Pamela W. Carter is the Managing Partner of the Louisiana offices of Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. She concentrates her practice in litigation and represents clients in a wide variety of areas in federal and state courts in Louisiana and Texas. She litigates discrimination and harassment claims under state and federal law, complex disputes, insurance claims for corporate clients, employment disputes, commercial litigation and other matters including insurance defense, coverage claims, bad faith litigation and race/gender discrimination cases. Ms. Carter has represented clients as coordinating counsel for asbestos and hurricane-related claims.

In over 27 years of litigation, she has handled numerous matters involving products liability, medical devices, trucking, toxic exposure, and food products. She also has experience in drafting and implementing employment policies, as well as discipline and termination processes, in order to comply with the latest federal, state, and local law.
 
Ms. Carter has attained the highest rating of an AV ® Preeminent™ from Martindale Hubbell Law Directory. With a seasoned practice spanning over 27 years, Ms. Carter does indeed have her pulse on ever-changing legal trends and insights. This, along with a keen understanding of her client’s goals and continuous communication, drives her defense strategies. 

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.

Claire Rush is a trial attorney who specializes in the defense of high exposure personal injury actions. She has received a Preeminent AV rating of 5.0 / 5.0 from Martindale-Hubbell and has been identified as one of the top personal injury defense attorneys in the Metro New York area by Super Lawyer Magazine, ALM, and Martindale -Hubbell. Ms. Rush has been recognized by the Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers, the New York Times and AVENUE Magazine as one of New York City’s top women lawyers in the area of trial practice.

Ms. Rush has successfully defended public and private entities against bus, truck, auto, railway, construction, premises, elevator, escalator, environmental, security, police and 42 U.S.C. §1983 actions for the last 25 years. She has tried more than 100 jury cases to verdict in New York State.

Ms. Rush began her career at the MTA/New York City Transit Authority in 1984. She was assigned to a trial unit in 1985 and began trying catastrophic injury claims and death actions shortly thereafter. She tried over 75 jury cases to verdict while at the MTA. Ms. Rush was made an Assistant General Counsel in 1989 and served as a supervisor in the Bronx Trial Unit and the Chief of the Major Case Unit in New York County.

 Ms. Rush is active in the New York City Chapter of  CLM and is a member of the Chapter's sponsorship committee.  She is also a member of  CLM's national Diversity and Inclusion Committee. In addition to CLM, Ms Rush is a member of the Defense Research Institute, The Defense Association of New York, The New York City Chapter of the International Association of Insurance Professionals, The Association of Professional Insurance Women, New York Women's Bar Association and The Catholic Lawyers Guild.

Wendy Hultman is Litigation Manager for Vela Insurance Services, A Berkley Company. She oversees the Litigation Management Initiative with Vela Insurance Services in Omaha, Nebraska.  Ms. Hultman graduated from Northwest Missouri State University, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Criminal Justice, and from Creighton Univeristy with a Law Degree.  She has earned designations for Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter, Registered Professional Liability Underwriter, Associate in Management, Senior Claims Law Associate, and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist.  She has extensive experience in the areas of transportation, general liability, professional liability, complex claims, and litigation management.
 

Wade joined Argo Group US, Inc. in May 2010 as in-house counsel primarily responsible for managing extra-contractual litigation against Argo Group US entities, and assisting with complex litigation, discovery, and subpoenas.He was a Panelist for “Bearing Witness: Navigating the Bad Faith Minefield During Trial” at the CLM Insurance Bad Faith and Coverage Conference, September 14, 2012.Previously, he was a complex business litigation attorney with an emphasis in coverage and defense of commercial general liability and property policies. Wade has represented insurance companies in state and federal trial and appellate litigation matters.Wade currently is Province 22 President for the International Legal Fraternity Phi Delta Phi and has been an Adjunct Professor of Advocacy at South Texas College of Law, his alma mater, where he has coached numerous moot court teams to state and national championships.Wade earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science and minor in Economics from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas where he was a member of Alpha Phi Omega.He graduated magna cum laude from South Texas College of Law as a member of South Texas Law Review, Order of the Lytae, the Langdell Scholar program, and was Magister of Phi Delta Phi’s Wood Inn. Wade also earned numerous awards as a member of South Texas College of Law’s nationally recognized varsity moot court program.

Philip Weis is the Director, Senior Employment Counsel for Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., located in Ridgefield, CT.  Mr. Weis provides advice, counsel and training to management and Human Resources professionals, as well as specialists in the areas of compliance, employee health, security, and compensation and benefits. He coordinates the company’s responses to internal and external employment-related claims and litigation and is a member of the Company’s Compliance Investigation Review Committee.  Mr. Weis provides counsel related to recruitment and hiring, disability-related issues, performance management, discrimination, harassment and retaliation, termination of employment and the administration of contingent workers. He also participates in the design and delivery of policies and training programs.

Mr. Weis has been practicing employment law as in-house and outside counsel for over 25 years. He specialized in management-side labor and employment law for ten years at Epstein Becker & Green P.C. While in private practice, Mr. Weis represented employers in a variety of industries in connection with employment-related claims and regulatory matters before federal and state courts, administrative agencies, and in mediations and labor arbitrations. Mr. Weis was in-house Employment Counsel for Pfizer Inc. for 12 years, before joining BI.

Mr. Weis is a member of ACC. He is a certified facilitator for the “Civil Treatment” series of employment-related training and frequently presents seminars on a variety of employment-related topics within the company and for external legal and professional groups.

Mr. Weis received his BA from the State University of New York at Albany, during which time he completed a legislative internship in the State Legislature. He received his JD from Hofstra University's School of Law, where he was an Associate Editor of the Law Review.  He is admitted to practice in New York State and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Ms. Goff began her career at Gallagher Bassett over 24 years ago in our National Liability Branch in Maryland Heights. Since then she has held many managerial roles, most recently Executive Vice President, U.S. Operations overseeing claims offices, strategic partner solutions and over 3000 team members.  She retired in October of 2015. Her leadership was vital to the ongoing success of GB’s U.S. Claims Operation and the launch of the Resolution Manager revolution, Quality Assurance, SCHIP and Licensing Departments.Prior to joining Gallagher Bassett, JoAnn worked in the claims organizations of Chubb, Farmers Insurance and The Hartford and the risk management department of a large grocery wholesaler.She holds Senior Claim Law Associate (SCLA) and Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designations.JoAnn recently sold a business she established with her husband. The business focused on helping seniors stay in their homes as long as possible. She is now consultanting for not only the insurance industry but also is an Independent Consultant for Arbonne focusing on skin care and wellness products. 

Frank Lattal serves as Chief Claims Officer responsible for all aspects of claims management and administration for the ACE Group of Companies, worldwide.

Mr. Lattal joined ACE in December 1998 as Senior Vice President and Claims Counsel. In July 2000 he was promoted to manage the entire claims operation in Bermuda and, in January 2002, was appointed Executive Vice President and General Counsel with responsibility for the consolidated Claims and Legal departments of ACE Bermuda.

Prior to joining ACE, Mr. Lattal spent 14 years in private practice specializing in tort and insurance law as a partner in the New Jersey law firm of Connell, Foley & Geiser, LLP.  He has spent most of his legal career counselling, litigating and arbitrating on behalf of insurers and their insureds in a variety of areas including property, casualty and professional liability.

Mr. Lattal is admitted to practice law in both New York and New Jersey. He holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, received his law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law in Indiana, and holds a master’s degree in environmental studies from Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Sarah Abrams is Head of Claims at Baleen Specialty, a division of Bowhead Specialty. Baleen underwrites wholesale and surplus lines insurance policies, leveraging proprietary digital underwriting and a technology-forward claims platform that Sarah helped design and implement.
 
Previously, Sarah served as Head of Professional Liability Claims at Bowhead Specialty, where she built the framework, guidelines, and team structure for handling D&O, E&O, and Cyber claims. She began her career as a litigator, representing insurers, reinsurers, and TPAs in defense and coverage matters following her graduation from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Sarah later joined Markel, where she advanced to Director of Management Liability, overseeing people managers across public company, private company, and financial institution teams.
 
Sarah holds a liberal arts degree in Psychology from Duke University. She is an active thought leader in the industry, having keynoted and spoken on numerous panels.  Her writing has appeared in various publications, including Law360, CLM Magazine, and the PLUS Blog.  Sarah is also a regular contributor to The D&O Diary.
 

Originally from Switzerland, Ms. Arn is a graduate of the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne and is fluent in English, French, and Conversational German.  She also holds CCEP, CCEP-I, CRM, ARM and AIC professional certifications.
 
In 2006, Ms. Arn joined Graebel Companies, Inc., a full service domestic and international relocation company, where she now handles high risk liability claims. She currently holds a senior position in Graebel’s Corporate Compliance and Risk Management Department, handling all related compliance and risk issues, including OFAC/BIS compliance.
 
Ms. Arn is co-author of “Five Things – Candid Insight Into the Attorney-Client Professional Relationship”, CLM Litigation Management Magazine, Spring 2014.
 
She is also a frequent guest speaker at the CLM National Annual Conference including:
04/11/2013: Recent Developments, Challenges and Best Practices in Motorcoach and Trucking Claims and Litigation
04/10/2014: Protecting the Trucking Industry Client During the Discovery Process
04/11/2014: Collecting and Preserving Evidence Following a Truck Accident and Avoiding Spoliation Claims
 
She was a key speaker at the CLM Greater Denver Chapter seminar on 06/10/2013: Avoiding the Bad Faith Claim: Best Practices for Claim Adjusters
 
In 2015, Ms. Arn was awarded CLM’s prestigious Claims Professional of the Year award
 
In addition to her other achievements, Ms. Arn has previously held the CLM Region 8 Chair, and the CLM Colorado State Chair position.  Ms. Arn is active in the mentoring and advancement of entry and mid-level insurance adjusters in the Region 8 area which includes Colorado and Wyoming.
 

Ms. Beck was awarded CLM's Outside Counsel of the Year in 2018.  She is the leading author of CLM Magazine's award-winning Blame Game series which analyzes verdicts in cases across the country.  She has joined the powerhouse firm of Klinedinst Law as a shareholder with an entire team of lawyers, paralegals, and staff covering CA, AZ and NV, as she and her team practice in all three states.  She co-chairs the firm's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts with Sacramento Office Managing Shareholder Natalie Vance. She was formerly Chair of Arizona Litigation and Co-chair of California Litigation with Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, an AM Law 100 firm.  Exemplar clients include LEGO, Inc., the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Walsh Construction, Chipotle, the San Diego Tourism Authority, McDonald’s Corporation, Sprouts Farmers Markets, various insurance companies, and many others.

Admitted to CA Bar (1990); U.S. District Court (Southern District of California) (1990); admitted to AZ Bar (2005); admitted to NV Bar (2019).

Preparatory Education: San Diego State University (B.S. 1986).Legal Education: University of San Diego (J.D. 1990, Magna Cum Laude).

Memberships: President-Elect, National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations; VP of the National Diversity Council's Southern California Diversity Council; Co-creator of GOOD Guys (GOOD=Guys Overcoming Obstacles to Diversity); San Diego County Bar Association; CLM; American Bar Association (Woman Advocate Committee, co-chair of the Book Sub-Committee); Lawyers Club of San Diego (founder and past co-chair of the Professional Advancement Committee and past co-chair of the Balance Committee); Girl Scouts, San Diego-Imperial Council, Inc. 

Other: Extern to Justice Howard B. Wiener, California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District (1990); Internship and Clerk for Office of the United States Attorney, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (1986-1988).

Ms. Beck is deeply committed to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is an active organizer, speaker, and writer on these issues.

Mr. Carlton represents business clients in complex civil litigation. He provides consultation and representation in numerous areas of insurance coverage and defends insurers and third-party administrators with respect to coverage disputes and claims of insurance bad faith, deceptive trade practices and insurance code violations. He also defends insureds in business and personal injury litigation, including attorney professional liability, auto liability, premises liability, products liability, construction defect, catastrophic injury, and first party property claims; and maintains a commercial liability practice representing construction companies, self-insured employers and other business entities.

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.

Barry Dillard is the Director of Risk Strategies, Insurance and Compliance with The Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.  With over twenty-nine years of industry experience, he has spent the last twenty-one years at Walt Disney World.  In his role he leads a team of 35 Cast Members with responsibilities including Insurance and Business Continuity Planning, Business Insight, Optimization, System Support, Regulatory & DOT Compliance, and strategic programs concerning construction, property and casualty risks.
 
In his previous role, Barry served as Director of Claims Management, and led a team of over sixty Cast Members who managed all aspects of the Company’s self-administered claims management program, including Workers’ Compensation and General Liability claims, as well as Compliance and Auditing. 
 
Barry proudly serves on the board of directors of the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) and the YMCA of Central Florida Teen Achievers Program. 
 
He is a graduate of Hampton University and received his Masters in Business Administration from Webster University, George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology.  
 
Barry is a native of New Jersey and when he is not working, enjoys staying fit and traveling.

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.

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.

Carolyn W. Finch is a claim consultant with Munich Re Specialty--North America. She currently specializes in the successful resolution of professional liability claims on a nationwide basis, especially legal and accounting malpractice at both a primary and excess level.  Previously she specialized in product liability claims involving high risk product insureds include nutraceutical, medical devices, durable equipment, childrens’ products, recreational and construction devices/accessories, and food manufacturers and distributors. Carolyn has over 40 years claims experience handling primary, excess and reinsurance claims for leading excess and surplus carriers. She has been a frequent speaker on claims management topics at industry seminars.  She previously served as co-chair of the CLM Product Liability Committee.

