsel, coverage counsel, environmental and extra-contractual litigation. In 2010 John re-entered private practice as a partner with a national defense firm where he concentrated on national program management, insurance coverage and general liability litigation and in 2013 he was appointed General Counsel for the CLM. John was also of counsel to the Wood, Smith, Henning and Berman firm and is now Head of Litigation and Vendor Management for AXA XL.

An attorney for over 30 years, he is "AV" rated by Martindale and is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and  the United States Supreme Court. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College, University of New Hampshire Law School, and has completed management training programs at the Wharton School of Business and the London Business School. He was the 2008 Chair of the ACC Insurance Staff Counsel Committee and a Boston 2012 Top Rated Lawyer (insurance coverage)

 

Julie Fortune is Senior Vice President and Chief Claims Officer for Arrowpoint Capital based in Charlotte, NC. The Arrowpoint Capital insurance operation has a 165-year history in the United States, formerly as part of the worldwide Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Group plc. Julie is responsible for the workers' compensation claims management operation.  She has more than 20 years of claims and legal experience in the insurance arena with both ongoing and run-off companies.

Prior to joining Arrowpoint Capital, Julie served as the Vice President of Staff Counsel, Services Provider Group and Claims at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co., Sr. Vice President Claims Zurich Canada, Vice President – Customer Services Provider Group and National Litigation Manager for Zurich North America, and National Litigation Manager for Liberty Mutual. Throughout her career she has gained extensive experience in claims, organizational transition, and vendor and litigation management.

Julie earned her B.S. degree from the University of Oregon, M.A. degree from the Ohio State University, and J.D. degree from the Antioch School of Law.  She is a member of the Supreme Court of the United States, Tennessee, and Oregon.

She is a frequent speaker at industry events and has been quoted in various publications on the topic of claims and litigation management. She is the current Co-Chair and an Advisory Board member of the CLM, and a Chancellor for the Litigation Management Institute.  Julie is also a member of the American Bar Association and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Mr. Peahl recently retired.   Recently, he was the Chief Litigation Management Executive for Wilson Elser where he was responsible for development and management of programs that ensure consistently exceptional client services.

Mr. Peahl has over 30 years of professional experience  as a practicing attorney and in corporate litigation management positions.  Prior to joining Wilson Elser, Mr. Peahl was Senior Vice President, Litigation Services for AIG, where he was responsible for litigation management programs and practices relating to selection, compensation and management of counsel retained by or on behalf of the claims organizations of the AIG member companies.

EDUCATION

  B.A. in Psychology, University of Minnesota

  J.D. with Honors, Hamline University School of Law

Licensed to practice law in DC, Illinois and Minnesota.

Issy Bustamante is Vice President and Construction Claims Team Leader with Willis’ New York Construction Practice.   Issy is responsible for a team of dedicated Claims Consultants. Together they compromise the largest specialized claims team within Willis; solely dedicated to New York construction clients and the management of their claim portfolios.Prior to the role of Construction Claims Team Leader, Issy served as a Senior Claims Consultant for Willis from 2012 – 2014 where she provided consultative services to clients by working hand in hand with Willis’ loss control and safety consultants to create tailored programs for new and existing traditional and wrap up projects.   Issy has a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Finance from CUNY Queens College.

As of July 1, 2016, Mr. Shelonko is employed as a risk management consultant and continues to provide consulting services to his former employer and other clients in the areas of his expertise. Mr. Shelonko was employed in Risk Management at Lafarge since February of 1999. As of October 2006, Mr. Shelonko had been in charge of the risk management department of Lafarge.  In 2008, he was promoted to the position of Vice President of Risk Management - Americas.  Mr. Shelonko managed the self-insured and insured risks in North and South America, including two Vermont insurance captives.  He directed the marketing and purchase of commercial insurance for all of  North America and coordinates joint global programs in South America.  He reported directly to the V.P. of Finance - Americas.  He had served as Chair and co-Chair  of the Cement, Aggregates and Ready-Mix Risk Management Association Industry Group from 1999 to 2015.

Prior to joining Lafarge, Mr. Shelonko was a Regional Manager and Assistant Vice President for Cunningham Lindsey in Dallas, Texas where he managed five claims offices for national third party claims administrator.  He also served as a Claims Supervisor at Gay & Taylor, and an Examiner at The Crawford & Company, both in Dallas, Texas.

 Tony Campo is the Managing Partner in the Boston office.  He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York.  His practice focuses on the areas of Business Litigation, Construction Law, Transportation, Premises Liability, Malpractice, Products Liability, Professional Liability, Insurance Coverage, Motor Vehicle Litigation, Environmental, Employment and Directors and Officers Liability.

Tony received a B.A. from Curry College and a J.D. from New England School of Law.  Tony’s employment history includes Safety Insurance Company (1980-1981); Continental Insurance Companies, Underwriters Adjusting Company (1981-1988) and Recovery Manager, New England Region (1983-1988).

His publications include Indemnification Provisions in Construction Contracts; Dealing with Indemnification & Contribution Claims in Personal Injury Cases, published by the Massachusetts Bar Association (Fall 1995).

He is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, Board of Directors, Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (2004-2008), Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association, American Arbitration Association, Panel of Arbitrators, Defense Research Institute, Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc., Transportation Lawyers Association, Board of Trustees, Chairman, Curry College, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance and the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Shari Claire Lewis is a Partner in the firm's Professional Liability and Litigation & Appeals Practice Groups. Ms. Lewis' practice, at the intersection of law and technology, includes matters involving attorney and other professional liability, medical device and product liability, and computer and Internet litigation. Ms. Lewis represents lawyers and other non-medical professionals in diverse litigation, including commercial litigation, securities fraud, intellectual property, malpractice, fraud, R.I.C.O, contract breach, constitutional violations, and other tort theories. Ms. Lewis also specializes in representing manufacturers, distributors and maintenance companies in connection with medical device and product liability claims, including angioplasty devices, coronary and tracheal stents, orthopedic and dental implants, operating room fixtures, disposable medical products, factory and farm machinery, hair dye and cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, industrial and consumer electrical products. With particular expertise in technology law issues, Ms. Lewis represents entities at the cutting edge of twenty-first century technology, including Internet registrars, software designers and various Internet and computer providers. She has litigated cases involving domain name disputes, cybersquatting, freedom of speech, online and “click wrap” contracts, jurisdiction, and antitrust and trademark violation in that medium. She also drafts technology and online contracts on behalf of technology vendors and consumers, as well as policies and/or terms of service for use on her clients' websites.
 

Nicky Mukerji is widely regarded as one of the world's leading experts on Legal Spend Management. He has developed innovative and pioneering solutions that fulfill the business information needs of Risk Managers and General Counsel worldwide. Mr. Mukerji draws upon his expertise in Project Management, Business Intelligence, Predictive Modeling, and Statistical Analysis to develop the perfect Spend Management Solution for each client.

Mr. Mukerji is an Strategic Consultant and Coach who works with large corporate legal and risk management departments, focusing on process improvement, technology enhancement, and cost saving initiatives. He has a background in strategic consulting and technology, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Jonathan Gerdes is a Claim Executive with over 30 years of property and casualty insurance claims experience and who has held various increasingly responsible field, regional and home office level positions. He has exposure to all property and casualty lines with an emphasis on casualty claims having worked for top 20 insurance carriers, a nationwide TPA , a worldwide top 4 insurance advisory company and a Fortune top 10 self-insured. Jonathan has extensive experience with helping claim organizations achieve their full potential through the consistent delivery of superior claim outcomes.Currently he is the Chief Claim Officer for Frank Crum Insurance. Where he is responsible for the direction, oversight, and management of all claim related activity including Worker’s Compensation, General Liability and Construction Defect claims.  Jonathan has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration and a Master’s of Business Administration both from Stetson University. He has earned his CPCU, SCLA and AIC designations.

Kathy R. Davis is a partner with Carr Allison and is a resident in its Birmingham, Alabama, office.  She serves as Chair of the firm’s Construction Law Group, focusing her practice on handling construction law cases, professional liability cases, general litigation cases, and insurance coverage matters. In 2014, Kathy became the first woman Chair of DRI's Construction Law Committee.  She is the former Chair of USLAW Network's Construction Group.  Kathy was a Contributing Editor to CLM's Claims Handling Resource Guide for Alabama in 2014.  practice includes a significant amount of construction related litigation and she has represented general contractors, subcontractors, developers, owners, suppliers, and homeowners in litigation, mediation and other proceedings in connection with construction contracts and projects.   Kathy is on the approval panel for many of the national insurance companies and she has served as National Coordinating Counsel in major construction litigation.  In March 2012, Kathy was selected for inclusion in Birmingham Magazine’s Top Attorneys for 2012. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama School of Law and is a frequent speaker on the topics of construction litigation.

Sandy Doty is licensed to practice both in Mississippi and Tennessee, with her primary office located in Jackson, Mississippi.  Ms. Doty has over 15 years experience in general liability litigation, with an emphasis on long term care/medical malpractice and workers compensation. She takes an aggressive approach to litigation, with an early assessment and regular re-assessments being done to determine whether settlement or trial is the preferred course of action. A natural litigator, Sandy has achieved great success when a matter proceeds to trial. When settlement is preferred, she has an equally impressive track record with all forms of ADR. 

Toni Forge is a Principal with Total Litigation Solutions, a litigation management consulting firm based in Los Angeles, California.  Toni is a graduate of Hastings College of the Law and holds a bachelor’s degree in both Business and Humanities from the University of San Francisco.

For over 18 years, Toni Forge has worked in-house as legal counsel.  Toni began her career as in-house counsel for State Farm Insurance Company.  She left civil litigation and entered the financial services arena where she became Vice-President and Associate General Counsel for both Transamerica Asset Management and Trust Company of the West.  Toni returned to the insurance industry where she served as Regional Managing Attorney for Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and a Claims Executive for Arrowpoint Capital, formerly Royal and SunAlliance Insurance Company.

Toni has been and still is a key player in developing case management platforms, implementing fixed fee and alternative fee solutions, file resolution strategies and instituting strong internal controls relating to billing and bill analysis.

William J. Sommers, Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 1, 1950. He was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1975 and Texas Bar in 1991. He is admitted to practice before all federal and state courts in Louisiana and Texas, the United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits. He received his education from Loyola University (B.A., cum laude, 1972) and Loyola University School of Law (J.D., 1975) where he was Case Note Editor of the Loyola Law Review. He is a graduate of both National and Advanced Sessions of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in Boulder, Colorado. He is a member of the Louisiana and Texas Bar Associations, the Maritime Law Association of the United States and the New Orleans Bar Association.

* Thirty-two years of intense, successful litigation practice in State and Federal Courts in Louisiana and Texas. Experience includes investigation, pre-trial written and oral discovery, motion practice, jury and non-jury trials and non-binding mediations.

* Two years of practice devoted entirely to the complex Valdez grounding litigation.

* Specialization in Jones Act, Platform and Maritime Personal Injury, Premise Liability, Louisiana and Texas State Tort Liability, insurance defense, supervision of outside counsel and in-house trial team.

* Adjunct Professor, Loyola College of Law, 2008

* Faculty member: National Institute for Trial Advocacy Gulf Coast Regional Advocacy Program, 2007

* Faculty member: National Institute for Trial Advocacy Gulf Coast Deposition Training Program, 2008

* Faculty member: National Institute for Trial Advocacy/American Bar Association National Public Service Corporation Teaching Program, 2008

* Faculty member: National Institute for Trial Advocacy/National Disabilities Rights Network Expert Witness Program, 2008

* Loyola College of Law Skills Faculty, 2001-present, teaching the following courses:

  - Deposition Skills   - Trial Tactics   - Developing the Theme and Theory of the Case   - The Art of Persuasion: Influencing Juries When the Law and Facts are Against You

* Martindale-Hubbell A/V rating.

* Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy Faculty 2009

Click here to read an article on Loyola's Trial Advocacy Program with Bill Sommers.   Click here to read about their 2009 victory in New Haven, Connecticut.

Practice Areas: Maritime & Admiralty; Insurance Defense; Toxic Torts.

Jack Culotta, a native of New Orleans, is a partner at Bernard, Cassisa, Elliott & Davis who received his Bachelor of Science degree at Louisiana State University in 1980 and his J.D. degree from Loyola University in 1985.  He practices in a wide-range of legal fields including representation of insurance clients, manufacturers, and self-insured interests.  He has also been involved in general business and commercial litigation as well as the representation of parties involved in cases with allegations of violations of unfair trade practices, bad faith and fraud statutes and cases involving violations of professional standards of care by various healthcare providers.  His experience as a litigator also includes the representation of parties in intellectual property disputes and parties in several large class action cases.  He was recently appointed to the Insurers’ Steering Committee on Chinese Drywall cases for national MDL cases and has been a board member of the Federal Bar Association since 2007.  Mr. Culotta has tried several jury and non-jury cases in both State and Federal courts and has argued in various appellate courts, as well as the Louisiana Supreme Court in October, 2010.

Mr. Culotta maintains a Martindale-Hubbell rating of “AV” indicating an attorney who has reached the height of professional excellence, has practiced law for many years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity.

Susan Chapman has 35 years of experience in the insurance industry.  She started her career with the General Adjustment Bureau in Florida and later relocated to Denver, Colorado to join the staff of GAB’s National Training Center.  Susan practiced law with a defense firm until she was recruited to serve as the Claims Manager for the Denver Regional Transportation District.  Since January 1988, Susan has been with AIG.  Susan worked as a Legal Auditor for over 20 years.  Susan was instrumental in refining the systems and procedures for Lexington’s new initiative on centralized bill review.  In July 200, AIG appointed Susan the Director of the Billing Review Unit.  In her role as director, Susan oversees the review and adjustment of invoices and monitors billing issues and appeals.

Susan graduated from both the University of Florida and the New England School of Law. She has an ARM designation and is a member of the Council on Litigation Management. She is married and has two children. In addition to enjoying time with her family, she is an accomplished potter.

Mr. LaMacchia is Senior Vice President, Field Operations for Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc. Gallagher Bassett is a world wide Risk Management Services provider and recipient of Business Insurance Readers Choice Award for "Best Third Party Administrator" for 2008, 2009 and 2010. Mr. LaMacchia has expansive management experience including operational responsibilities for developing and executing claims handling policies, processes, quality assurance as well as partnership and vendor service programs. 

Mr. LaMacchia received his Bachelor of Science Degree, Magna Cum Laude , from Michigan State University in 1975, followed by a Master of Science Degree in 1978. He has over 30 years of claims related experience, the last 26 with Gallagher Bassett. 

Timothy W. Waldeck of Waldeck Law Firm P.A. located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is licensed and practices law in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. He is a 1970 graduate of Bradley University and a J.D. graduate of Drake University in 1972. He is a member of the Hennepin County and Minnesota State Bar Associations; Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association; State Bar of Wisconsin; National Retail and Restaurant Association; Twin Cities Claims Association; and is Vice Chairman of Eagle International Associates, Inc. AV rated by Martindale Hubbell. Mr. Waldeck has practiced exclusively in insurance defense throughout most of his career providing defense to both surplus lines and standard line carriers with primary emphasis in defense of products liability, professional liability, and church claims.

Mr. Waldeck has been a presenter for continuing education for adjusters and continuing legal education for lawyers throughout the years, including the following: Discovery in Liquor Liability Cases - Minnesota CLE; Employers Coverage B Exposure in 3rd Party Claims - Minnesota Claims Association; Bad Faith Litigation in Minnesota and Wisconsin; Construction Coverage Issues; Evaluating and Negotiating of Claims, and A Nationwide Review of 2012 Claims Issues (Minor Settlements) -  Eagle International Association, Inc.; Unfair Claims Practices and Dram Shop Law to Burlington Insurance Company; a presenter for the CLM Annual Conference 2011 Roundtable - Commercial Litigation: Two's Company, Three's a Crowd, and CLM Annual Conference 2012 – Claims Handling and Communications with the International Product Manufacturer: “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly,”  In addition, he's a contributing author for Engineering Testimony published by the Biomedical Engineering through the University of Iowa. Mr. Waldeck has been involved in the trial of hundreds of lawsuits and has over 50 appellate court decisions from the State of Minnesota, State of Wisconsin and the 8th Federal Circuit.

Karen D. Fultz is Of Counsel at Sheehe & Associates, P.A. practicing with the Insurance Department. She focuses her practice on subrogation and recovery. Prior to joining the firm, Karen was an A.P. & Dean with WMU Cooley Law School. She also served as a judicial intern for the Hon. Denise Page Hood of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

As a member of the subrogation and recovery department she handles product liability cases ranging from $100,000 to over $1,000,000.00 involving product failures which result in fire and/or water losses.  She is the coordinator for the Atlanta office’s pro bono program and provides legal assistance for the underprivileged and unrepresented community in the state of Georgia in partnership with Georgia Legal Services and the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer Foundation.