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.

Setara is a partner at Ferguson, Frost, Moore & Young, LLP.  She has worked in the legal industry since she was 19 years old, when she started as a paralegal in Dallas, Texas.  Setara's practice includes catastrophic injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, products liability, and commercial transportation claims in state and federal courts.  She has tried multiple high-exposure suits to verdict.  Setara is a passionate defense advocate, and works to achieve favorable and fair outcomes for her clients--a stark contrast to the culture of windfall verdicts in today's courtrooms. 
 
Setara is a National Black Lawyers' Top 40 Under 40 Lawyer and has also spoken nationally about emerging legal issues in commercial transportation and wearable technology.  During law school, Setara was a member of the National Trial Team, where she advocated in six national competitions, and won the 2011 Tournament of Champions.  She continues to serve as an assistant coach Cumberland's trial team.  Setara was also named to the Dean's List 200-2012, served as an Honor Court Justice, and was the Scholar of Merit in Constitutional Law, Advanced Evidence, and Advanced Trial Skills.

Before law school, Setara received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Texas at Dallas.  At UTD, she was president of the Sigma Kappa Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Student Government Senator.  She also worked as a paralegal assisting in family, IP, and oil & gas disputes. 

Setara grew up in Barrett Station, Texas.  Outside of work, Setara enjoys spending time with her husband, Darius, and their dog, Bronko.  A self-described "foodie," Setara tries to spend her weekends in new places with good wine and great friends.  Setara is a member of the Alabama Bar Association, MCBA, Birmingham Bar Association, ADLA, CLM, and Women Business Leaders Executive Board.

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.

A dedicated advocate, Joseph P. Garin is a partner in the firm of Lipson, Neilson, Cole, Seltzer & Garin, P.C. He maintains a national practice, focusing on the defense of professional liability claims, insurance coverage disputes, directors and officers claims, and risk management. Throughout his career, Mr. Garin has defended more than 400 lawyers and law firms across Michigan, Illinois, Nevada and Colorado. He is also experienced in complex and commercial litigation matters, including cases involving breach of contract and unfair business practices. He has successfully pursued and resisted claims for extraordinary relief, such as temporary restraining orders and preliminary and permanent injunctions. He specializes in a range of litigation matters, including professional liability disputes, insurance coverage, director and officer liability, commercial law and employer/employee disputes. He regularly consults with insurers and businesses of all sizes to manage their risks and reduce litigation expenses. Mr. Garin earned a B.G.S. degree from the University of Michigan and received his J.D. degree cum laude from Michigan State University-Detroit College of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the State Bar of Illinois, the State Bar of Nevada and the State Bar of Colorado. He is admitted before the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western District of Michigan, the District of Nevada, as well as in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Garin serves as the Vice Chair to the Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Ethics and is a member of the Professional Liability Committee for the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.  He has served as a court-appointed special master and settlement facilitator. He is an SCAO-trained Mediator. 

Krista Glenn is Executive Vice President and Chief Claims Officer for Westfield Specialty and brings 30 years of insurance claims and management experience to the role. At Westfield Specialty, Ms. Glenn is building a new, full-service claims organization in order to support all of Westfield Specialty's lines of business which currently include E&S Casualty; E&S Property; Financial Institutions; Management Liability and Westfield Pro (Cyber, E&O and Professional Liability).     

Prior to joining Westfield Specialty, Krista spent five years as EVP, Chief Claims Officer at a North Carolina-based insurance carrier.  Krista also spent more than 21 years at the ACE/Chubb companies where she held many roles in Chubb, ACE North America and ACE Group Claims.  She ended her career at Chubb as the Head of Multinational Claims with dual reporting to the Global Accounts underwriting division.  Krista began her career handling claims and declaratory judgment actions at AIG in New York.

Krista is a member of Chief, a 2019 Women to Watch and a 2015 Woman on the Move award winner, a member of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel and APIW, and an advisory board member for the CLM.  She is a graduate of Seton Hall University and Delaware Law School and is admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  In her most important role, Krista is the proud mother of two adult daughters.

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.

Chris is currently Associate General Counsel for North American Risk Services (NARS).   Previous to joining NARS, Chris served as a Senior Advisor to Suite 200 Solutions, LLC.  Prior to joining Suite 200 Solutions, LLC, Chris served in several C-Suite roles for Canal Insurance Company --  including General Counsel/Corporate Secretary, Chief Claims Officer and Chief Operating Officer.   

Previous to joining Canal, Chris served as Division Counsel to a division of AIG.  He has also served as Corporate Counsel to Progressive Insurance Company and as a Trial Attorney for a Birmingham, Alabama based law firm.  Chris is a frequent lecturer on the topics of litigation management, bad faith, insurance compliance programs and enterprise risk management fundamentals. 

He is a  graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, is admitted to several state and federal bars, has earned CLM's Certified Claims Professional and Advanced Claims Professional Designations.  He is also active in the Defense Research Institute, the Association of Corporate Counsel, Trucking Industry Defense Association, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, and the American Bar Association (where he is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation).

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.

Steven brings to CLM Advisors’ clients more than 30 years in the insurance and reinsurance industries.  His practice with CLM Advisors focuses primarily on elevating the claim audit to predictive analytics, helping claim organizations to predictively identify the 20 percent of claims that drive 80 percent of loss.

Steven’s background encompasses the management of primary and excess claims with an emphasis on primary, excess and reinsurance asbestos and pollution claims, excess liability claims and professional liability claims.  He also has extensive structured settlement and loss structuring experience.

Prior to joining CLM Advisors, Steven was Vice President, Senior Risk Specialist, for Swiss Re America, responsible for internal worldwide claim quality review.  In prior roles he assisted Swiss Re clients to assess and improve their claim department performance.  He has extensive experience in claim audit design and implementation, process analysis, redesign and change management.

Victor Hertz is the president and CEO of Legal Language Services. Victor joined Legal Language in 1984, and has helped the company evolve into one of the largest litigation support firms in the United States.

Mr. Hertz was formerly Director of Frost & Sullivan’s International Political Risk Division. Frost & Sullivan pioneered international risk analysis including country profiles and strategic analysis. Mr. Hertz was educated at Columbia College and Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, his Ph.D. dissertation was on international conflict resolution. He was a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Fellow, a National Science Foundation Fellow and a winner of a Ford Foundation Fellowship.

Mr. Hertz is currently active in the ASTM task force developing standards for interpreting and translation companies in the U.S. with a special emphasis on legal settings.

Micaela currently serves as Assistant Vice President for State Government Relations at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) and oversees legislative and regulatory affairs in NJ, PA, VA and DC.  Micaela joined PCI in 2009 and initially managed the Southeast territory which included GA, NC, SC and TN.

Micaela began her political career in 1995 at the Republican Party of Texas and after three years, was hired by the Texas Association of Business & Chambers of Commerce (TABCC) as Political Action & Education Manager.  While at TABCC, Micaela was responsible for resurrecting their dormant state PAC and expanding issue advocacy fundraising, ultimately tripling the combined receipts.  Additional responsibilities included developing grassroots initiatives and get-out-the-vote campaigns for more than 140,000 employers across the state of Texas.

In 1999 Micaela relocated to Washington, DC with HSBC-North America, where she remained for ten years.  Initially hired as Political Affairs Director for federal and state government relations, her primary responsibilities included managing nearly 5,000 PAC members, PAC receipts of more than $2.3 million a cycle, all state and federal compliance and get-out-the-vote/grassroots initiatives.  Just prior to joining PCI, Micaela served as Vice President, State Government Relations at HSBC and managed banking and financial services issues in AL, FL, GA, LA and MS.

On Election Day in 2002, Micaela was featured in a front page Wall Street Journal story about effective political programs within the business community.  Over the years, Micaela has been interviewed for similar stories by Crane Magazine, Influence Magazine and HR Magazine, to name a few.  

Micaela was appointed to serve as PAC Council Chairman for the Business and Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC) from 1999-2009 and currently serves on the BIPAC Board of Directors.  She has been a speaker at numerous conferences for the Public Affairs Council and BIPAC, a guest lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin and George Washington University and has addressed Corporate PAC Boards and trade association executives about the importance of employee engagement in the political process.

Micaela is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Speech Communication and currently resides in Washington, D.C.

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).

Cathleen is a partner and shareholder at Rebar Kelly. She has been advising and counseling clients in complex litigation matters for over two decades. She represents leading insurance companies and their insureds in multi-faceted matters involving violations of professional standards of care. Cathleen’s representation extends to design professionals, architects, engineers, contractors, surveyors, appraisers, environmental consultants, agents, brokers, service providers, medical professionals, business professionals, food manufacturers and distributors and property owners.

Cathleen has represented clients in the following types of claims:

duty to represent dangerous conditions inadequate security failure to advise, failure to implement design specifications failure to supervise, failure to inspect design defects errors in professional judgment and failure to refer failure to meet/inform of deadlines failure to diagnose and misdiagnosis emergency medical care and nursing mistakes mental health issues corporate liability subcontractor responsibility/indemnification indemnity and obtaining coverage under additional insured status failure to warn

Cathleen has defended one of the nation’s largest healthcare providers in claims of medical malpractice. She has also represented design professionals in legal matters stemming from defective design of electrical equipment resulting in multiple claims and lawsuits. Cathleen has been defending one of the region’s largest real estate brokers in errors and omissions matters for over a decade. She has also represented physicians in connection with allegations of failing to properly diagnose, as well as long-term care facilities against allegations of inappropriate preventative measures for the avoidance of pressure sores. Cathleen also defended one of the country’s largest retail suppliers of electronics in claims of product defects and premise liability matters.

Education: Villanova University School of Law, J.D., 1998 & Long Island University, B.A., 1995, magna cum laude
 

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.

Carol Kreiling
Attorney
Swiss Re

Carol Kreiling is a Vice President at Swiss Re. She is a Claims Expert in Swiss Re's Property and Casualty Business Management.  Ms. Kreiling graduated with honors from the University of Missouri at Kansas City with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law where she was a member of the Law Review. Ms. Kreiling practiced law at Shook, Hardy and Bacon Law Firm in Kansas City, Missouri, where she specialized in tort litigation. In addition, Ms. Kreiling served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. As a Trial Counsel in the JAG Corps, Ms. Kreiling prosecuted numerous service members at General Courts Martial and served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. 
Prior to managing reinsurance claims, Ms. Kreiling handled and supervised professional liability errors and omissions claims for Employers Reinsurance Corporation. Over the last ten years, Ms. Kreiling has managed complex litigation involving reinsurance claims. She currently serves on Canada's claims team for Swiss Re.
Ms. Kreiling has written a number of publications, blogs and white papers on emerging risks, including social media, cyber liability and drones.  In addition, Ms. Kreiling has been a speaker at numerous industry events on the subject of social media, technology, and cyber liability.

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.

Michael Mattix has thirty-two years experience in the insurance industry, beginning his career as an attorney in private practice specializing in insurance defense matters.  He has more than 20 years experience in managing primary, excess and reinsurance claims with an emphasis in both personal and commercial property and casualty lines, as well as workers compensation and professional liability claims.  Michael was named General Counsel and  Chief Claims Officer for Armed Forces Insurance in 2011 and Chief Underwriting Officer in 2013.

Prior to his association with Armed Forces Michael spent nearly 25 years with Swiss Re (formerly known as Employers Reinsurance)  During his tenure, he created and managed a state-of-the-art claims and financial transactional audit team, as well as a claim consulting group.  He is a recognized expert in claims management, process redesign and effecting change within organizations, and is a frequent speaker at industry events.

Mary Beth is the Chief Claims Officer for Munich Re Specialty Insurance, where she oversees a global team of Claims Professionals and Specialists who have deep expertise in property, casualty, and specialty lines for U.S. risk.  She previously served as a Claims Practice Lead over multiple lines of business for a large, global commercial insurance company.  Mary Beth draws on her background as a trial attorney to lead with strategic vision and influence with a technical emphasis and pragmatic approach to achieve the most optimal claim resolutions. 

With nearly 30 years claims experience, Frank McLaughlin joined ORCIG in 2018 as National Liability Quality Assurance Manager and later assumed the role of National Property Claims Manager.  Prior to joining ORCIG, Frank was a Managing Director at Everest Reinsurance where he led a team of attorney and senior level claim professionals responsible for an interenational portfolio of treaty and facultative claims.  From 2004-2014, Mr. McLaughlin was Senior Vice President and Chief Claims Officer of Generali US Branch with a primary focus on multi-national product liability claims and large property exposures.  Prior to joining Generali, Mr. McLaughlin was employed at Riverstone Claims Resources, in Manchester, New Hampshire where he helped establish the largest construction defect run-off program in the nation and later managed a team of complex latent claims handlers in the area of emerging mass torts.  Mr. McLaughlin's background includes primary, excess and reinsurance claims operations with domestic and international insurers, and he has managed nearly every variety of commerical claim.  Mr. Mclaughlin has extensive audit experience and has led numerous audit teams, both in the United States and in Europe. Frank is a graduate of Providence College and Rutgers University Law School - Newark where he served on the Law Review as Book Review Editor.  In adddition to his law degree, Frank has attained the CPCU and ARM designations.

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.