 She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia’s Insurance Law Section, and its Young Lawyers Division. She served as the President of the Gate City Bar Association (2005), and continues to serve as a member. She is also a member of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, the Atlanta Bar Association and a member of the American and National bar associations. Karen was selected for inclusion in the eighth edition of Who's Who In Black Atlanta.

 She is the author of the article “Workers' Compensation Recovery Issues - Conflicts of Law in Georgia: Can You Intervene to Protect a Foreign State's Lien?” which was published in the Subrogator (1/11/2006). She has made presentations on topics such as Motor Carrier/Cargo Claims, Taking Your First Deposition, and Workers’ Compensation Subrogation claims.

 Karen received her bachelor of arts degree from Michigan State University in 1993 and her law degree in 1998 from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, cum laude, where she served on Moot Court.

Cisselon Nichols Hurd currently serves as Senior Litigation Counsel for Shell Oil Company in Houston, Texas, where she handles environmental litigation.  Prior to joining Shell, she served as Senior Counsel at ConocoPhillips, formerly Conoco Inc., where she managed mass toxic tort litigation matters.  Ms. Hurd also previously served in a variety of governmental positions in the U.S. Virgin Islands including Counsel to the Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General for Environmental Enforcement.  Prior to her work in the Virgin Islands, Ms. Hurd clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge Harry W. McKee in the Eastern District of Texas.  She also worked at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Attorney General’s Honors Program as a Trial Attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Texas where she prosecuted environmental crimes.  Ms. Hurd obtained her B.A. and B.S. degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.  She also received her law degree from the University of Texas.

Gary R. Shendell is a 1987 graduate of James Madison University where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. He obtained his juris doctorate in 1992 from the University of Miami School of Law. He is admitted to the Bars of the State of Florida and State of New Jersey. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Federal Southern, Middle and Northern District Courts of Florida and all Circuit and County Courts in Florida.

Mr. Shendell is the former founding shareholder of the Fort Lauderdale office of Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, where he concentrated his practice from 2002-2006 in complex insurance and commercial litigation. In addition to serving as managing shareholder for S&P, Mr. Shendell continues to concentrate his practice in these litigation areas. His insurance litigation practice includes the defense of professionals, including: attorneys, accountants, architects and engineers, directors and officers, brokers-dealers, insurance agents, fiduciaries, real estate agents and title agents. He lectures on accountants' liability and risk management issues before numerous groups and firms throughout South Florida.

Mr. Shendell also prosecutes and defends first party and third party coverage matters, including rescission issues. He has experience in monitoring complex matters for excess insurance carriers. He has assisted clients and carriers in their compliance with Florida's Insurance Code in order to avoid potential waiver of defenses. He also provides insurance coverage opinions, and when required, pursues actions for declaratory relief. Mr. Shendell has been involved in insurance regulatory affairs nationally.

Mr. Shendell devotes considerable time in matters of complex commercial litigation, including disputes in the areas of construction, contract, fraud, deceptive trade practice actions, and business torts. His construction litigation practice has involved a wide variety of construction related issues, including: construction and design defects, disputes among owners and contractors, indoor air quality and mold. Mr. Shendell utilizes his experience in tax probate and estate planning in the probate litigation arena as well.

He brings to the firm a unique combination of accounting and corporate skills developed during his tenure at a corporate law firm and in public accounting with J.H. Cohn & Company in Roseland, New Jersey. This background is invaluable to his representation of individuals, private and public companies and non-profit entities in a broad range of business matters.

Areas of Practice:Professional LiabilityDirectors and Officers LiabilityGeneral LiabilityNursing Home LiabilityInsurance Coverage and Bad Faith LitigationInsurance Regulatory and Governmental AffairsConstructionBusiness and Commercial Litigation & LawReal Estate & Title LitigationTransportationSecurities/NASD Litigation

Bar Admissions:Florida, 1992New Jersey, 1993U.S. Supreme Court, 2002U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 1992U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, 1992U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida, 1992Florida Supreme CourtFlorida Circuit and County Courts

Education:University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida, 1992J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence

James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 1987B.S., Bachelor of Science, Cum LaudeMajor:  Accounting

Classes/Seminars Taught:Numerous Lectures on Professional Liability, Risk Management, Fraud and Construction Law

Professional & Community Associations:American Bar AssociationLawyers Professional LiabilityProfessional Liability Underwriters SocietyBroward County Bar AssociationUJA Annual Dinner Committee MemberIsrael BondsABA Lawyers Professional Liability ConsortiumCommunity Association institute

Past Employment Positions:J.H. Cohn and Company (accountant/auditor)Stephens, Lynn, Klein and McNicholas, P.A.Michaud, Buschmann, Mittlemark & Shendell, P.A.Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman and Goggin

Senior Property and Casualty Claims Leader and Technical Specialist with a proven track record of successfully growing and managing a national claims operation. Experience includes Primary, Excess, Surplus Lines and Reinsurance claims; Personal Injury, Products, Energy and Construction Litigation; Litigation / Vendor Management; Liability and Coverage Analysis. A leader with diverse and extensive professional experience who has worked to create value and deliver results through performance management, quality assurance, training, coaching, and mentoring. Gytis is a graduate of Boston State College with a B.S. Degree in Management.

Khristi Doss Driver currently supports research, development, technology and environmental affairs for Southern Company, an American electric utilities holding company based in southern United States

Khristi was previously in private practice, focused on civil trials and appeals. She represented insurers and insureds in a wide variety of matters, including products liability, insurance coverage matters, property and casualty claims, fraud, bad faith and punitive damages claims and employment discrimination cases.  She also has extensive expertise in electronic data discovery and regularly advises clients on electronic data retention policies.   She is a frequent speaker and author on electronic data discovery topics.  Ms. Driver is a contributor to and Regional Editor for DRI Trucking Compendium - 2008, published by DRI - The Voice of the Defense Bar.

Ms. Driver was awarded full scholarships to both the University of Alabama and Cumberland School of Law. At law school, she was active in both trial advocacy competitions and the Cumberland Law Review.  Ms. Driver is an active member of the Birmingham Bar Association, serving in a variety of key committee roles and being elected to the Executive Committee for 2009 - 2011.  In the community, she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the ONB Magic City Art Connection and was the 2007 Chair of Lawyers for the Cure, engaging in substantial fundraising efforts for Susan G. Komen For the Cure.  In addition, Ms. Driver is the treasurer and a member of the board of directors of a local nonprofit organization focused on prevention and education regarding eating disorders and serves on the Membership Committee of The Women's Network.  In recognition of her professional achievements and community service, she was named to the Birmingham Business Journal's "Top 40 Under 40" for 2009, as well as receiving the 2006 Distinguished Service Award from the Women Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association.

Larry is a founding partner in Southern Trial Counsel | PLC, a Florida litigation boutique firm which defends primary and excess insurance companies, global product manufacturers, theme parks, airports, small to Fortune 10 companies, and other corporate “target” defendants in catastrophic or high profile personal injury cases. Larry has been named a Florida Super Lawyer and one of Florida Trend Magazine’s “Legal Elite” multiple times. For more than a decade, Martindale Hubbell has conveyed both of its most distinguished recognitions, the AV-Preeminent rating and inclusion in their Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Larry has been selected by his peers to membership in prestigious defense organizations including the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance and International Association of Defense Counsel. He is a recognized leader in substantive law areas as well as diversity and professionalism arenas, having been appointed, for example, to the Florida Code and Rules of Evidence Committee,the Rules of Civil Procedure Committee, the Florida Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism and The Florida Bar Equal Opportunities in Law Section and several positions of leadership within the American Bar Association. He has been recognized for his efforts in LGBT and diversity advancement at the state and national level, including the American Bar Association Section of Litigation's 2013 Diversity Leadership Award recipient.  He is a charter member of the CLM, Chairs its Diversity and Inclusion Committee and  is a member of the Product Liability Committee.
 

Non-professional: Larry and his life partner, Clayton, recently celebrated their 1th anniversary together. They have two beautiful daughters –Jennifer, who is a lawyer, and MaryBeth,an academica advisor to the Honors Program at LSU.
 

You can learn more about Larry by visiting www.southerntrialcounsel.com or the firm’s Facebook page, Southern Trial Counsel | PLC.

Non-professional: Larry and his life partner, Clayton, recently celebrated their 14th anniversary together. They have two beautiful daughters –Jennifer, who is a lawyer, and MaryBeth, who is working on her second Masters Degree at Larry’s alma mater, The University of Alabama. 