Sarannah McMurtry is Executive Vice President and General Counsel for First Acceptance Insurance in Nashville, TN. Prior to joining First Acceptance, Ms. McMurtry was in private practice where she handled defense of insurance coverage and extracontractual liability matters. She is a fellow in the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) and was named the 2024 CLM Professional of the Year for Claims and Litigation Management. She also serves as Co-Dean for the CLM Claims College, School of Extracontractual Claims.

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).

Kim Noble is a Vice President at Applied Financial Lines in Chicago, IL, where she manages their lawyers' and accountants divisions. She joined Applied Financial in 2022 to develop and launch these products. Prior to that she was at Thompson Flanagan where she advised lawyers and law firms on insurance coverage, professional liability claims and risk management techniques. Before that, she was at Argo Pro, manging their lawyers' and accountants' professional liability programs. Ms. Noble has 26 years of professional liability experience as outside counsel, underwriting management and advisory roles. Before joining Argo Pro, Ms. Noble was Senior Vice President, Lawyers’ and Real Estate Professional Liability for OneBeacon Professional Insurance. In this role, she was responsible for the development, launch and strategic management of lawyers’ and real estate professional liability underwriting and risk management. Prior to this, she was Vice President/Chief Underwriting Officer for GE Westport Insurance’s Lawyers’ Professional Liability program. Prior to this, she was also the Divisional Leader for St. Paul Insurance Company’s Lawyers’ Professional, Defense Research Institute and Law Firm Employment practices products. Before joining the insurance industry, she was in private practice, representing the Resolution Trust Corporation (FDIC) and numerous insurance companies, concentrating on defending professionals and providing coverage advice under director and officer, lawyers, accountant and employment practices policies. 

Ms. Noble holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Drury University in Business Administration and Economics. She obtained her law degree from the University of Missouri in Kansas City and is licensed to practice law in four states.  She holds her CPCU and RPLU designations. She is an active member of many organizations, including the American Bar Association, PLUS, the Defense Research Institute and CLM. She is a frequent speaker and author on malpractice and risk management topics. 

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.



 

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.

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.

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

Kevin M. Quinley is the Principal at Quinley Risk Associates, LLC.  He is a nationally recognized authority on claims-handling and litigation management.  He has over 30 years experience in managing casualty claims and litigation.He has a BA from Wake Forest University and an MA from the College of William & Mary.  He holds the Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation and specialty designations from the American Insurance Institute in Risk Management (ARM), in Claims (AIC), in Reinsurance (ARe), in Management (AIM) and he holds the Registered Professional Adjuster (RPA) designation.  Kevin is also a licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Consultant in Virginia.A Contributing Editor to Medical Product Outsourcing magazine, Kevin is the author of over 700 published articles and ten books.  The latter includes Managing Product Liability Risk and Avoiding Litigation.  Kevin is a co-author of the CLM "Product Liability Adjuster Training Course."  He is a frequent writer, speaker and trainer on topics relating to claims and litigation management.  Law firms and clients throughout the country seek him out as a testifying expert on litigated matters relating to bad faith, extracontractual liability, claims-handling and adjuster standard-of-care.  You can reach him at kevin@kevinquinley.com and follow him on Twitter @ClaimsCoach.

Jeff serves as the Director of Claims for Catholic Mutual Group, the largest provider of P&C coverage for the Catholic Church in the US and Canada.  Prior to this current role, Jeff served as Director of Claims for Advanced Disposal, a waste disposal provider reaching over 15 States.  He also served as Sr. Manager of Liability, Auto and Property losses for BILO/Winn-Dixie Stores, a retailer of over 500 grocery stores serving 8 States in the southeast US.  Jeff started his insurance career with Empire Fire and Marine/Zurich US.  He served 14 years with Zurich in various Claim and Operations leadership roles.

Jeff is the 2013 CLM Litigation Management Professional of the Year, has had the privilege to speak at many CLM local and National events and has published three articles in Litigation Management magazine.  He splits duties as the CLM Regional Chair for the Midwest region, is a Co-Chair for the CLM Religious and Non-profit Committee and serves on other various committees.

Jeff is a Cum Laude graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and holds the SCLA designation.

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.

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.

Matt is a founding partner of Stone Kalfus LLP, a civil defense law firm in Atlanta, Georgia.  He focuses on resolving motor vehicle liability claims against companies, drivers, and insurers in the trucking and transportation industry, including motor carriers, specialty haulers, governmental and private bus lines and motor coaches, waste haulers, mobile cranes, and emergency and non-emergency transportation providers.Matt has extensive experience handling claims from the on-scene investigation through trial and appeals.

He leads the firm's 24/7 Rapid Response Team, which provides clients with immediate around-the-clock access to team attorneys and a network of qualified investigators and experts. The team quickly assesses an incident, determines the appropriate level of response, coordinates the on-scene investigation, and assists in achieving a prompt, cost-effective, positive resolution.
 

He also regularly represents automobile dealerships in litigation, consumer, and regulatory issues.  He served as lead defense counsel for the auto dealership in Melton v. General Motors, et al., the landmark case involving a defective ignition switch that led to GM’s recall of more than 2 million vehicles, a Congressional inquiry into GM's conduct, and record-breaking civil penalties levied against GM by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA).
 

Matt has tried cases in all of Georgia's federal judicial districts and many of Georgia's 49 judicial circuits, and he has represented clients in more than 75 appeals to the state and federal appellate courts in Georgia.
 

He is a member of industry-specific groups, including the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA), the Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA), the Georgia Motor Trucking Association (GMTA), the Defense Research Institute (DRI), the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association (GDLA), the National Association of Dealer Counsel (NADC) and the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association (GADA).He is an instructor for the North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI), which provides professional certification and training seminars for transit fleet professionals.

Clifford Stubbs defends employers', insurance carriers', and third party administrators' workers' compensation claims in Kansas and Missouri.  He aggressively represents his clients at trial and appellate levels of the litigation process.  Mr. Stubbs works with clients to manage all aspects of the injury continuum, including evaluating appropriate employment policies, implementing aggressive on-site injury management, and educating employers and supervisors. He often evaluates Medicare set-aside requirements.

Mr. Stubbs effectively defends permanent total disability claims, death claims, and complex occupational disease claims in both Kansas and Missouri.  In Kauffman v. Hehr International, he obtained a complete denial of workers' compensation benefits in a Kansas case involving an undocumented heart rhythm disruption resulting in a tractor-trailer rollover and death.  Additionally, Mr. Stubbs defends complex occupational disease claims.  He recently litigated a latent abdominal aortic aneurysm claim in Missouri to its successful resoluation. 

Mr. Stubbs chaired the Workers' Compensation Committee of the American Bar Association's Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section.  He authors articles for the committee's newsletter and regularly presents workers' compensation seminars for clients, industry groups, and the bar, including the National Workers' Compensation and Disability Conference and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. The Kansas Bar Association recognized Mr. Stubbs  as the Outstanding Young Lawyer in Kansas in 1997,  Ingram's Magazine recognized him as one of the Top 40 Most Influential Kansas Citians Under 40 and K.C. Magazine named him as a Kansas-Missouri Super Lawyer in Workers' Compensation.  In 2012, Mr. Stubbs was inducted as a fellow in The College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers.  He is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Mr. Stubbs is a shareholder with the firm and serves as Vice President of its Board of Directors.  He has served on the Executive Council and Board of Governors for the Wyandotte County Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association, the American Bar Association - YLD, and the American Bar Association - TIPS.  In addition to serving on various charity boards in the Kansas City area, Mr. Stubbs chaired the Disaster Legal Services Committee for the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) and coordinated disaster legal services for individuals affected by natural disasters throughout the country.  Mr. Stubbs was his senior class president at the University of Kansas, where he received his undergraduate and juris doctorate degrees, and is an avid  Jayhawk fan.  He is a member of Christ Church in Overland Park and spends much of his free time with his two children. Practice Areas: Workers' Compensation Accomplishments: Worked closely with industry to educate legislators and defeat pro-claimant aspects or proposed Kansas Workers' Compensation legislation. Former President of Young Lawyers Section of Kansas Bar Association. 1997 Young Lawyer of the Year Award from the Kansas Bar Association. Chair of ABA Disaster Legal Services Project and coordinated disaster legal relief efforts throughout the country with FEMA. Chair of the ABA/YLD Executive Council with representatives from all 50 states, U.S. territories and other National Bar Associations. Professional Organizations: American Bar Association Kansas Bar Association The Missouri Bar

Jerome C. (Joe) Studer's practice encompasses general commercial litigation and insurance coverage litigation and counseling, with a particular focus on disputes involving attorney fees. Joe also practices with Legal Fee Solutions, LLC, a subsidiary of Cozen O'Connor.

As part of Legal Fee Solutions, Joe helps clients avoid or resolve disputes over attorneys’ fees. Joe provides counsel on the reasonableness of attorneys’ fees. He also assists clients with the management and control of legal costs in ongoing large-scale litigation.

With 20 years of experience as an attorney, and nearly 15 years’ experience with Legal Fee Solutions, Joe has evaluated and participated in the review and audit of billions of dollars in legal fees. He provides independent analysis on the reasonableness of attorneys’ fees, and has testified as an expert witness concerning the reasonableness of legal fees and hourly rates. Joe also works with clients on the management and control of legal costs, and has helped negotiate and implement litigation management plans in numerous situations involving large, complex litigation. Separately, Joe has successfully litigated numerous attorney fee disputes, including some of the largest fee dispute cases in the country.

Joe earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago in 1992 and earned his law degree from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1995. While in law school, Joe served as a judicial extern for U.S. District Judge George M. Marovich and (then) U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer.

Before college, Joe was a sergeant in the U.S. Army, where he served as a section leader in a cavalry scout platoon based in Germany. He is an avid bicyclist, and commutes to work by bike year round.

Sonia M. Valdes, Esq. is Vice President of Claims at Medmarc. Ms. Valdes is responsible for managing a team of dedicated Claims professionals as well as overseeing technical and administrative issues within the Claims Dept. Among her responsibilities include directing mass tort litigation, training and development of staff, policy development, advising underwriters on risk management, and expanding Medmarc’s Litigation Management Services. Ms. Valdes joined Medmarc in August of 2013. Prior to Medmarc, Ms. Valdes was Assistant Vice President with Chubb & Son Inc. in its headquarters in Warren, New Jersey for 14 years.  She had worldwide responsibility for managing Chubb’s Life Sciences Claims Core. Ms. Valdes has extensive experience in evaluating coverage and liability issues in environmental, mass tort and health science litigation.  She has been an admitted attorney in NJ since 1992 and is and a member of the IADC, CLM and ALFA. She received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Rutgers University in 1984 and her law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1991.

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.

Tamara L. Warn started her transportation career as a trial attorney in Chicago.  As an aviation defense attorney she defended pilots, airplane component part manufacturers and other parties related to the aviation industry throughout the United States.  This law practice fit well with her passion for airplanes and her pilot’s license.  While practicing law, she owned and operated a Cessna 172 airplane.After 6 years of trial work, she switched gears and began working in-house as the Litigation Manager for Schneider National, Inc.  While employed at Schneider she obtained her Commercial Driver’s License.  Her commercial driver training has given her an advantage in working in the trucking industry.  It gives her insight into the industry and truck drivers.  After 3 years with Schneider, she joined Transport America in Eagan, Minnesota.  Her work at Transport America included risk management in addition to claims.  In 2003 she was offered the Risk Manager position at Interstate Distributor Co. in Tacoma, Washington.  In this role, she led the company’s liability claims departments, the driver training, safety, compliance and loss prevention departments and the security departments.Currently, Tamara is the Corporate Counsel, Vice President of Risk Management and Safety Director at C&K Trucking, LLC in Chicago Ridge, IL.  In this role she sits on the Board of Directors for C&K Holdings, LLC, leads the Safety, Security and Claims activities of this large intermodal carrier.  In addition, Tamara was on the Board for 9 years and is a past President of the Trucking Industry Defense Association.  She also is a Certified Director of Safety from NATMI and has obtained her Associate in Risk Management from the CPCU.

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.

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.

 

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

As the Director of Project Management, Yasko's responsibilities at Preferred Medical are vast and varying. Preferred Medical is a workers compensation PBM and ancillary services provider. In his role, Yasko helps to create the strategic focus of the organization while optimizing internal processes. He also serves a customer facing role however, where his consultative, trusted advisor approach has helped him to earn a modest reputation of a subject matter expert within the industry.

Scott is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, serving on the Medical Legal Committee. Through the CLM, as well as other industry affiliations, Yasko has evolved as a frequent contributor, both as writer and speaker, on topics related to prescription drugs, medical marijuana, drug testing, and complex claims issues. 

Scott received his Bachelors of Arts in business management from Robert Morris University and his Masters in Business Administration from Georgia Southern University. He resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife, Leah, and two daughters, Monroe and Kensington.

Michael is Vice President, Counsel & Litigation Management.  In this role he is responsible for contracting, legal counsel and support to product, underwriting and corporate, and litigation management, which includes management of outside counsel relationships.  Previously Michael was VP, Litigation & Vendor Management.  Michael joined IAT in 2019.
 
Prior to joining IAT, Michael held various roles at Chubb, including:
- Vice President, Head of Litigation and Legal Vendor Management, North America
- Assistant Vice President, Home Office Litigation Management Specialist
- Assistant Vice President and Manager of the Litigation Cost Management Group

From 2001 to 2010, Michael held various roles at The Hartford including:
- Regional Manager of Panel Counsel
- Counsel
- Trial Attorney 

He also held positions with Sentry Insurance as Trial Attorney and The Public Consulting Group, Inc. as a Case Director and Counsel.
 