Matthew Hurd comes to Baker & Castro, LLC from the City of Chicago where he spent the last 11 years first has head of the Torts Division and the last 4 years heading the Special Litigation Unit. While at the City, he was responsible for the supervision of 33 trial attorneys at a staff of twenty. He handled some of the highest profile cases, including a police pursuit that lead to the death of a mother of two, three garbage truck vs. pedestrian accidents, asthma death cases involving paramedics, failure to provide medical care, numerous other police pursuits, and countless other police misconduct and premises cases. Prior to that he was a partner at Wildman, Harrold, Allen and Dixon where he had an intensive case load in commercial litigation and medical malpractice. He went to law school at the University of Notre Dame where he graduated with honors in1985. He is a 1980 graduate of Illinois State University.

With over thirty trial victories to his credit, he has tried cases in Texas, Kansas, Ohio, New York and Chicago. He has represented municipalities and police officers in police misconduct and civil right cases, doctors and hospitals in medical malpractice cases, businesses and individuals in contract and commercial disputes and business in workers compensation and employment matters.

He has been an instructor for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, Chicago Bar Association, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, the Law Bulletin and Northwestern University Law School. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association and the Federal Trial Bar.

The founding and managing partner of Springel & Fink LLP, Adam has been practicing law for nearly 20 years. An experienced and successful civil litigator, his practice has focused primarily on commercial and business litigation, construction and related insurance litigation, class action litigation, professional liability claims involving attorneys, accountants, architects and engineers, as well as the defense of personal injury and real estate matters. Adam has also handled copyright litigation and transactional matters for his clients and has been retained as an expert witness in various litigated disputes.

Adam received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan. He is admitted to the California and Nevada state bars, and is also licensed as a California real estate broker. Adam has been AV® Preeminent™ rated by Martindale Hubbell since shortly after founding the firm and can be found in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Adam is also a Certified Litigation Management Professional, as designated by completing the Litigation Management Institute at Columbia University, a program provided by CLM.

Frederick R. Nance serves as the firm’s Regional Managing Partner, operating out of the Cleveland office.  Squire Sanders, which was founded in Cleveland in 1890, now serves clients from 37 offices around the globe.  Mr. Nance was recently elected by his partners to serve on the firm’s worldwide, seven-person Management Committee. Mr. Nance's legal practice focuses on sports and entertainment law, commercial litigation, client counseling and public-private partnerships.  Much of his practice in recent years has included high-stakes negotiations involving community interests.  He is an experienced jury trial litigator in federal and state courts and a frequent participant in alternative dispute resolution proceedings.  Mr. Nance also spearheads the firm’s sports and entertainment practice.

Mr. Nance began his career at Squire Sanders directly from law school.  As a seasoned trial lawyer, he became a partner in 1987.  From 1991 through 2001, Mr. Nance served as the primary outside counsel to the City of Cleveland and former Cleveland Mayor Michael White in a wide variety of community and economic development projects.  In the summer of 2006, Mr. Nance was selected from among several hundred candidates as one of five finalists for the position of Commissioner of the National Football League.  In December 2009, Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner asked Mr. Nance to join his team’s front office where Mr. Nance serves as the Browns General Counsel and Special Counsel to Browns President Mike Holmgren.

Joseph A. Starr has earned a solid reputation with his extensive experience in the area of labor and employment law. His litigation experience includes the defense of race, religious, national origin, age, sex and disability discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims. On behalf of his clients, he has defended cases of wrongful discharge, invasion of privacy, employment-related defamation, Whistleblowers Protection Act and Family and Medical Leave Act claims.

As a founder of Starr, Butler, Alexopoulos & Stoner, PLLC, Mr. Starr specializes in the defense of Professional Liability (Employment Practices, Attorneys, Architects & Engineers, Accountants, Directors & Officers, Insurance Agents / Brokers and Real Estate Brokers) claims, commercial litigation and insurance coverage disputes.

Joseph Starr regularly counsels businesses with regard to workplace violence, unemployment claims, OSHA investigations, EEOC/Michigan Department of Civil Rights charges and Department of Labor wage and hour disputes. He also works with employers to develop customized employee handbooks, employment agreements, covenants-not-to-compete, sexual harassment policies and electronic privacy policies.

Mr. Starr is an “A-V” directory rated lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in Best’s Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys. In 2007, 2009,  2010 and 2011, the publication Law & Politics selected Mr. Starr as a Michigan Super Lawyer. Mr. Starr was listed in the 2008 - 2011 Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition for Employment & Labor Law.  DBusiness, a bi-monthly Detroit area business publication, included Mr. Starr in their 2009 list of top lawyers in the State of Michigan.

He received his law degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri, where he served as a Notes & Comments Editor for the Journal of Urban and Contemporary Law. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and graduated cum laude.

An active member of the legal community, he is a member of the State Bar of Michigan (Council member, Labor and Employment Law Section), the Oakland County Bar Association, Defense Research Institute (Employment Law Steering Committee member), the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (Chairperson for the State of Michigan) and the Professional Liability Underwriting Society.

In September 2007, Mr. Starr was elected to serve a two year term (renewed for two years in 2009) as a Council Member for the Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. He also serves as an Employment Panel Mediator for the Oakland and Wayne County Mediation Tribunals.

Speaking Engagements:

Articles:

Mr. Beemer has 46 years in the insurance industry and is retired but continues to do consulting and expert witness work through Suite 200 Solutions.  Previously he was the VP of Claims at Tokio Marine HCC Insurance Group.  Prior to TMHCC, Mr. Beemer worked at IAT, QBE, Aetna, CNA, Home Insurance, Risk Enterprise Management and Fireman's Fund Insurance Company.   At QBE Mr. Beemer lead the liability claims department and the Litigation Management department for QBE.  He had direct oversight of Litigation Management, Transportation, GL, CD, TPA Services and Environmental claims.  Prior to QBE Mr. Beemer was the National Claim Director for Construction Defect, Latent Injury and Entertainment Claims at Fireman's Fund Insurance Company. In his career he has been a chief technical officer, consultant to re-insurers, training coordinator, national accounts coordinator, litigation manager, legal auditor, claims and due diligence auditor, PMK, expert witness and has been a panel speaker at CLM and other industry events. He serves on  the Advisory Board for the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, has served as Dean of Litigation Management at Claims College and is a Chancellor and Professor at Litigation Management Institute. Mr. Beemer has authored numerous articles for Claims Management Magazine and Litigation Management Magazine. Mr. Beemer received the CLM Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 at the Annual Conference in Tampa Florida. 

Mark has worked in the insurance business for many years holding a variety of claims and underwriting positions involving all lines of business in the international and domestic US Markets. From 1999 - 2013 Mark served as a senior member of the ACE, (now Chubb), Overseas General claim executive and was responsible for the management and oversight of claims arising globally from business written by ACE outside the US paying particular attention to larger, serious, complex litigated claims in the financial lines, casualty and specialty lines areas, intervening where appropriate. His responsibilities include promulgating Best Practices, ALAE management and control and oversight of external vendor & attorney panels. He led leakage and quality improvement initiatives in the international division. He is an admitted attorney and speaks and writes from time to time on various insurance and business topics. outside of the CLM Mark serves as an expert witness.

Bob Lund is currently the Vice President of Risk Management for Swift Transportation Co., the largest truckload carrier in North America, with over 16,000 trucks, generating over $3.4 billion in annual revenue.  Prior to joining Swift, Bob held a similar position with Schneider National Carriers for over 17 years, spent ten years as the Director of Claims for National Car Rental  and ten years with the Hartford Insurance Company. Bob is a member of Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel(FDCC) and the Truckload and Insurance Defense Association(TIDA). 

Jane Mandigo is a Vice President of Claims at Swiss Re/Westport Insurance.  During her 17 year history with Westport/ Swissre (formerly ERC/ General Electric), Jane has worked on a variety of professional liability claims including lawyers, insurance agents and financial planners.

Following graduation from law school in 1990, Jane clerked in the United States District Court, Western District of Missouri and then practiced at Shughart Thompson & Kilroy in Kansas City.  Jane accepted a position with Westport in 1994 and has exclusively handled legal malpractice claims for the last 10 years.

Jane is a member of the Missouri Bar and received her undergraduate degree from Drury College.

Jane Mandigo, JD

Vice President, Claims and Liabilities

Swiss Re/ Westport Insurance Corp.

5200 Metcalf Ave.

Overland Park, KS  66201

Ph. 913-676-5230

Jane_mandigo@swissre.com

Chad L. Staller is president of the Center for Forensic Economic Studies. He has extensive experience working with both plaintiff and defense counsel in a wide variety of civil matters, quantifying loss sustained by many types of plaintiffs, including union members, state and federal employees, business owners and injured children.  He regularly analyzes claims brought in employment-discrimination matters, quantifying back-pay and front-pay damages and lost benefits.  Mr. Staller and frequently consults on commercial matters, analyzing lost-profit and business-interruption claims. He has testified in jury trials, bench trials and arbitrations in state and federal courts throughout the country.

He serves on the faculty of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law LL.M. in Trial Advocacy program and lectures regularly at Villanova University School of Law and Drexel’s Earle Mack School of Law.  Mr. Staller is a Certified Trial Advocacy instructor through the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.  He frequently presents seminars and speaks on forensic economic topics at law firms, accounting continuing education seminars, and before professional organizations.Mr. Staller received his Masters in Business Administration, with honors from the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his Master of Accountancy from Villanova University and his Juris Doctorate from the Beasley School of Law, cum laude, at Temple University. He is certified as a Certified Valuation Analyst by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts.

Mr. Hollingworth holds an advanced degree in Human Factors Engineering and has over 20 years of management and supervision at major insurance companies. He has managed environmental, mass tort, construction defects and sexual abuse claims as well as participated in numerous mediations, coverage in place agreements, selection of and creation of defense panel counsels. Mr. Hollingsworth is a frequent speaker at CLM Conferences and serves on several CLM Committees including Professional Liability and Environmental and Toxic Tort. Mr. Hollignsworth’s Areas of Expertise include: ADR, Professional Liability, Insurance Coverage, Claims Management, Litigation Management, Bad Faith and Class Actions.
 

 While most strive to stretch the envelope, Dick Goff says, "Why does it have to be an envelope?" Then he fashions an entirely new metaphoric delivery system with contents no one would have thought possible if all they could use was an envelope.

Creative innovation has been the guiding principle of Dick's professional life in the insurance industry. Since 1968 as producer, underwriter, manager and broker for firms in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Chicago, and for the last 15 years as a senior executive of The Taft Companies, he has devised new and beneficial risk funding and management methodologies.

Dick is a highly respected professional on risk management issues and has held industry leadership positions as the co-chairman of ASAE's Board's Associate Member Committee's Technology Subcommittee; and has sat on the Self-Insurance Institute of America (SIIA) National Workers Compensation Committee, on whose behalf he has testified to the U.S. Senate, and SIIA’s Government Relations Committee; was instrumental in organizing an ART section; and is SIIA’s past President and Chairman. He was a Founding Director of the South Carolina Captive Insurance Association, the Captive Insurance Council of the District of Columbia, and the Montana Captive Insurance Association, of which he is still a Director; and was the Founding Chair of the American Risk Retention Coalition’s Steering Committee. Dick is a Fellow of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, a nonpartisan alliance committed to furthering the highest standards of litigation management, and sits on its Workers’ Compensation Committee.

Dick has served on the Board of Directors of eMERGE, a 501(c)(3) organization. People with developmental disabilities who are in need of services in order to live a more meaningful and complete life look to eMERGE for support. He is a past Trustee of Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana.

Dick is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He is married, has a daughter, a son, a grandson and two granddaughters.                          

Jack E. “Bobby” Truitt was born in Texas, but raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. After graduating from Jesuit High School of New Orleans, he attended Louisiana State University where he obtained a business administration degree with a minor in political science. He then obtained his J.D. from Loyola University School of Law and has been licensed in Louisiana and Texas since. He is admitted to practice in all Louisiana State and Federal District and Appellate Courts and has been admitted to the United States Supreme Court as well.

Mr. Truitt began his practice with a small defense firm that practiced primarily admiralty, worker’s compensation, and general casualty litigation. However, he soon joined a larger insurance defense firm in Metairie, Louisiana where he began trying many cases on behalf of major national clients such as Kmart, Cox Cable, Tonti Properties, and Walgreens; there, he obtained numerous “zero verdicts” in bench and jury trials. Mr. Truitt soon formed his own law firm.

The Truitt Law Firm continues to represent major national clients successfully at the trial and appellate levels. The firm has significant experience in the areas of pharmaceutical defense, automobile litigation, premises liability, construction litigation, worker’s compensation, business litigation, and criminal defense.

Mr. Truitt has been a presenter at many continuing education seminars for other layers, paralegals, and claims professionals. He is also a former member of the Louisiana Bar Association House of Delegates, the Louisiana Association of  Defense Counsel, and the prestigious Defense Research Institute. He has achieved the highest rating from his peers in Martindale Hubbell, and the firm was awarded the distinction of approval by A. M. Best Insurance Ratings. He has also been selected as a Super Lawyer for the last ten years straight.

Mr. Truitt resides in Covington, Louisiana with his wife and three boys.

Tom Culpepper devotes his practice exclusively to the representation of professionals in malpractice and errors and omissions claims. He has resolved hundreds of professional liability cases, and tries several professional liability cases each year.

Tom represents: attorneys, insurance agents, real estate brokers, accountants, officers and directors and other professionals in federal and state courts. He also handles grievance proceedings before the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Real Estate Commission and the Texas Department of Insurance.

Tom assists clients in navigating potential claims and has testified before the Texas House and Senate in support of legislation to address the inequities insurance professionals face when confronted with a professional liability lawsuit.

Lee Wright is a claim professional with more than thirty five years of experience focusing on the handling and management of large, complex litigation files involving products, transportation and construction risks. He has overseen national claims programs for self-insureds and foreign insurers and acted as a regional training coordinator for a major insurer. He is a regular speaker at national and regional seminars and classes on insurance coverage and risk transfer issues and an approved CE instructor in CA, MD, SC and VA. He is a past President of the Construction Defect Claim Manager Association and a Member of the CLM Construction Claims Advisory Board and served as the inaugural Dean for CLM's Claims College School of Construction Claims.

Specialties: Construction Defect Claims & Management, General Liability Coverage, Contractual Risk Transfer, Arbitration and Mediation

Ed Hayes is  Vice President, Claims - Litigation Management at Tower Group, Inc.

Ed works on various claims and litigation related initiatives and is working  on expanding Tower's in-house defense capabilities both in New York as well as nationally.

Ed is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School (Cum Laude) and New York University Law School, L.L.M., and holds the CPCU,with Academic Excellence, CLU and ARe designations.

After graduating Law School, Ed served for several years as a Law Assistant for Judge Gloria Goldstein, Supreme Court, Kings County, then briefly with a Plaintiff's personal injury firm, and began his insurance career with Travelers working as a Trial Attorney in their Staff Counsel operation. He has served as Attorney of Record for both the Home Insurance Company and Aetna Casualty & Surety Insurance Company. In 1996 with the merger of Aetna and Travelers, Ed took the position of Vice President at Travelers in their Commercial Lines Contruction Division where he assisted in the development of new policies and endorsements, acted as a liaison between Underwriting and Claims, and monitored and advised on the handling strategy of Large Losses.

Ed worked at Empire Insurance Company where he held the positions of Senior Vice President, Claims and most recently Executive Vice President, General Counsel. At Empire, Ed actively managed the Claims Department Operations as well as oversaw the litigation handled by both Staff Counsel and Outside Counsel and was a key executive member in the successful self-managed run-off of all of the Company's insurance operation

Scott P. Rowe is General Counsel with Tower Hill Insurance Group, LLC, in Gainesville, Florida.  Tower Hill is a Managing General Agent for property and casualty insurance companies that write residential and commercial policies in Florida and has been in business since 1972.  Tower Hill is one of the largest writers of residential property insurance in Florida and has close to 400 employees. Scott has been with the company for almost seven years.  Before joining Tower Hill, Scott was in-house counsel for Progressive Insurance Company in Orlando, Florida.  Scott also worked in private practice with Rumberger, Kirk and Caldwell, a litigation law firm located in Orlando, Florida. 

Scott attended law school at Widener University School of Law in Delaware and the University of Florida and graduated Cum Laude.  Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida where he graduated with honors.