Michael earned his JD from Suffolk University Law School where in his 3rd year he participated in the prosecutor’s clinical program representing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in criminal proceedings.  Michael earned his MBA from Southern Connecticut State University and his BA in Economics from Albertus Magnus College, where he later served as an Adjunct Professor teaching Business Ethics, Business Law and Sports Law.
 
Michael has been a speaker and faculty member on litigation management and claim topics.  Michael is a Certified Litigation Management Professional (LMI – CLM designation), Certified Claims Professional in Casualty Claims (CLM designation) and a member of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC).  Michael is also a member of NAMWOLF’s Advisory Council (National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms) and IILP’s Advisory Board (The Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession).
 
Most recently in October 2022 Michael was part of a team that received the DRI Law Firm Corporate Legal Diversity Award for Mediator Selection Diversity Initiative.

Paul Berne joined the Lancer Financial Group in 1992. He has over 38 years experience in the management and administration of property/casualty claims. Prior to joining Lancer, Paul was Vice President of Claims with Progressive Casualty Insurance Company. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University and the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation. Paul is a member of the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) where he served as President and Treasurer during his nine year term on the Board of Directors. He is currently a member of the TIDA Endowment Committee, having initiated the committee and serving as Chair for 10 years. Paul is a member of the Counsel on Litigation Management Bad Faith Committee and Transportation Committee, and the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America Claims and Bad Faith Committees. He is a frequent speaker and author on a range of subjects relating to Claims management, transportation risk exposure and claims cost control, and risk management. Paul is now Executive Vice President of The Quaker Project, a Claims data and analytics company working with Lancer Insurance Company and other organizations.

Tom Best is Associate General Counsel at Home Depot. where he leads a team that manages the Company’s casualty, products liability, first property and torts claims and litigation. Tom is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and has been trained as a Six Sigma Black Belt. During Tom’s time at the Company, Tom’s group has pioneered several successful new programs including: National Discovery Counsel, Early Case Assessment and Evaluation, Regionalization of Products Liability Counsel, Regionalization of Torts Counsel, and Alternative Fee Approaches to Torts and Products Liability Litigation. Tom has presented on general liability matters, the relationship between outside and in house counsel, cost containment, and alternative fee strategies on numerous occasions.

Tom is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University where he served on the Editorial Board as Student Writing Editor. Tom is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, Defense Research Institute, National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association, the Association of Corporate Counsel. Tom is also a Fellow of the Counsel on Litigation Management and serves as a Co-Chairperson of the Litigation Management Committee. Tom maintains an “AV” rating with Martindale-Hubbell.
 

Bob Bowman is the Director of Risk Management for the Wendy's Company, based in Dublin, Ohio. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University and resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife and two children.

Bob entered the insurance industry in 1990, in Cincinnati, with Safeco Insurance Companies, and spent seven years with them, in a variety of auto, property and casualty claims-related roles.

Bob joined Macy’s in 1997 and held a variety of roles in their Risk Management department over the past 14 years, including overseeing self-administered General Liability, Property and Workers’ Compensation claims groups, Risk Management Systems and IT Operations, Risk Management Reporting functions, Business Continuity Planning and Crisis Management groups and Insurance procurement and program placement.Bob joined the Wendy's organization in 2014, as the Director of Risk Management and holds responsibility for overseeing the placement and administration of insurance programs, claims administration and business continutity.

Away from the work, Bob has coached soccer, baseball, softball and basketball teams and has been a member of the Springdale Forest Park Lions Club. He previously served on the Vestry at St Anne Episcopal Church, acting as Stewardship Liaison, Jr. Warden and Sr. Warden. Bob participated in the Christ Renews His Parish program at St. Anne, serving in a variety of roles including Spiritual Director. He has also served at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy on the Friends of Fine Arts board, as Membership chair, Treasurer and President. Bob enjoys supporting Back2Back Ministries and partnering with them on missionary projects in Monterrey, Mexico, and he is a member and Steering Committee chair for JH Ranch, Outback America in Cincinnati.

Hope s the founder of The Calabro Law Firm.   She concentrates her practice on civil litigation, representing businesses, employers, insurance companies, and individuals in a wide range of matters, including products liabilty, workers' compensation, general and premises liability, governmental tort liability, insurance coverage disputes, employment litigation, condominium owners association litigation, and subrogation. She has also previously practiced in the areas of matrimonial and family law. Hope is licensed to practice in all State Courts in Tennessee. in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee, and in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Hope moved to Nashville, Tennessee, from Oklahoma to attend Vanderbilt University where she completed her Bachelor's of Arts Degree in 1996. While attending Nashville School of Law, Hope worked full time as a litigation paralegal and office manager in a personal injury law firm until she received her Juris Doctorate Degree in 2003. She relocated to Memphis, Tennessee in 2007 as a managing attorney for a mid-size regional insurance defense firm where she opened a local office and expanded the firm's presence in Shelby County and its surrounding areas.   She treasures having a great working relationship with her clients, and enjoys educating and helping them through the litigation process to a successful outcome.

Jill S. Chilcoat is a third-generation native San Diegan and has been with Lincoln, Gustafson & Cercos since 2001. Jill received her law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. Jill has developed a broad practice, including civil litigation focusing on insurance coverage, wrongful death, personal injury, products liability, employer liability, liquor liability, construction liability, Americans with Disabilities Act liability, class action defense, and many other areas of litigation. Jill also handles business consulting, compliance, and formation, wills and trusts, property tax matters, contracts, leases, and other non-litigation matters. Jill is admitted to practice law in all of the California courts and all of the Federal District Courts within California.

Practice Areas: Personal Injury, Employment, Products Liability, Wrongful Death, Insurance Coverage, Construction Defect, Corporate Compliance

Legal Education: University of San Diego (J.D., 2001)

Preparatory Education: San Diego State University (B.A. 1998)

Legal Practice: Partner at Lincoln, Gustafson & Cercos (2012-Present), Associate at Lincoln, Gustafson & Cercos (2002-2012); Law Clerk at Lincoln, Gustafson & Cercos (2000-2001)

Ed served as the Casualty Process Leader for Progressive’s Specialty Claims group focused on high exposure commercial auto, special lines, and tort claims .  Ed began with Progressive in 1976 as a claims adjuster.  He held a number of management positions, including Branch Manager, Regional Claim Manager, Audit Director, National Claims Training Manager, National SIU Director, Claims Business Leader in Progressive's Gulf Division (FL, AL, MS, LA) along with a range of Corporate Claims process management positions.  He is based in Cleveland and is now retired.

Mario Ciano serves as Chairman of Reminger Co., L.P.A., a regional law firm with multiple offices in Ohio and Kentucky. For 18 years, Mario served as Managing Partner of the Reminger firm. During his tenure, Reminger experienced substantial growth in personnel, geographical reach, and scope of services provided. An important component of Reminger’s growth was spirited by Mario’s entrepreneurial bent and the firm’s willingness to share risk and rewards with a variety of self-insured and insured clients through Alternative Fee Arrangements. Professionally, Mr. Ciano has headed a number of practice groups including Medical and Non-Medical Professional Liability and Complex and Commercial Litigation. He has been regularly recognized among the “Best Lawyers in America” and has been a featured “Leading Lawyer” by Inside Business magazine. He is a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, Defense Research Institute, and a Member of the Council of Litigation Management. Mr. Ciano frequently lectures to peer groups on various topics including trial and litigation, professional liability, leadership, and best practices in litigation management.

Education:

Western Reserve University (B.A., 1965; J.D., 1968)  Law Review Admitted to Bar:

1968, Ohio State and Federal Courts Areas of Practice:

D&O, Professional Liability Business / Commercial Litigation Insurance Mediation Memberships:

Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel Defense Research Institute Faculty Fellow National Institute of Trial Advocacy Federal, State, and Local Bar Associations Life Delegate of Ohio Eighth Judicial District Celebreeze Inns of Court Justinian Forum Federal and State Court ADR Panel Claims and Litigation Management Alliance Honors:

Frequent Lecturer To Peer Groups On Various Trial, Litigation, Professional Liability and Litigation Management Topics Inside Business Magazine Leading Lawyer 2010

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. 

Laura Cornish is the Vice President of Risk Management for Madison Square Garden Entertainment, with a primary focus on establishing the risk strategy for the construction, entertainment, and sports organizations. Formerly, Laura was the Claims Manager at Lightstone, responsible for managing and overseeing Lightstone's Claims and Loss Control programs. Before joining Lightstone, Laura helped CLM establish ClaimVets, a 501 (C )(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing veterans and military spouses with a pathway to a career in claims. PBeforeher working with ClaimVets, she was a Director in Honeywell International's Corporate Risk Management Department, primarily responsible for managing Global Property and Casualty claims. In her role, Laura established the organization's strategic goals for claim handling, complex claim resolution, and litigation management. Before joining Honeywell, Laura was the Domestic Risk Manager for Colgate-Palmolive, responsible for U.S. policy placement and worldwide claims. As the Director-Global Claims for Tyco Intl., Laura managed the in-house claim staff and partnered with counsel, insurers, and TPAs to establish a Litigation Management program encompassing industry Best Practices, billing guidelines, and review processes, reducing durations, claim costs, and legal fees. Before transitioning to Risk Management, Laura was a Vice President; Senior Casualty Claims Consultant/Team Leader at Marsh. PBeforeMarsh, she held various claims positions within AIG's Home Office, Aetna, and Liberty Mutual.  
Laura is a Certified Litigation Management Professional, a Certified Claims Professional, and a Fa faculty member of The Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) Claim College. She is a member of the NY RIMS Chapter Advisory Committee. In addition, Laura is the President of the CLM Northern NJ Chapter and a member of the Advisory Board of CLM's Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Committee. Laura is a Graduate of the University of Scranton with a B.S. in Public Administration and Accounting. 

I believe in providing sound advice that transforms my clients’ business into an efficient, effective, and highly profitable nationally and internationally recognized insurance claim organization.

Securus Consultants’ experts have decades of domestic and international claim and risk management experience, leading highly effective and prosperous claim teams who manage national and international, multi-billion-dollar corporations. See the why, what, who and how at www.securusconsultants.com.

With over 30 years’ experience, I am an accomplished executive with expertise in risk and claim management within the Property and Casualty arena. Through actively listening to my clients, critical thinking, and strategic leadership, I provide refreshingly creative growth and organizational solutions for TPA’s, Independent Loss Adjusting firms, and the claim departments of Insurers, Brokerages and Agencies. I have measurable results in developing sustainable business strategies, critical issue resolution, and creating new policies and procedures to drive quality, accuracy, and efficiency.

I am the co-creator and former Executive Vice President of Partners Claim Services, which, in only five years, grew from a small local independent loss adjusting firm to an international third-party claims administrator. I have served the Claim and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) as an Advisory Board member and National Chair. I am the former President of the Puget Sound Claim Executive’s Council.

I present frequently at national and regional risk and insurance organization events.

Partner Business Litigation (IP and Commercial Litigation) International/Cross-Border Practice Group Transportation Practice Group (Surface, Air, Marine)

Professional Experience: Ms. Devine enjoys providing domestic and international companies with an interest in transportation with advice to enforce and protect their interests. She has litigated disputes in the areas of: trade secrets, confidential information, patent and trademarks, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, breaches of contract and product liability. She specializes in representing companies with cross-border interests which requires coordinated litigation with foreign legal Counsel, and was lead counsel in an ICC arbitration where the damages awarded were Euro 8million.

Ms. Devine represents Canadian companies at all levels of court Provincial Court (defending regulatory compliance); Ontario Superior Court of Justice (injunctions, oppression remedies, torts, breach of contract, and some intellectual property rights); and the Federal Court of Canada (patent, trademark, admiralty and aviation). Ms. Devine has a particular fondness for issues arising in the transportation industry. Many clients enjoy the benefit of Ms. Devine’s extensive professional network, both within her firm and internationally; whatever the specialized nature of a problem, Ms. Devine will assist with identifying the best legal Counsel for a client’s needs.

Presentations/Articles: In 2012, Ms. Devine has spoken to audiences on the topics of Protecting Trade Secrets in Cross Border Discovery Bullies, Showboats, and Other Bad Apples: Dealing with Difficult Lawyers Five Key Canadian Developments Affecting Cross Border Businesses Updates in Canadian Law on Costs and Security for Costs for US Attorneys Multi Modal Update on Canadian Aviation Law

Professional Associations: Lawyer and Pilots Bar Association, Transportation Lawyers Association, Canadian Transportation Lawyers Association, Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association, Hamilton Lawyer’s Association, Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society, Advocate’s Society, Canadian Owner and Pilot’s Association

Jill Dulich received her B.S. and M.A. from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA. She also received her J.D. from Western State University College of Law.

Since 2015 Jill has been the Claims and Operations Manager for the California Self-Insurers’ Security Fund.  In her role Jill oversees the TPA’s that manage the claims that have been assigned to the Security Fund due to the default of a self-insured employer as well as manages the daily administrative operations of the Fund.

Jill retired from Marriott in February 2015 after 32 years.  She was the Senior Director for Marriott Claims Services, as part of Marriott International. She was responsible for management of workers' compensation, auto and general liability losses for all Marriott managed operations within 8 western states and also manages 3 satellite offices in Hawaii, Oregon and Nevada.

Prior to Marriott International, Jill was a Continuing Unit Supervisor for Allstate Insurance Co., a Unit Supervisor in workers' compensation at Alpha Beta Co. and Vice President of Claims at R. L. Kautz & Company.