Katonga is licensed in both Georgia and Florida.  She attended Emory University, Atlanta, GA (BS-Chemistry, May 1999).  Before practicing law, Katonga worked as a forensic toxicologist and expert witness with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Laboratory.    She attended Georgia State University College of Law (JD, May 2007), and was the Vice-President of the Student Trial Lawyers Association Mock Trial Team; Vice-President, Black Law Students Association; 2007 Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition Team- Regional Winner, National Runner-up; 2006 Bioethics Mock Trial Competition Team- First Place; and a 2006 Gate City Bar Association Scholarship Recipient.  From 2006-2007, Katonga interned with United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia. 

Katonga is a Travelers Insurance Staff Counsel Attorney with the office of Shivers & Associates, Alpharetta, GA. She practices insurance defense litigation with a concentration in personal and business liability.  She also serves as co-chairperson of the Travelers Staff Counsel Summer Associate Program, Southeast Regional Recruiting Coordinator for the Staff Counsel Diversity Committee, and serves on the Alpharetta Claim Service Center Diversity Executive Board. Recently, Katonga was elected to the 2010 executive board of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, and serves as vice-president of the Columbus, GA affiliate.    

Douglas A. Cohen

Senior Consultant, Trial Technology

Douglas Cohen is a senior consultant in trial technology for TrialGraphix/Kroll Ontrack, an international company providing litigation consulting and technology-driven services including electronic discovery, investigations, jury consulting, graphics and presentations to corporations, law firms and government agencies. As a founding partner for TrialGraphix, Mr. Cohen was instrumental in transforming the firm from a provider of graphics for use in the courtroom into a diverse company of litigation technology experts who provide comprehensive consulting services during every phase of litigation. Mr. Cohen also played an integral role in expanding the company’s legal technologies consulting services and capabilities. 

In his current consulting role, Mr. Cohen works with law firms and corporate clients to identify appropriate discovery and trial service solutions for national, international and complex litigation. He has been involved with thousands of cases globally, in all areas of law including multiple-party, high-profile, and large-exposure litigation such as asbestos, welding rod, tire tread, and tobacco litigation, among others. 

Mr. Cohen is a frequent speaker before bar and legal associations such as The Defense Research Institute, various sections of the American Bar Association, and most of the American Lawyer Top 100 Firms. He has lectured on the use of demonstrative evidence, litigation technologies, and the application of jury research to in-house counsel at Fortune 500 companies and law firms across the country. 

Mr. Cohen holds an M.B.A. from Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He received a B.S. in communications from the University of Florida. 

Katherine Bertini (Kate) is Assistant General Counsel at United Technologies Corporation’s (“UTC”) headquarters in Hartford, Connecticut.  She is responsible for developing and leading UTC’s e-Discovery Center that provides e-Discovery support and advice and counseling to UTC and its business units.  In addition, Kate chairs UTC’s Litigation Best Practices team and coordinates litigation reporting requirements.  Kate is also responsible for management of UTC’s Outside Counsel Program, including selection and evaluation of firms, utilization of alternative fee arrangements, and acceleration of firm progress to workforce diversity.

Prior to joining the corporate office, Kate worked at UTC’s Pratt & Whitney division as Associate Counsel where she was responsible for creating a litigation management program at Pratt & Whitney, managing a diverse litigation portfolio, implementing enterprise-wide records management and conducting significant investigations.  She also worked at Otis Elevator Company as Associate Counsel – Litigation where she gained experience on product-related issues such as warnings and retrofit programs.

Kate began her legal career as a clerk for the Hon. Antoinette L. Dupont, Chief Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court, and as an associate at the law firm of Day, Berry & Howard (now Day Pitney LLP).  She is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Connecticut School of Law. 

Kevin Confetti is the Director of Workers' Compensation for the University of California.  Kevin works in the Office of the President, Office of Risk Services.  In this capacity, Kevin is responsible for the University's Workers' Compensation Program that insures over 190,000 employees across ten campuses, five medical centers, a national laboratory and the Office of the President. Kevin oversees University-wide application of workers' compensation laws, regulatory requirements and University policies and procedures.  He is responsible for all facets of the UC’s workers’ compensation program including management of the University's Third Party Claims Administrator that processes an average of 5,000 new claims per year and an open inventory of over 3,500 claims. Kevin began his career in insurance and risk management with California Compensation Insurance Company.  Other than California, he has experience in risk management and workers' compensation in Hawaii, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Ohio and Montana.  He also has experience as an auditor and claims consultant with Ernst & Young, LLC. Kevin joined UC in 2006, but has worked with the University since 2001 where he was the Program Manager for the University’s then TPA, Octagon Risk Services. He has a degree in Rhetoric & Communications from the University of California, Davis and is a certified Self-Insurance Administrator.

I am Clinical Associate Professor of Finance in the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina and teach courses in Risk Management and Insurance, Property/Casualty and Life/Health Insurance as well as courses in Corporate Finance. I am also Director of the Moore School's Center for Risk and Uncertainty Management. I came to USC after nearly 25 years in the private and government sectors, mostly recently as President and Economist for the Insurance Information Institute in New York. USC has one of the largest and highest ranked Risk Management and Insurance Programs in the United States and I look forward to helping move that program to the next level in the years ahead.

Mr. McDonough is Vice Chair of Cozen O'Connor's Commercial Litigation Department. He focuses his practice, both nationally and internationally, on general litigation and complex insurance defense matters including directors' and officers' liability, errors and omissions litigation, complex product liability matters, and mass tort litigation. He specializes in catastrophic injury cases arising from toxic exposures including asbestos, benzene and lead, construction accidents, medical malpractice, professional liability, food liability including labeling liability and integrity of contents, multi-district litigation and class action litigation, food borne biohazards such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease), mercury and Diacetyl. John’s practice includes advice on complex insurance and reinsurance matters, including London LMX business, for major foreign reinsurers and involvement in complex insurance and reinsurance disputes. He was appellate counsel in the landmark antisubrogation case in New York, North Star v. Continental Insurance Co.

John is a frequent author and lecturer for many organizations, including the Defense Research Institute (DRI), the Torts and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) of the New York State Bar Association, the Defense Association of New York (DANY), and the American Conference Institute. John is a member of the board of directors of the DRI, and a former president of the Defense Association of New York (1997-1998); chairman of the board of directors of the Defense Association of New York (1998-1999); editor-in-chief of The Defendant, the quarterly journal of DANY (1989-Present) and a member of FDCC and PLAC. John has also been frequently asked to provide quotes for publications including Business Week and the New York Law Journal.  John is chairman of the board of directors of HeartShare St. Vincent's Services.  John has been named an ALM New York Top Rated Lawyer.  In 2013, John received DANY's James S. Conway Award for outstanding service in the Defense Profession.

John earned his bachelor of arts degree at Boston College in 1976 and his law degree at the New England School of Law in 1979. He was admitted to practice in New York in 1980 and Massachusetts in 2012.

roperty Litigation Adjuster with Zurich American Insurance Company

Education

Insurance Training

Work History

  Adjuster

  Property Adjuster

  Senior Property Claims Specialist

  Senior Property Claims Specialist / Property Litigation Speciali

Phelps Gay is a former managing partner of Christovich & Kearney, LLP.  A graduate of Princeton University and Tulane University School of Law, Phelps joined the firm in 1979, and became a partner in 1985.  His practice areas include energy and maritime law, products liability and defense of legal malpractice cases and ethical complaints. 

Active in professional organizations, Mr. Gay served as president of the Louisiana State Bar Association in 2000-2001, focusing on reform of ethical rules and increasing lawyer professionalism. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, the New Orleans Bar Association, the Louisiana Bar Foundation, the Louisiana Judicial College and the Pro Bono Project. A long-time member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, Phelps received that organization’s Hecker Award in 2004, for his article, “Professionalism in Depositions: The Sound of Silence.” 

Joanne Burns has 24 years in the insurance industry.  She is currently the Litigation Manager for United States Liability Insurance (USLI) which is a Berkshire Hathaway company.  USLI underwrites specialty insurance products for small businesses.  The company is A++ rated and is based in Wayne PA.  

Before joining USLI in 2004 Joanne spent 16 years in a wide variety of claims related positions at Liberty Mutual Insurance. 

Mr. Victor's practice encompasses all aspects of the defense of property, casualty, personal injury insurance and general civil litigation matters in state and federal court. This includes cases involving product liability, coverage disputes, bad faith litigation and counseling, wrongful death, automobile, premises and commercial liability, negligent security, intentional torts, and property loss. He has extensive trial experience.Mr. Victor has served as National and Regional Supervising and Coordinating counsel for major insurance companies. He also handles domestic and international internal corporate investigations. Mr. Victor began his career as a Prosecutor for the Dade County State Attorney’s Office working under Janet Reno and is a former Division Chief and Major Crimes Prosecutor. For approximately 25 years of his career, Mr. Victor was the National Chairman of the Tort and Insurance Department of the largest minority owned law firm in the country. He is an "AV" rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell Lawyers Directory. He has been designated a "Super Lawyer" and is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America." Mr. Victor is also a Florida Certified Circuit Court Mediator.