She was a former Commissioner and 2003 Chair of the California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation having been appointed in 1998 by Governor Pete Wilson to be the private employer representative.

Jill is active in workers’ compensation in a number of states and was the former Chair of the Board and Executive Committee Chair of the California Self Insurers Association. She also served as the Treasurer and participated on the Nominating Committee, Board of Managers and Executive Committee.

Jill is an active participant in the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute CompScope Advisory committee and has been since 2007.
Jill served on the Board of Directors, Easter Seals Southern California for 15 years and was the former Chair of the Board.

Kevin is responsible for overseeing the Medical Malpractice, APA/Psych, and Health Care Management Liability Claims Teams. Prior to assuming this role Kevin managed the Employment Practices Liability and Governmental Liability Claims team. Before that, Kevin was a senior claims analyst with Allied World Assurance Company, handling employment practices, governmental liability and directors and officers claims. Before joining Allied World in 2008, Kevin litigated a variety of cases including tort claims, governmental liability issues, employment related claims, insurance coverage claims, medical malpractice and professional liability claims while practicing law with Jackson, O’Keefe and Phelan in Hartford, Connecticut. 
 
Kevin earned his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he also served as the Notes and Comments Editor of the Connecticut Journal of International Law. He is a member of the bar in Connecticut and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.

William is  the AVP of Property Claims and SIU for Grange Mutual Casualty Company located in Columbus, Ohio.  He is responsible for all the strategic direction, innovation and guidelines for property claims from every day claims to catastrophe operations and large loss handling.  In addition to his property claims responsibilities he manages the Special Investigation Unit and is responsible for all strategic direction, analytics and guidelines in SIU.  He brings over 14 years of insurance experience including courtroom testimony and mediations.  He has obtained his Associates in: Risk Management, Commercial Underwriting and Claims in addition to his CPCU.  Additionally he holds the IICRC certifications in Water Damage Restoration, Applied Structural Drying and Fire and Smoke Restoration.
 
He is actively involved in the industry and currently serves on the PCI & CLM Fraud Committees, PLRB Large Loss Conference Committee and is the Chair of the PLRB Products and Services Committee. He has presented at multiple conferences in the insurance industry (CLM, PLRB, PCS CAT, NAMIC and IASIU). William is a proud alumnus from Ohio State University.
 

Cathy Gicker has 45 years with Allstate with the last 30 years in the SIU as a field investigator, manager and now the Litigation Specialist investigating all suit cases in Pennsylvania. This involves investigating and directing house and retained counsel on case strategy, medical defense, preparing the insured for trial and referring fraudulent claims to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and local Law Enforcement agencies. Cathy is also an Allstate Ambassador promoting the company to the public through speaking engagements and community involvement.

Cathy was the Vice-President and then President of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the International Association of Special Investigation Units (IASIU) from 1994-2000. She was elected to the International Board of IASIU for 2000-2002 and then served as the Vice-President of IASIU from 2003-2009, chairing the Chapter and Seminar Committees.. She was the President of the Philadelphia Loss Conference (PLC) for 2011-2013. Cathy’s professional designations are Fraud Claim Law Specialist (FCLS) and Certified Insurance Fraud Investigator(CIFI)

Stan began his legal career in 1981, and over the past 30 years, has held various positions with a private law practice, Crum & Forster, AIG/Chartis, and Sedgwick CMS, the nations largest Third Party Administrator. During hisentire career, Stan has developed and delivered literally hundreds of seminars and training sessions on a variety of topics.

Stan currently is Director & Coverage Counsel for Crum&Forster, providing insurance coverage guidance and direction, training and special project skills.

From 2008-2013, Stan was with AIG as Claims Counsel with the New York Construction Risk Management Group. In March of 2009, he was promoted to Vice President of the Specialty Claims Counsel Program to oversee claims counsel in the Construction Risk, Construction Defect, Private Client Group and Vendor Services practice groups. He also served as Claims Counsel from 1994-2003 for AIG Claim Services, Inc. in the Property/Casualty Divisional Claim Office in Blue Bell, PA.

Stan began his professional career in private law practice with the Atlantic City, NJ defense firm of Cooper Levenson, handling lawsuits involving construction accidents, construction defects, insurance coverage, motor vehicle, premises liability, and products liability. As a partner in the firm’s construction litigation practice, Stan regularly represented owners, architects, engineers, general and prime contractors. As head of the firm’s Coverage Unit, Stan regularly represented insurance carriers in providing legal opinions, coverage opinions and representation in a variety of coverage matters. He also routinely provided legal seminars to insurance company staff on a variety of substantive topics.

Christopher J. Hallman

Chris Hallman is Deputy General Counsel of TRI Pointe Group, a family of regional homebuilders including Pardee Homes, TRI Pointe Homes, Maracay Homes, Trendmaker Homes, Quadrant Homes and Winchester Homes . He has been General Cousel of Pardee Homes since 2007. Prior to joining Pardee Homes in 2005, he was a partner at the Law Firm of Koeller, Nebeker Carlson and Haluck. He is a graduate of San Diego State University and California Western School of Law and is admitted to practice in all State and Federal Courts in California and Nevada.
 

Detta Hanson has 30+ years experience in the Claims and Litigation Management field, including Branch Manager, Unit Manager, Supervisor and Field Claims Adjuster with Crawford & Company Insurance Adjusters prior to joining Weyerhaeuser as Liability Claims Manager in 1998.

John is a graduate of Saint Bonaventure University.  He has been in the insurance industry in various Claims and SIU positions for over 24 years.  Currently, he is a SIU Major Case Manager and Litigation Consultant  for Nationwide Insurance housed in Syracuse, NY.  Prior to joining Nationwide, he was with State Farm  Insurance for close to 17 years.  He holds designations for CIFI, FCLS and AIC.  
 

Assistant Vice President, Claims & Liability, at Corporate Solutions, Swiss RE America Corporation since 2005, handling insurance agent’s and attorney’s liability claims. Previously employed as a Senior Claims Attorney at Executive Liability Division, Great American Insurance from 1998-2005, handling varied professional liability claims, including director’s and officer’s liability claims, financial entity’s liability claims, non profit executive ‘s liability claims, and employment practices liability claims. Additionally, held various management positions in human resources and risk management at W.H. Smith and Federated Department Stores. A graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Government and Economics and of DePaul University School of Law, receiving a Juris of Doctorate in law. Presently, resides in Chicago with her family and remains active in numerous community projects and youth focused volunteer activities.

George T. Jackson graduated from The University of Texas School of Law in 1991. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Jackson received a B.A. in Print Journalism from Trinity University in San Antonio in 1984 and a M.A. in Rhetoric from the University of California at Berkeley in 1988.

Since graduating from law school, Mr. Jackson has been actively engaged in civil litigation, handling both trial and appellate matters. Part of his practice has focused on insurance coverage analysis, and Mr. Jackson has prepared in excess of 150 coverage opinions. In addition, Mr. Jackson has handled insurance coverage litigation in both state and federal court. Mr. Jackson has also represented insurance carriers in bad faith litigation.

Mr. Jackson handles litigation in the fields of construction defect, product liability, trucking liability, commercial litigation and personal injury litigation.

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.

Ms. King is licensed to and regularly practices in the state and federal courts of Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. She has extensive litigation experience in first-party insurance bad faith litigation. Ms. King also has expansive experience in large loss third-party defense litigation, mass tort litigation, catastrophe litigation, and insurance coverage litigation. Mary Ellen handled all stages of litigation in hundreds of cases while defending numerous insurers nationwide after Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Ivan, Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Wilma, and Ike. She advises clients on the existence of insurance coverage and the handling of insurance claims under various insurance policies, including commercial general liability, automobile, homeowners, personal and commercial property, and Standard Flood Insurance Policies for clients in the State of Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana. Mary Ellen litigates insurance coverage disputes and extra-contractual liability lawsuits involving the duty of good faith and fair dealing, Stowers liability, the Texas Insurance Code, and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Specialties

Bad Faith Insurance Litigation, First Party Insurance Litigation, Third Party Insurance Litigation, Insurance Coverage Analysis, National Flood Insurance Program Defense Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Business Litigation, Real Estate Litigation, Employment Litigation, Public Corporation Consulting and Defense, Lobbying

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.

Angela is Managing Partner of CSVL.. She successfully defends corporations, insurers and insureds in a wide variety of litigation matters throughout Georgia and Tennessee; including general liablity defense, insurance coveage and bad faith.Before being recruited to CSVL, Angela chaired the general liability department of a regional insurance defense firm, and served as staff counsel for an automobile insurance carrier. She is an AV Rated Attorney through Martindale-Hubbell, and a frequent speaker at various seminars and events.  She travels nationally to train her clients in various insurance and defense related topics.Angela is a member of the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance, and was presented wtih CLM's Professional of the Year Award in the Outside Counsel Category in 2017. She participates on various committees and received her designation as a Claims Litigation Management Professional from the Litigation Management Institute.  She is also part of the Faculty for Claims College and serves as a Dean of the School of Leadership.  She has received her Certified Claims Professional and Advanced Claims Professional designations. Angela has been honored with a Senior Fellowship in the Litigation Counsel of America, a Trial Lawyer Honorary Society; open to less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers.  She has been inducted into the Order of Juris for recognition of her trial experience, and inducted into the Order of Certus for appellate work. She has also been selected as a member of the National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association, RISE, Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, and is a Charter Member of the Insurance Institute of America.  She is a current member and former President of the Southeast Legal Association of Women and involved with the Diversity Law Institute.

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

BARBARA LASKARIS-LORIGAN has held various risk and claims management positions in the construction and insurance industries and is currently the Vice President and Head of Claims for Golden State Claims Adjusters headquartered in Carlsbad, California.  Ms. Laskaris-Lorigan was previously an Assistant Vice President for the Construction Defect Specialty Unit at Arch Insurance; a Construction Claims Manager and Large Loss Specialist at Gallagher Bassett Services; the Regional Manager of Claims, Contracts and Credit for SelectBuild, a subsidiary of Building Materials Holding Corporation; Southwestern Regional Team Manager for construction defect claims for Zurich North America; and the Construction Liability Claim Manager for the former Arrowhead Claims organization. Ms. Laskaris-Lorigan has over twenty-six years of experience in the construction defect industry, including investigations, complex claims handling, and management of losses throughout the United States, and has lectured before various legal and trade organizations. Ms. Laskaris-Lorigan is currently the President of the San Diego Chapter of CLM.  In her spare time, she enjoys running and has captained a relay race team that has raised over $110,000 for Taking Control of Your Diabetes, a charity that promotes education for those suffering from diabetes.
 

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.

Robert Luskin is an accomplished litigation defense attorney representing clients in both federal and state courts throughout Georgia and Tennessee. Robert maintains a vast practice defending corporations and individuals in various complex litigation matters. He has extensive experience in the areas of product liability, premises liability, professional negligence, questionable insurance claims and other insurance coverage matters. Robert also represents various companies with regard to employment related matters including discrimination and harassment issues.

Robert is a recognized thought leader often presenting at national risk management and claims litigation conferences throughout the country.

William T. “Bill” Mitchell is a founding partner of Cruser Mitchell. Bill was selected as CLM Outside Panel Lawyer of the Year in 2024. Bill has co-written 2 leading books on claims specifically The Disruptive Lawyer’s Little Black Book of Litigation Management and The Dispruptive Lawyer's Little Black Book of Negotiation.  He does a seminar series annually on both books premised on the concept that given 92% of all cases settle (and 1% go to trial), the industry should be hiring/training Dealmakers with the "Right Mindset and Skill Set" to resolve claims.   Bill consults nationwide with insurance companies and large corporations on how to enact a metrics-driven litigation management program leading to the saving of millions of dollars in legal and indemnity fees.  Bill also serves as negotiation/monitoring counsel for several carriers representing them in mediations across the nation.  You can reach out to Bill for a free copy of the books.

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).

A lawyer at Gallagher Sharp since 1980 and a Partner since 1987, Joe Pappalardo is a trial attorney who represents public and private companies, insurance carriers, and individuals in cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, employer intentional torts, industrial accidents, cargo, and property damage.  He has litigated and tried cases in a wide variety of industries, including trucking, automobile, motorcycles, hand and power tools, aviation and automatic pedestrian doors. He concentrates his practice on trucking, motor coach, aviation and product liability matters.  Joe is admitted to all state and federal courts in Ohio, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Joe received his law degree from The Ohio State University and his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University. He is Martindale-Hubbell AV rated, listed as an Outstanding Lawyer of America, listed in the 2015-2021 editions of Best Lawyers in America® for Transportation Law (2021, 2018, 2016 Cleveland Transportation Lawyer of the Year), and an Ohio Super Lawyer since 2004. 

Joe is a member of and the 2018 recipient of the John T. Biezup Memorial Service Award from the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) (former Board of Directors, General Counsel), Transportation Lawyers Association, Ohio Trucking Association, (Legislative Committee), Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) (Co-Dean of the Claims College, School of Transportation, Co-Chair Transportation Committee), Federal Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association, a Life Member of the Judicial Conference of the Eighth Judicial District, and a Master Bencher, Judge John M. Manos Inn of Court.  He serves on the Board of Directors of Themis Advocates and the Cuyahoga Community College Truck Driving Academy Advisory Board.

Joe frequently speaks at national seminars regarding trucking, transportation, and litigation topics and is an author for national publications.

Jack Pierce is a senior litigation partner in the firm’s San Francisco office. He is an AV-rated trial lawyer, admitted to practice in California and Washington, D.C., with more than 30 years of litigation and trial experience.