Syndi O'Brien graduated from the University of Denver School of Law and practiced law with a plaintiff firm in Denver for eight years.  Looking for change, she started a blasting company and worked in the construction industry until moving to Kansas in 2000 where she joined GE Insurance Solutions in Overland Park.

While at GE Syndi managed professional liability litigation and became a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.  In this role, she developed a strategy for and built a process around litigation management which provides transparency into counsel performance, legal spend and total claim outcome.  She ended her GE tenure as the Claims Integration Leader during the sale of GE Insurance Solutions to Swiss Re.

In 2006 Syndi joined CNA as the Legal Services Director for Global Specialty Lines Claims, where she developed strong relationships with outside counsel and optimized her methodology to enable Claims to measure and comparatively analyze legal services and spend.

In November 2009 Syndi joined Ringler Associates as a structured settlement broker and consulted with law firms, insurance companies, and businesses further developing the role data and metrics play in overall claim cost.

In 2012 Syndi joined Lockton as VP, Director of Strategic Analytics, again focusing on utilizing analytics to improve claim outcome and reduce risk specifically in the workers' compensation space.

Syndi went on to consult for a life and annuity BPO leading business transformation and organizational change management during a period of significant growth.
 
In 2016 Syndi joined VortexLegal as Chief Strategy Officer as a key advisor to the CEO on strategy and execution within the insurance vertical.  She focuses on business development and collaboration with clients to ensure appropriate metrics are in place to measure and continually improve ROI within the VortexLegal model.




 

Mr. Wolf practices in the areas of complex business litigation, including breach of contract disputes, class actions, labor and employment claims, insurance coverage, and bad faith litigation. He provides counsel to his clients on primary and excess property and liability policies with an emphasis on catastrophic injury claims and complex coverage issues. He has published articles and often speaks to industry professionals regarding insurance
regulations and proper claim handling procedures. His broad insurance background includes litigating all aspects of insurance cases involving property and casualty insurance.

Mr. Wolf has lectured on class actions and how to manage the class action lawsuit. He is responsible for significant favorable results for his clients in Telephone Consumer Protection Act class action cases in state and federal courts and in challenging regulations with the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C. These results have had a significant impact on an industry-wide basis in advancing the successful defense of TCPA class action lawsuits.

Mr. Wolf also has significant experience in successfully representing insurance clients in affirmative litigation. He counsels insurers on strategies to combat insurance fraud, including claims involving staged losses and medical billing fraud. Mr. Wolf is routinely called upon by insurers to counsel on the use of civil RICO actions to prevent insurance fraud in many 
jurisdictions across the country. He also represents school districts in their subrogation efforts to recover against third parties.

Mr. Wolf has tried numerous lawsuits to successful conclusion in state and federal courts and has deposed hundreds of experts on liability, causation and damage issues. He has has deposed hundreds of experts on liability, causation and damage issues. He has represented clients in mediations and arbitrations in various venues and jurisdiction.

 

Mr.  Winkler is responsible for overseeing Westfield Insurance’s litigation management and legal research support functions .  He has been a featured speaker and author on the topic of litigation management and the use of technology in enhancing the litigation management process, drawing upon both his experience as a practicing attorney and on his 20 plus years of experience in the claims and litigation management arena. The Westfield Claims Legal Department, which he leads, was recently honored as one of the ten most innovative legal departments in America by Inside Counsel magazine.

Mr. Winkler is an active member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Association of Corporate Counsel, numerous professional organizations including the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, the Defense Research Institute and the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance and currently serves as a member and advisor on a number of industry related committees.

As an accomplished Risk Management executive with extensive experience in the gaming/hospitality industry, public utility, and municipality, I excel in managing comprehensive risk management programs, including overseeing Insurance Program, Worker's Compensation and Liability claims program , and handling litigated and high-exposure claims. I possess strong skills in insurance oversight, claims management, vendor contract management, loss control, and safety programs. My abilities in collaborating with business partners, insurance companies, and brokers enable me to understand risk volumes and design effective mitigation programs. Additionally, I have excellent negotiation and relationship-building skills, and I communicate effectively with executive-level decision-makers, peers, staff, and customers to ensure top performance, accountability, and full customer satisfaction.

Paul Larimore is an AV® rated litigator and legal manager with 30+ years of experience. He specializes in defending employers and insurers in Missouri Workers' Compensation matters.  Paul's extensive background includes multiple professional perspectives, including developing a successful insurance defense trial practice and working in-house with large and small insurers. He managed staff counsel operations for national insurance carriers  CNA and AIG.  In addition, Paul was Director of Legal Services at Missouri Employers Mutual, where he was responsible for all in-house legal operations, including management of the firm’s in-house attorneys and outside counsel. Paul began his career in private practice, where he spent 15 years defending employers and insurers in all aspects of litigation including depositions, mediations, trials and appeals. As a partner he participated in leadership of a large regional law firm, while managing a profitable practice unit for which he was solely responsible.Paul's experience also includes serving as Audit Attorney at Sentry Insurance, where his efforts included innovative updates to the company’s legal auditing procedures and litigation management guidelines in addition to the development and presentation of training modules for the claims staff. In addition, Paul was a Program Director for Stuart Maue, a litigation management consultancy, where he worked to develop litigation and expense management solutions for corporate and insurance clients, and also assisted with the firm’s marketing and brand management initiatives

Terri Smith is Senior Manager of the Litigation Management/Quality Assurance Group at Wilson, Elser.  Terri has 14 years experience as a legal auditor and program manager.  Prior to joining the firm, Terri was Vice President Legal Audit for Chartis, where she led the legal audit functions and contributed to the creation and management of a centralized bill review unit.  Terri practiced law in the public and private sector in New Jersey for 15 years.

Ian is the Regional Managing Partner of Wilson Elser’s Los Angeles and Orange County offices. He is founder and co-chair of the firm’s Cannabis and Hemp Law practice, where he leads a national multi-disciplinary team of lawyers who serve all aspects of the cannabis and hemp industries, as well as financial institutions and insurance companies that service those industries.
 
Ian has achieved a national reputation as a distinguished cannabis attorney and has been named to the exclusive Band 1 of cannabis lawyers nationally by Chambers USA guide in Cannabis Law (2020-2024).  He is a member of the Advisory Board of the International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA) and has participated on the Policy Council of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). Ian is chair emeritus of NCIA’s Risk Management and Insurance Committee. He is one of MG Magazine’s “30 Powerful Cannabis Attorneys You Should Know” and is listed within Cannabis Reports’ “10 Powerful Marijuana Lawyers in California.” Ian has also been named by National Law Review as “Go-To Thought Leader” in 2018 and 2021 for his publications on cannabis law and policy.

 

James F. Burke is a Partner in the White Plains office. His practice focuses on the areas of general and product liability, pediatric lead poisoning, medical malpractice, and labor law.

Jim joined Wilson Elser in 2002. Since that time he has handled more than 25 cases at trial as the lead attorney.

Previously, Jim had a 20 year career with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and achieved the rank of Detective Sergeant. He served in the department’s investigative branches as an investigator, supervisor and squad commander, specifically in the Narcotics Division, the Detective Bureau, and the Organized Crime Control Bureau.

Jim completed his police career as the lead trial lawyer in the NYPD’s Civil Enforcement Unit. There he tried nine cases to verdict in the Supreme Court, New York (Manhattan) County. 

Larry Lum is a partner based in the firm's New York City office. He is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and co-chairs the firm’s General Liability & Casualty Practice Group. Throughout the past twenty-four (24) years, he has practiced in all areas of insurance defense litigation with an emphasis on general liability (including sports related risks), premises liability (including security, Labor Law and construction cases), automobile and transportation liability, products liability and employer’s liability. He specializes in defending national owners and operators of commercial properties, shopping complexes, malls/plazas and major retail chain stores. He has taken dozens of jury verdicts in premises liability cases throughout the state and federal courts of the State of New York, including many involving catastrophic injury claims (e.g., wrongful death, quadriplegia/paraplegia, complex neurological injuries such as reflex sympathetic dystrophy and compartment syndrome, disfigurement and burn injuries, amputation, and significant disability cases). Mr. Lum represents Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, and National Hockey League, their member teams, and their affiliated arenas and stadiums in various general liability matters throughout the country.

Mr. Lum has established seminal case law in New York regarding spectators' assumption of risk for injuries sustained at professional hockey games. He has represented many of the sports leagues, franchises and arenas for the past two decades. He has represented international restaurant chains, major franchise operators and bars in connection with national restaurant liability programs, encompassing claims ranging from food poisoning to Dram Shop issues. He has also represented product manufacturers of bank safes/automatic teller machines, refuse trucks/compactors, hydraulic lift gates, elevators/escalators, cheese/vegetable slicing machines, and industrial chemicals/enzymes.

Mr. Lum also has a sub-specialty in defending tractor-trailer carriers in local and interstate trucking matters.

Mr. Lum was admitted to the New York bar in January, 1987.  He is a graduate of  State University of New York at Stony Brook B.A. (May, 1983) and Albany Law School J.D. (May, 1986).

Keith Brown returned to TyMetrix in 2010 after a stint as a Consultant with Hildebrandt Baker Robbins. Keith currently holds the position of Lead Business Consultant. In the last 9 years, Keith has held several positions at TyMetrix including Director of Product Management and Director of Client Services. In his current role, Keith is focused on the delivery of professional services and custom developed solutions to TyMetrix prospects and clients. Prior to joining TyMetrix Keith spent a decade as a litigator in Boston, Masschusetts and previously worked as a claims handler.

Mark Vorder-Bruegge, Jr. is a partner in the Memphis Office of the regional law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP.  He currently chairs the Firm’s Intellectual Property practice, is the Firm’s Chief Technology Partner, is an Ethics Counseling and Loss Prevention Partner for the Firm, and is the Account Manager for the Firm’s membership in DuPont’s Primary Law Firm network.  He has concentrated his practice on resolution of complex problems of intellectual property, accounting and securities fraud, banking, professional liability, and commercial transactions.

Mr. Vorder-Bruegge received his B.A. degree in 1975 from the University of Virginia and his J.D. degree in 1978 from Vanderbilt University, and served as Law Clerk to then-U.S. District Judge Harry W. Wellford.  He is a past President of the Memphis Chapter of the American Inns of Court.  He is named in Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Intellectual Property, Securities, and Commercial Litigation, and in Mid-South Superlawyers in the field of Intellectual Property Litigation.  He has also been recognized as a "Top Lawyer" in the American Lawyer/Corporate Counsel Annual Guide to Commercial Litigation.  He is a member of The Sedona Conference, the Electronic Discovery Reference Model ("EDRM"), and the Computer Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).  He is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, and served on the TBA’s Legal Opinion Accord Committee.  He is a past chair of the Memphis Bar Association’s Ethics Committee.  He lectures and writes frequently on intellectual property, legal technology, complex litigation strategy, strategic planning, legal ethics, loss prevention, and law practice management.

Mr. Vorder-Bruegge also has been active in a number of civic and charitable organizations, including the Memphis Rotary Club, Junior Achievement's Economics of Staying in School Program, the Central Gardens Area Association, the Historic District Alliance, Memphis Heritage, Inc., the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the University of Virginia Fund.  He a Director and past President of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis, Inc., which houses patients of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  He is also a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court's Commission on Lawyers Assistance and is the Commission's Secretary-Treasurer.

Gretchen R. Langston is the director of risk management for Xanterra Parks & Resorts. She is responsible for corporate-wide procurement and design of commercial insurance programs.

Additionally, Langston manages corporate safety related to federal, state and local regulatory compliance. She directs programs to ensure the proper and efficient handling of claims through managing third-party adjusting groups and gathering data for record keeping, loss forecasting and mitigation purposes. Langston also leads efforts related to crisis management and business continuity planning to prepare the organization for existing and emerging risk exposures.

Prior to joining Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Langston held director of risk management positions for companies such as Media News Group and The Home Shopping Network.

Langston holds a business degree from Northeast Missouri State University, and is a certified associate in risk management with 16 years of experience in the risk management and safety industry. Langston is also involved in the community as a Certified American Red Cross Instructor.

Dave Zehner is a founding partner of Zehner Trial Consulting. Zehner Trial Consulting is a provider of superior mock trials, focus groups and jury selection services. Zehner Trial Consulting uses the latest research in cognitive theory to design research exercises to test the essential elements of cases and determine what will shape the verdict of the jury. During his career, Dave has consulted on more than 800 cases in 42 states and over 180 venues in all areas of the law, specializing in professional negligence, employment, intellectual property, white collar criminal, capital crimes and complex commercial cases. Dave has also assisted clients in selecting over 120 juries in venues throughout the country. Before becoming a trial consultant, Dave taught high school history for five years and coached the freshman and JV basketball teams. Dave also coached the Academic Decathlon team to three San Diego County championships and one fourth place finish in the state of California. Dave also appeared on Jeopardy!, and his crushing defeat was made even more enjoyable by being called "evil" by Alex Trebek for working as a jury consultant. 

A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in History and International Political Economies, Dave was a University Fellowship recipient while earning his master's degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and ABD status for his PhD in the Public Policy Analysis Program. 

Laura Zehner is the Director of Trial Services with Clarity Partners Trial Consulting, a national trial strategy consulting group based in Chicago, Illinois.  She is reponsible for coordinating and managing mock trials, focus groups and witness preparation exercisees.  Prior to joining Clarity Partners, Ms. Zehner managed claims for a Chicagoland hospital with a self-insured retention of several million dollars.  Her career focus has been in the insurance defense industry, primarily in the medical malpractice arena.  She has been in risk management and claims at several Chicagoland hospitals, including the University of Chicago Hospitals.  Prior to her in-house work, Ms. Zehner was an associate at an insurance defense firm specializing in medical malpractice and products liability.   In addition to being an attorney, Ms. Zehner is a registered pharmacist.

Mary E. Hickey - Zurich North America - Schaumburg, IL 60196 -Phone:  (847) 715-8682

Bio:  25+ years National level experience in direct handling and management of large loss litigation. Experience includes Commercial P&C General Liability, Products Liability, Public Entity Liability, Auto Liability, Dram Shop, Construction:  (New York Labor Law –Illinois ), Employer Liability with some Gaming/Hospitality national accounts.  Significant Professional Liability E&O Experience ( Realtors, Accountant's, Agent/Brokers and Day Care Centers.) National experience in handling both General Liability and Professional Liability for ALF's/Nursing Home Facilities. *Completed 10 hour OSHA Training & CRIS Designation.

 Ms. Borden graduated from Albion College in 1988, magna cum laude and with Phi Beta Kappa honors, with a BA in Psychology.  In 1992, she graduated, cum laude, from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.  Thereafter, Ms. Borden clerked for The Honorable Justice James H. Brickley (dec.) at the Michigan Supreme Court.  Upon her return to Chicago, Ms. Borden was associated with the law firm of Querrey & Harrow, where she focused her practice on appellate and insurance defense litigation.

 In December 2002, Ms. Borden joined Zurich North America as a Senior Environmental Claim Specialist.  Approximately one year later, she was named the Regional Litigation Manager for Zurich’s specialty lines of business.  In September 2008, Ms. Borden assumed a management role in Zurich’s legal bill review department, recognized as the largest group of legal invoice auditors in the country.  Beginning in September 2014, Ms. Borden took on an underwriting role in Zurich's Primary Casualty Product Underwriting group.  She supports The Zurich Way of Underwriting by working with GL market-facing underwriters to help them achieve their business objectives.  She also contributes to the development and implementation of underwriting strategies and the overall development of underwriting technical standards, controls and best practices for the GL line of business.

Neil J. Kohlman is presently a trial attorney with the firm of Anderson, Stephens & Grace in Metairie, Louisiana, specializing in Louisiana state and Longshore workers’ compensation cases for Zurich Insurance Company.  Mr. Kohlman was born and raised in New Orleans, and received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987, and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center in 1990.  Mr. Kohlman served as clerk to Chief Justice Pascal Calogero of the Louisiana Supreme Court.  He has practiced law in Louisiana for over 20 years, handling general liability and workers’ compensation cases for plaintiffs and defendants. 

Mr. Kohlman also worked for the City of New Orleans as a legal advisor and the director of corporations and boards specializing in major economic development and hotel projects in downtown New Orleans.  He served for several years as an adjunct professor at the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University, teaching undergraduate courses in business law.  Mr. Kohlman currently lives in New Orleans with his wife and two children.