Mr. Pierce’s litigation and trial experience includes a wide variation of complex national cases for insurance and non-insurance clients. His broad range of experience includes defense of corporations and their officers and directors in cases involving complex financial claims; professional liability matters; prosecution of commercial misappropriation and fraud cases; anti-SLAPP suit matters; attorney fee disputes; insurance coverage matters; mass tort litigation and construction contract disputes.

Mr. Pierce is also a nationally recognized author and expert witness in the areas of legal fee disputes, fee and cost allocation, legal ethics, and issues related to legal and ethical responsibilities of lawyers that arise from the tripartite relationship between insurers, insureds and defense counsel. He has argued related issues before state Supreme Courts in numerous jurisdictions throughout the country. He is a co-author of Defending the Insured (2004-2008), a legal textbook published by Aspen Publishers.

In November 2005 and June 2006 Mr. Pierce was named one of the “Best Lawyers in the Bay Area” by Bay Area Lawyers Magazine.

He has also served as a consultant and expert in the litigation management of cases involving a wide range of issues, including intellectual property disputes, mass tort litigation, breast implant litigation, commercial disputes, environmental coverage disputes, recording royalty disputes and mass asbestos litigation.

Mr. Pierce has served as a Member of California Legislature’s AB 2069 Committee, commissioned to study conflicts of interest and ethics within the tripartite relationship and to make recommendations to the California Legislature.

Cindy has been in the Commercial claims in arenas of General and Auto Liability and various speciality or niche markets such as Aviation, Employment Practices and Professional Liability, Trucking, Apartment Homes for over twenty years.  Her time in the industry has been spilt between carriers and third party administrators as well as an in-house claims manager for ABM. Prior to her career in Commercial Insurance Claims, she was a teacher.  She also possesses another degree in Fashion Merchandising and worked several years in Retail Management.  She enjoys Claims handling as a career, as the new Claim may appear ordinary, but there are always new twists to the same scenario.

In her spare time she volunteers for animal organizations and various other charities, she considers herself a bit of "foodie" and loves meeting new people.

Mr. Ranieri is Chair of the Environmental Law and Litigation Practice. He also practices in the areas of general liability, construction and product liability matters on behalf of self-insured entities, insurance companies and third-party administrators. Some of his significant achievements include:

- Certified Nationally as a Civil Trial Advocate; - Certified as a Civil Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court; - Recently argued before New Jersey Supreme Court on issue of Statutory Construction for lawsuit bars (statutes of repose) - Successfully argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court, causing a change in the law for municipal liability and conditions of public property; - Successfully argued an appeal that changed New Jersey state law on Dram Shop liability for foreseeability; - Personally tried to verdict as first chair over 50 jury and 15 non-jury trials; - Lectures throughout the United States on various mass tort/toxic tort issues - Named a Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America Society (National Honorary Society of Senior Trial Attorneys) - Since 2005, Rick has been recognized by New Jersey Super Lawyers magazine as being among the top 5 percent of practitioners in his practice specialty within the State of New Jersey - Achieved an "AV Preeminent" Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell

Jeffrey G. Rapattoni is a Shareholder in the Fraud/Special Investigation Practice Group at civil defense litigation firm, Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin. Jeffrey focuses his practice on insurance fraud, bad faith and SIU related matters.

Jeffrey litigates insurance fraud and fraud-related matters throughout the state of New Jersey and has coordinated complex litigation strategy and fraud related investigations in various other states. He has extensive training and background in provider-based investigations, underwriting fraud, policy voidance, and staged accidents. Other practice areas include large loss property claims, coverage, general civil litigation, and appellate practice. He also has significant experience in large settlement negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. As part of his practice, Jeffrey has worked with experts in the fields of cause and origin and bad faith as well as local and Federal authorities.

Jeffrey is frequently asked to lecture on a variety of insurance topics including insurance fraud and bad faith. He is a regular presenter for and on behalf of several local and national insurance organizations. He also provides legal education seminars for various clients and organizations across the country. Jeffrey's efforts in the defense of insurance fraud have earned him a certificate of appreciation from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and in 2009 he received the President's Award from the New Jersey Special Investigators Association.

After graduating with a BA Degree from Villanova University in 1997, Jeffrey served as a Legislative Correspondent for United States Senator Arlen Specter in Philadelphia and Washington D.C., where he assisted in drafting legislation and conducted legal investigations. While attending Rutgers Law School, he served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Judge John A. Almeida, J.S.C. Burlington County-Civil Division, where he drafted various tentative dispositions of the Court and assisted in court-ordered mediation sessions.

Specialties
Insurance Defense
Insurance Fraud and SIU
Large Loss Property Claims
Medical Provider Fraud
General Civil Defense

My more recent successful representations include:

Defeated a bad faith action where plaintiffs sought treble and punitive damages based upon coverage denials.

Secured a voluntary dismissal regarding a $750,000 fraudulently submitted homeowner's claim.

Recovered large sums of money improperly paid to fraudulent medical providers.

Bruce H. Raymond has served as lead counsel in more than 1000 litigated cases in over 20 years of trial practice in state and federal courts in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Named as one of The Best and Brightest Business Attorneys (Hartford Magazine 2010) Attorney Raymond regularly represents companies in litigation.  He earned his CIPP/US credential (Certified Information and Privacy Professional ) from the International Association of Privacy Professionals - IAPP. In  addition to representing clients in data loss litigation, Bruce has been privileged to speak on the topic  of data breach and privacy law  on several state and national professional seminars including a recent  panel with the Connecticut’s lead data breach enforcement officer. In 2013, Bruce appeared on the local NBC affiliate along with Attorney General George Jepsen in a feature story about how businesses should address customer privacy. His experience includes cyber liability, data breach, privacy law, professional liability, business litigation, products liability, toxic torts including asbestos, and intellectual property matters. He has litigated personal injury insurance defense cases including trucking, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, liquor liability E&O, and D&O matters. Attorney Raymond represented Deere & Company in its successful appeal addressing the malfunction theory in products liability cases.

Ronna Ruppelt is a dynamic leader with a distinguished career in the insurance industry, now bringing her expertise to Freeman, Mathis & Gary LLP as a Partner and Director of Client Relations. Before joining FMG, Ronna served as the CEO of CLM (Claims & Litigation Management Alliance), the nation’s largest association of claims professionals and attorneys.

Ronna's impressive career spans top 20 insurance carriers, where she held senior roles such as SVP, General Counsel, Secretary, Chief Claims Officer; VP of Claims and VP of Casualty Claims. She has led large teams, sometimes over 300 strong, driving organizational transformations and implementing comprehensive claims, litigation management, compliance, regulatory, and risk reduction programs.

Ronna began her career as a young lawyer in an insurance defense firm and quickly established herself as a thought leader in the industry. She is frequently sought after as a speaker and author and is a nominated member of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC). Passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, Ronna is a recognized champion for these values in the workplace.

Licensed to practice law in Ohio and Georgia, Ronna is also deeply committed to civic engagement. She has served as the chairwoman of the board of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra and was a founding director of another arts organization, highlighting her dedication to the community beyond her professional achievements.
 

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.

Gene A. Weisberg is a name partner with GladstoneWeisberg, ALC , in Culver City, California. He has more than 41 years of trial and appellate experience focusing on insurance coverage and complex litigation involving insurers and other businesses. His extensive experience includes analyzing insurance coverage issues, investigating insurance fraud and litigating insurance coverage, bad faith and subrogation lawsuits in California and throughout the United States. An accomplished speaker, Gene has designed and presented seminars on numerous insurance issues including coverage, fraud and bad faith.

Gene is "AV Preeminent" rated by Martindale Hubbell; a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation-only organization of the most experienced trial attorneys in the nation; and a Southern California Super Lawyer since 2007 and is repeatedly named to the list of Best Lawyers. He is admitted to practice in the State and all Federal district courts in California, Texas state court and the Southern District of Texas, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits and the United States Supreme Court.

Kris Whitters is a Claims Practice advocate and the HealthCare Practice National Team Leader in Marsh’s Seattle office. Her job responsibilities include directing, designing, coordination, and management of individual claims or entire claims programs, with principal emphasis on clients with significant retentions. She also provides technical claims and risk management expertise for claims coverage analysis. 
During her career of over 39 years, Kris has provided services to a variety of industries including health care, agribusiness, manufacturing, governments, petrochemical, telecommunications, and utilities. She has worked as a liability claims specialist, with emphasis in the areas of litigation management and professional liability. She began her career in 1974, in the area of health care benefits administration. Prior to joining Marsh, she was the brokerage claims manager for Sedgwick James Seattle office.

Brendan has more than a decade of experience litigating complex and high-stakes insurance coverage, construction, personal injury, and business matters. Brendan has a particularly deep understanding of the insurance industry. Prior to law school Brendan worked for Safeco Insurance Company as a property and casualty agent. During law school he worked in Safeco’s in-house legal department. After law school Brendan climbed the ranks and became a partner at the international law firm Cozen O’Connor, which is widely considered the “go to” law firm for the insurance industry. There he represented the world’s largest insurance companies in their most complex and high-stakes matters. Brendan now exclusively represents policyholders rather than insurance companies.

Brendan is one of the few policyholder lawyers in the United States to have received the Certified Litigation Management Professional (CLMP) designation from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago. The CLMP designation is the insurance industry’s certification program for insurance company claims managers and their counsel. Brendan is also the former president of the Washington chapter for the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (the CLM), which is the largest professional association in the insurance industry with more than 35,000 members. Brendan is also a former member of the CLM’s national construction committee.

Brendan is regularly invited to speak at regional and national conference on topics involving complex insurance claims, construction, and ethics. Brendan has been published by Litigation Management, Construction Today, and Business Insurance magazines. He was also a contributing author to the Washington Real Property Deskbook series on environmental regulation.

Jennifer L. Wojciechowski is VP of Operations at Community Association Underwriters of America, Inc., a division of Alliant Underwriting Solutions. In that capacity, she works with all departments to drive CAU's goals and initiatives.  Previously, Ms. Wojciechowski served as Casualty Claim Manager.  In that role, she was responsible for management of a team of general liability & directors and officers liability adjusters.  She supervised and conducted insurance coverage analyses, initiated and drove claim resolution strategy and managed litigation.  Jennifer has experience negotiating and drafting Alternate Fee Arrangements. Prior to joining CAU, Jennifer practiced law with at a prominent Philadelphia law firm where she was a member of the Business Insurance and Bad Faith Litigation Practice Group. She represented numerous insurers in coverage disputes concerning primary and excess policy obligations for various types of insurance claims. Ms. Wojciechowski represented clients in litigation such as insurance coverage declaratory judgment actions and bad faith actions as well as other business and commercial disputes, including contractual indemnity and breach of contract claims. Jennifer's experience includes EPLI, school board legal liability coverage, police liability coverage, municipality E&O coverage, accountants E&O, Lawyers malpractice and other miscellaneous exposures.Jennifer is a frequent lecturer on community association and insurance issues.  She is a member of the Community Associations Institute and frequent presents at the CAI Law Seminar.  Since the inception of Claim College, she has returned to each year both as an Executive Council member and faculty.  She was appointed to the Executive Council for the School of Casualty Claims in 2014.  In 2013, she attended the Litigation Management Institute and attained the CLMP designation. At the 2014 Annual Conference, she was recognized as one of four finalists for the Litigation Management Professional of the Year award. Jennifer is a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bars.

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. 

Nick Conca is the Chief Claims Officer of Berkshire Hathway GUARD Insurance Companies. He was previously the Chief Claims Officer of Markel Corporation, which he joined as part of Markel's acquisition of Alterra, where he served as Chief Claims Officer.  Prior to Alterra, Nick was Executive Vice President of Integro Insurance Brokers, where he oversaw US operations for the company.  He has more than 25 years of insurance industry experience, including senior leadership positions with other international brokerage, insurance and claims organizations.  He began his career as an attorney with the international law firm Wilson Elser.Nick Conca is the Chief Claims Officer of Markel Corporation and is responsible for the strategic direction of the Global Claims Department.  Nick joined Markel as part of the acquisition of Alterra, where he served as Chief Claims Officer.  Prior to Alterra, Nick was Executive Vice President of Integro Insurance Brokers, where he oversaw US operations for the company.  He has more than 25 years of insurance industry experience, including senior leadership positions with other international brokerage, insurance and claims organizations.  He began his career as an attorney with the international law firm Wilson Elser.

Domenick C. DiCicco Jr., J.D., M.B.A., C.M.A.P., C.C.E.P.Senior Vice President, Global Head of Litigation ManagementAIGDomenick DiCicco joined AIG in August 2012 from his position as Executive Director of North American Insurance Services at Xchanging plc.  He had previous General Counsel, leadership and strategy roles for such organizations as CNA Insurance, Zurich Financial Services and Alexander Gallo Holdings.  Domenick is responsible for development and deployment of strategies that assure the most efficient use of legal services across the insurance and corporate enterprises. Domenick is a recognized industry leader serving as Chairman Emeritus of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, Board Member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, Member of the Board of the Business School of NJIT, where he also serves as an adjunct Professor of Corporate Finance, Member of the Association of Corporate Growth and Member of the American Bar Association Mergers and Acquisitions Committee, and is also an adjunct  Professor of Insurance Law and Regulation at Temple Law School.  Domenick holds a Juris Doctor Degree from Delaware Law School, a Master of Business Administration Degree from Pennsylvania State University and a NACVA designation as a Chartered Merger and Acquisition Professional, as well as being a current Masters Candidate in Economic Development from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Tad Eckenrode is the founder, managing officer and lead trial attorney for Eckenrode-Maupin, a boutique 8 attorney defense-oriented trial and appellate practice. He has tried almost 100 cases to verdict in both Missouri and Illinois state courts, and in Federal court. Several were listed as among the year's "Top Defense Verdicts" by Missouri Lawyer's Weekly. The firm's practice areas include all aspects of general insurance defense and civil litigation, while Tad's own personal focus is on complex and high-stakes death and injury claims, including medical malpractice, product liability and general / auto liability matters. Tad has been a frequently requested speaker at bar and professional seminars on topics related to trial practice, professional liability and general negligence matters, and he has authored several articles published both locally and nationally. He is rated "AV" by Martindale-Hubbell, listed in "Best Lawyers in America" (for Personal Injury Litigation -- Defense and Medical Malpractice -- Defense), and has been selected as a Missouri-Kansas "Superlawyer" for six straight years. He received the 2018 "Lawyer of the Year" award for the area of "Medical Malpractice - Defense" in St. Louis by Best Lawyers.

Tad graduated from Washington University School of Law in 1983, and served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for three years before transitioning to a general civil insurance defense practice, which has been his primary litigation focus for the past 35+ years.

Juan C. Fernandez has 22 years experience in labor and employment law and commercial litigation and has also served as Essex County Counsel, Assistant Union County Counsel and Union Township Municipal Prosecutor. He is a former member of the District Ethics Committee and The New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority.

Mr. Fernandez maintains an active litigation practice in labor and employment matters and has represented corporate clients in the courts of New Jersey, New York and abroad. Mr. Fernandez also provides commercial litigation services to corporate clients focused on restrictive covenants and employment disputes. Mr. Fernandez is a member of the New Jersey State and Federal Bars.

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.

Larry is the founder of Andros Risk Services, an insurance consulting firm. He has been the president of two MGAs, has held senior roles at AIG, HCC, Marsh and ACE, and has been an insurance attorney at law firms in New York and Boston. His books, “Claims Made and Reported – A Journey Through D&O, E&O and Other Professional Lines of Insurance,” “D&O 101: Understanding Directors and Officers Liability Insurance – A Holistic Approach” and “Professional Lines Insurance: An Oral History,” have been widely praised by, among others, Warren Buffett. Larry is a cum laude graduate of Villanova University and Boston College Law School.

Larry was Mr. Universe in 2008, 2010 and 2013 (he was cheated by the Russian judge in 2014.) He has addressed the U.N. General Assembly on the topic of, “How D&O Insurance Can Fight Climate Change” and has visited the International Space Station via a rocket he made out of spare bicycle parts. Larry’s main hobby is hacking into world leaders’ personal email accounts, and he can give you Vladimir Putin’s cell phone number if you ask nicely. He was also Elon Musk’s tutor in college and can speak 72 languages.

Jarret Lewis is a Director of Litigation Services for The Hartford Financial Services Group.  Jarret is responsible for the retention, evaluation and management of firms that work with The Hartford's Claim organization. Jarret previously managed errors and omissions and directors and officers claims at The Hartford. He practiced law in New Jersey prior to joining The Hartford.

Jarret is a graduate of The George Washington University and earned a JD/MBA from Rutgers University.

Alan Parker is Counsel and  Vice President of Claims with Special Claims Services, Inc.  The company offers claims consulting, claims analysis, data management, and litigation management for complex, high volume claims.

As a civil litigator, Alan's practice included intellectual property, medical negligence, personal injury, professional liability, employment discrimination and breach of contract disputes. Several of his cases have been included among the most significant defense verdicts in their respective years by the ABA Journal or the National Law Journal. Alan also advises clients on intellectual property, management and protection strategies and internet and web-based commerce issues.

Alan frequently lectures and writes on trial practice, medical negligence and risk management, and the use of technology in civil litigation. He is also active in national and local professional organizations, especially those focusing on legal issues involving the internet and technology. Alan has organized and moderated seminars on civil litigation, trial tactics, electronic discovery, and technology issues for private industry and for continuing legal and professional education programs.

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.

Deborah Saunders is Senior Director, Claims Management for Comcast NBCUniversal. She is responsible for managing Comcast and NBCU’s Workers’ Compensation, Auto Liability, General Liability, Employment Practices and Media Professional E&O claims management programs. Prior to joining Comcast in 1998, Deborah was the Workers’ Compensation Claims Specialist for Campbell Soup Company. She started her career in claims as a representative for Travelers Insurance, where she handled both workers’ compensation and commercial liability claims.Deborah earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts. She also holds Associate in Risk Management (ARM) and Certified Workers’ Compensation Professional (CWCP) designations and is a certified paralegal.

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.

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. 

With more than 25 years of experience, Maria Elena Abate has built a reputation as an expert in complex commercial and insurance litigation. She is regularly called upon to lecture, serve on industry panels, and advise insurance companies, adjusters, agents and their employees on ways to eradicate fraud, prevent bad faith, and diversity their workforce, through education and communication. In her diverse practice, Ms. Abate handles a wide variety of insurance related matters, which include, class action defense, coverage determinations, bad faith avoidance, fraud avoidance, adjuster, agent and broker E&O claims. From licensing and liability matters, coverage disputes, errors and omissions, insurance solvency concerns, investigations and disciplinary proceedings, to new challenges like cyber-risk and social media she has successfully assisted insurers, adjusters, agents and brokers navigate their duties and obligations under the 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.

S-E-A Project Engineer, with degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, specializing in accident reconstruction, biomechanical engineering, and vehicular occupant safety.  Vehicular accident reconstruction experience includes light and heavy trucks, passenger vehicles, motorcycles, off-road equipment, and pedestrians.  Extensive reconstruction work experience includes CDR and ECM data retrieval and interpretation, braking systems, tire failures, vehicle handling and dynamics, nighttime visibility /conspicuity, photogrammetry, and simulation.  Biomechanical engineering work includes assessments of injury causation, risk and potential related to exposures in the areas of automotive accidents, slip and falls, workplace accidents and product failures.  Specific to automotive accidents, biomechanical engineering work experience includes general occupant and pedestrian safety, reconstruction of injury causation, active and passive safety systems, and injury assessment reference values. 

Jeanette M. Bourey, JD, RPLU, CPCU, CLMP, CCP is a Director, Associate General Counsel - Claims for Markel Service, Incorporated, the Claim Service Manager for the Markel Group of insurance companies, including Evanston Insurance Company.  Jeanette resides in the Rosemont, Illinois claims office and supports professional, management, healthcare, and products liability business units.  She works closely with claims specialists, managers, directors, and underwriting leaders in assessing risks, analyzing and resolving coverage disputes, developing litigation strategies, and conducting training.  Jeanette has more than thirty -five years of experience in a broad range of insurance coverage, bad faith litigation, and liability defense matters, including several years of practicing law at two international insurance defense firms.  She is a faculty member in the School of Professional Lines in the Claims College.

Ms. Bryan currently acts as the Regional Underwriting Manager for excess construction liability coverage for the Western Region at AIG. This includes supervising the underwriting of both wrap-up and practice program coverages for a wide variety of developers, contractors and trade subcontractors involved in all types of construction.

Ms. Bryan spent 13 years as an adjuster handling construction defect, complex coverage and severe exposures in the Construction Defect and Major Case Units at Aetna and Royal Insurance Companies. She also spent four years as an insurance broker, working on program placement for construction risks and acting as a consulting resource throughout the country on coverage and claims issues. Ms. Bryan is routinely consulted and has testified at trial for her expertise in coverage and claims issues. She is a regular speaker at legal, construction and insurance industry conferences and seminars.

Senior Vice President & Head of ClaimsHCC Specialty.

Bruce Carlino has over 30 years of claims management experience in the insurance and reinsurance industries. Bruce began his claims career in 1981.

He holds the position of SVP & Head of Claims, HCC Specialty. A large part of his day-to-day activities involve overseeing an extensive claims portfolio of Specialty Insurance business, loss cost management  and strategic planning.

Prior to joining HCC, Bruce was the SVP & Head of Claims for QBE Reinsurance. Bruce received his undergraduate degree from the University of Miami, FL and his law degree from the University of Bridgeport. He also holds the CPCU, ARe and CIOP (Chartered Insurance Operations Professional) designations and is a member of the New York State Bar Association.

Ms. Ciliberto is the CEO of the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts (ASM), a trade association representing more than 350 member companies that employ more than 25,000 skilled workers on both private and public sector projecs.  For more than 65 years, ASM has worked to promote fair business practices and help subcontractors succeed in a complex and changing industry.
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For nearly nine years prior to joining ASM, Ms. Ciliberto was the Senior Director and Counsel for Contracts and Construction Law at The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).  She also held the position of Deputy Executive Director and Counsel for ConsensusDocs - the only standard contracts endorsed by a coalition of 40+ design and construction industry associations.

Prior to joining AGC and ConsensusDocs, Ms. Ciliberto practiced law in Colorado for 10 years. She was the founder and principal of Ciliberto & Associates, LLC, a firm providing natural resources, environmental, real property and water law counsel. She is licensed in Colorado and DC, and several federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Prior to her legal career, Ms. Ciliberto was a marketing and advertising consultant for more than 10 years and her clients included Alfa Romeo, General Motors, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, United Way, Telecheck, La-Z-Boy, and numerous luxury resorts in Colorado.

Ms. Ciliberto is a frequent presenter at industry events nationwide. She is the Managing Editor of the Colorado Water Law Benchbook and has authored articles for a number of organizations.

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.

Laura L. Curtin:

Laura began her insurance career just after earning her B.S. degree from Western Illinois University. She was trained at Liberty Mutual where she worked for her first four years in the industry handling all lines of property and casualty claims.

Subsequently, Laura joined Interstate National Corporation. Working there for seventeen years, she handled claims nationwide specializing in Professional Liability coverages. As Vice President and Claim Director, Laura was responsible for overseeing the day to day operations of the Medical Professional Liability Claim Department.

Laura joined The Doctors Company and the Midwest Regional Office in March 1999 as Claim Director. She was promoted to Regional Vice President in 2007. In January of 2009 Laura joined the Home Office Claim Staff as Vice President and Claims Compliance Officer.

Laura has been a national speaker on subjects such as Coverage, Litigation Management and Bad Faith Avoidance to groups such as the Professional Liability Underwriting Society, Crittenden, Eagle International, The Harmonie Group and The Defense Research Institute along with various bar associations and physicians groups.

Janet practices in the areas of insurance coverage, professional liability and construction litigation. She represents and counsels insurers on a wide range of issues and policies including errors and omissions, directors and officers and general liability. She represents lawyers, architects and engineers in litigated and arbitrated matters and also provides design professionals with general corporate counseling on issues including contract drafting, insurance, fee disputes and employment. Janet successfully defended an architect in the second sick building syndrome case tried in this country and has litigated claims involving Chicago landmarks such as the Amoco Building, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago Skyway and McCormick Place.

Janet is a frequent lecturer on a variety of topics including insurance coverage, design professional liability and the role of counsel retained by insurers.

Janet's most recent presentations include:

Storrs has been representing businesses and insurance carriers for over 35 years on all forms of litigation ranging from construction to employment matters in Illinois and Indiana. He has successfully tried various jury trials to verdict and in excess of 100 hearings before federal and state administrative agencies. Storrs is an active speaker before national, regional and local organizations on a wide variety of litigation topics

Mr. Drayer manages the Massachusetts Staff Counsel operation for MAPFRE | USA, which is the largest writer of personal lines insurance in Massachusetts.  He previously managed a staff counsel operation for National Grange Mutual Insurance Company, which handled claims in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. 

Mr. Drayer has also worked for law firms in Boston which served as panel counsel for various insurers and self-insureds, as well as business litigation clients.

Mr. Drayer is a Fellow and Massachusetts State Chair for the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, a member of the Bad Faith Section of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association and a member of the Professionalism & Ethics Committee for the Defense Research Institute.

Based in New Jersey, Brad has been with the firm since July of 1991. Prior to forming PACE, Brad was an Aerospace Engineer for a major defense contractor. Brad has more than twenty years of experience consulting for the Center for Claims Resolution (“CCR”), a not-for-profit asbestos claims-handling facility and spent three years in London developing and managing a high-volume, claims processing facility for the London insurance market. Most recently, Brad has been responsible for the management of the PACE claims administration facility. The PACE facility assists mass claim defendants with their claims administration needs. He also has accumulated both expert and fact witness testimony experience through both deposition and trial.

Brad has managed the data analysis and reporting requests received from numerous parties including defendant companies, insurers, auditors and financial analysts. He has been responsible for the disbursement of indemnity payments to mass tort claimants and for the payment of the related defense costs incurred by the PACE clients.Brad helped to create and now manages the firm’s services related to claims data accumulation and delivery via web-based subscriptions. These services comprise the collection of voluminous data sets for the purposes of statistical analysis to calculate potential claim values. Subsequent to the statistical analyses the team developed several applications to perform complex financial analysis.

 He has complete knowledge of the processes involved with the operation of a high-volume claim processing facility and has implemented testing procedures for new system integration and development. He has been heavily involved in the implementation of cost-sharing models and process monitoring tools. This includes the design of allocation models and of efficient monitoring devices to report on the effectiveness of cost-sharing allocations. He has developed numerous analyses of future asbestos liability for various defendants and helped clients develop systems for tracking their mass tort claims.

Responsible for the successful handling and resolution of claims that arise from the corporation’s diverse insurance programs.

Driscoll started his career with RLI in 1996 as director of coverage and casualty claims, supervising all RLI home office casualty claims functions. In January 1998, Driscoll was promoted to assistant vice president and was named to his current position in March 2000.

Prior to joining RLI, Driscoll acted as director of strategic claims for Travelers Insurance Company from 1991 to 1996. From 1985 to 1991, he was a litigation attorney with the law firm of Michael, Best & Friedrich in Milwaukee and specialized in construction defect, product liability and business disputes. He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law (1985) and Valparaiso University (1982).

Elizabeth S. Fitch is a founding and managing member of the Righi Fitch Law Group.  She is a trial lawyer with 35 years of civil defense experience and has the AV Preeminent rating. Beth has defended numerous multi-million dollar cases ranging from catastrophic injuries to construction defect cases. She has defended all types of professionals from lawyers to architects. In 2017, Beth was selected as a Business Insurance Women to Watch Honoree. In 2023, she was  once again recognized as a Super Lawyer, which makes this her twelfth year in a row.  Beth is board certified in Privacy and US Data Protection. This CIPP/US certification is the preeminent privacy credential in the US private sector. She is also certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals and serves as the Co-Dean of the CLM School of Cyber Claims College.  She is the co-founder of Ladder Down, an award winning program that empowers female lawyers to fulfill their career potential.  She is the past President of Arizona Association of Defense Counsel. Beth looks for innovative solutions that bring about the clients desired result in an economical and expedient manner. She even writes and speaks nationally on law firm leadership.

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.

Elizabeth Ganiere has years of experience as In-House Counsel for both public and private corporations including construction developers, manufacturers, financiers, consumer products companies and and most recently the energy sector including, nuclear, alternative energy and oil & gas.

Ms. Ganiere currently works for McDermott International at its global headquarters supporting onshore and offshore projects in the Americas.  Formerly, she was onsite Senior Counsel with CB&I as a government contractor to build the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. The MOX Project, has since been terminated, was at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in South Carolina. 

Previously she was General Counsel of Oakland Enterprises (Gulf Stream Coach, Inc.), a privately-held consumer products manufacturing conglomerate located in the Midwest.  Formerly, Ms. Ganiere was Corporate Counsel for global commercial and consumer products manufacturer Champion Enterprises, Inc., and served as the advising attorney and negotiator of sponsor and media contracts for a professional extreme sport athlete (BMX) and his training center.  She also has served as Advising Counsel for select directors, producers and filmmakers.

Ms. Ganiere served on the Advisory Board of the CLM for several years.  Ms. Ganiere is licensed to practice law in Michigan, Indiana and the U.S. Supreme Court.  She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from University of Southern California and Juris Doctorate from Western Michigan University and in 2011 became a Certified Litigation Management Professional (CLMP).

Ms. Ganiere is a regular lecturer and speaker in an array of legal and insurance subject matters for CLM, ABA, USLaw, Eagle International & LatinoMediaVision – Filmmakers conferences.

Dwight Geddes is the head of Metro Claims & Risk Mgmt., a claims and risk management company based in New York. Dwight has worked in the fields of insurance claims and litigation management for over twenty years in various roles, including Director of Claims for a multistate commercial P&C carrier based in New York, where he was instrumental in creating the claims, SIU and in-house legal departments from the ground up and oversaw the daily operations. Metro Claims Mgmt. is an industry leader in claims handling, consulting and auditing for insurance carriers and self-insured entities on property & casualty lines. Dwight has also been involved in captive and RRG formation for clients interested in alternative risk placement.

Kimberly George is senior vice president and responsible for corporate development, M&A, and healthcare at Sedgwick. In this role, she is the senior healthcare advisor for Sedgwick, its clients, and investors.  Kimberly is a sought after expert in the areas of integrated disability and absence, employee health models, workers' compensation, managed care, and health reform.  Over her 15 year tenure at Sedgwick she has had lead operational divisions, product development, and client services.

Ms. George is a sought after speaker and thought leader. She is often featured in industry journals and publications and is a highly regarded authority in healthcare.

Daniel Hecht is Assistant Vice President, Senior Claims Counsel at Sompo Insurance where he handles accountants' and lawyers' professional liability claims. Daniel has 23 years of insurance industry experience and 9 years of law firm experience working on commercial litigation and insurance coverage matters. 

Mr. Hendershot has extensive experience handling Workers' Compensation matters in the automotive, gaming, construction, education, manufacturing, retail trade, transportation and public utilities, toxic waste incineration and petrochemical sectors. His case experience includes amputations, assaults, violent acts, back injuries, body system injuries, bruises and contusions, carpal tunnel syndrome, chemical burns, contact with objects and equipment, cumulative trauma, cuts and lacerations, falls, fatalities, fires and explosions, fractures, harmful substances or environments, head injuries, heart attacks, heat burns, infectious diseases, lower and upper extremity injuries, multiple traumatic injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, neck injuries, paraplegia/quadriplegia, permanent disability, poisoning, pulmonary disorders, respiratory conditions, skin diseases and disorders, sprains, strains, breaks, tears, tendonitis, transportation incidents and cancer.

Mr. Hendershot has recently presented seminars on Medicare Liens and Catastrophic Injury cases in Illinois. His previous experience includes clerking for the Iowa Industrial Commissioner. He also served as a staff member of the Drake Law Review. Mr. Hendershot is on the boards of Kids' Chance in Missouri and Illinois.

Mr. Hendershot is a member of the American Bar Association, Torts and Insurance Practice Section; Illinois Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation Committee; Missouri Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation Committee; Counsel on Litigation Management, Workers' Compensation Committee; and Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers. Interests:Mr. Hendershot enjoys playing golf, camping and hiking and is a baseball, football and hockey fan. Honors and Awards: AV Rating, Martindale-Hubbell, 2000 Publications / Papers:Author: Catastrophic Injuries in Illinois, 2003. Medicare Liens. 2002. Permanent Disability. 2002. 'Trends in Industrial Disability in Iowa.' Drake Law Review .

Jeff manages civil litigation in all courts but primarily in Oregon and Washington. He handles matters in areas of complex insurance coverage, particularly including environmental, directors’ and officers’ liability and products liability. He also handles casualty defense in areas including professional liability, products liability, liquor liability and fire cause and origin. He also handles commercial litigation primarily for financial and other professionals. Jeff has managed and tried complex matters, including trials lasting several months. He has been retained to handle cases in several western states in addition to Oregon and Washington. Jeff has participated in the management of the nationwide exposures to insurance clients in the areas of insurance coverage, environmental liability, products liability and securities law.

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.
 

Ian Matyjewicz is an Assistant Vice President with Herbert L. Jamison & Co., L.L.C., in West Orange, New Jersey, where he focuses on the risk management and insurance needs of law firms throughout the country. Prior to joining Jamison, Ian practiced for 15 years as a litigator. During that time period, he was lead counsel in over 60 cases tried to verdict. Ian’s experience includes: insurance coverage issues; complex commercial litigation; and intellectual property. He is a frequent speaker on attorney ethics, social media, and privacy and security exposures confronting law firms.
 

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.

Phyllis Modlin is a Director and Senior Counsel with the Construction Complex Claims team of Markel. Ms. Modlin received her B.A. degree from University of California at Santa Barbara and her J.D. degree from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. She handles complex primary and excess construction claims (both defect and catastrophic bodily injury) in the United States. Ms. Modlin is responsible for all aspects of claims handling, including damages, liability, coverage, reserving, risk transfer, litigation management, expense control measures and claims resolution. 

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.

Dennis J. Nelson, CPCU is Vice President of Claims for NLC Insurance Companies based out of Norwich, Connecticut.  Prior to joining NLC in December 2006, Mr. Nelson was employed by CNA Insurance in Quincy, Massachusetts for fourteen years.  He held several positions with CNA including Litigation Supervisor, Divisional Claim Manager, Assistant Vice President and Senior Account Manager, Client Services.

Mr. Nelson began his insurance career with Amica Insurance in Providence, Rhode Island as a Field Adjuster handling Homeowners and Automobile claims.  After four years with Amica, Mr. Nelson began his career with American Universal Insurance, an excess and surplus writer also based in Providence, Rhode Island.  During his ten years at American, Mr. Nelson held several positions including Field Representative in the Medical Malpractice unit, Major Casualty Examiner, Major Casualty Unit Supervisor, and Home Office Claims Manager.  Here, Mr. Nelson handled a variety of claims including general liability, product liability, toxic tort, and environmental and medical malpractice.

Mr. Nelson spent two years as a Structured Settlement Consultant with Brokers Service Corporation in Providence, Rhode Island.  He was directly involved with the design and placement of structured settlements through the use of life annuities.

Mr. Nelson received his Bachelor of Science degree from Bryant College and his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation in 1991.  He currently lives with his family in Cranston, Rhode Island.

Mitch is a founding member of Tribler Orpett & Meyer, P.C., in Chicago, which was formed in 1984. His practice is devoted to the defense of professional and general liability claims and to the resolution of insurance and reinsurance disputes. He has represented lawyers and other professionals in various courts across the United States and has been active in litigation, arbitration and other methods of alternative dispute resolution where he has served as both advocate and arbitrator. He has been listed in all editions of Guide to the World’s Leading Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers and in Who’s Who Legal, Insurance & Reinsurance. He has also been named as an Illinois “Super Lawyer” and to the Illinois Network of Leading Lawyers in recognition of his achievements and professional standing. 
 
Mitch has devoted more than 35 years of service to the American Bar Association, holding numerous leadership positions and organizing and participating in numerous conferences. He recently completed his three-year term on the ABA’s Board of Governors and served for many years on its policy-making body, the House of Delegates. He was the chair of the ABA’s Section Officers Conference, where he represented the approximately 240,000 members of the sections of the American Bar Association. Previously, he served as chair of the ABA’s 30,000 member Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section and of the ABA’s Standing Committee on Continuing Education of the Bar. He was also vice chair of the ABA’s Presidential Commission on the Unintended Consequences of the Billable Hour (Justice Stephen G. Breyer, chair).
 
Mitch has also served as a member of various committees and task forces dealing with lawyers’ professional liability and cyber security. He has been a frequent author and speaker on cyber and professional liability topics here in the U.S. and abroad.
 
 

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.

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. 

Dan Santaniello served as the President of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association (FDLA) in 2014, an organization he has served for several years as a director and officer. He is certified as an expert in civil trial by the Florida Bar. Dan was born in Boston and graduated from Northeastern University (B.S. Criminal Justice) and Nova Southeastern University (J.D., summa cum laude, class rank #3). He is licensed in Florida and Massachusetts and founded the firm in 1995.

Martindale-Hubbell has rated Dan AV Preeminent and he was named a Florida Super Lawyer in 2011, 2012 and 2015.  The South Florida Daily Business Review named Dan a (finalist) for Most Effective Lawyer in 2007.  In 2014, he received the DRI Exceptional Performance Citation for improving the standards of education of the defense bar and the administration of justice.  In 2010, he received the FDLA President's Award for outstanding service and in 2015 the Joseph P. Metzger Outstanding Achievement Award.

Dan has more than 26 years of trial experience and over 100 verdicts in the Florida Jury Verdict Reporter.  He regularly tries high exposure cases and has full confidence in the Florida civil litigation system.  He is adept in jury selection and considers his best asset the art of cross examination and presentation of the "big picture"? to the jury. Dan speaks regularly to insurance professionals on industry related strategies and emerging topics. He handles Wrongful Death, Transportation, Professional, Premises and Product liability, Negligent Security, Toxic Tort, Construction Defect and Bad Faith litigation.  

His firm employs more than 60 litigators in 8 Florida offices and has been named a Fortune 500 "Go To"? Law Firm by ALM (three times).  Visit him at http://www.insurancedefense.net

Ann Schnure is a Vice President in Risk Management at Macy’s. Ann currently has responsibility for Workers’ Compensation/Systems/and Operations in that area. Ann oversees a largely self insured/self administered Workers’ Compensation program with a staff in 4 locations. She also oversees a variety of claims with TPA’s for runoff claims from acquisitions as well as claims that are not self administered. Ann has been with Macy’s for 17 years in the Risk Management area.Prior to joining Macy’s, Ann worked for Safeco Insurance Company ending her career there as a Branch Claim Manager over a large claim office.Ann is a graduate of Wilmington College, Wilmington, OH. She also is has CPCU and AIC designations and is a member of RIMS and the National Council of Self Insurers.

Frank Smith began his insurance career with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company in March, 1987. After completing claims training, he served as an adjuster, Senior Adjuster and Supervisor within Liberty Mutual offices in New York, Chicago and Des Plaines, Illinois. Areas of specialization included, Workers Compensation, General Liability, Auto Liability, Illinois Structural Work Act and New York Labor Law.In December of 1992, Frank joined Reliance National Insurance Company, New York, as a Claims Account Manager. He served in that role, and advanced to the position of Vice President. He was charged with leading a team that provided claims oversight on the largest account within Reliance National, the ARAMARK Corporation.

In March of 2000, Frank joined Kemper Insurance Company in Philadelphia, as the Vice President of Claims. He continued to manage the ARAMARK account through their transition to Kemper.In October of 2004, Frank joined XL insurance Company. He holds the position of Vice President – Head of US Risk Management and Program Claims. His responsibilities include management of these books of business, as well as all unbundled TPA relationships. He has developed the XL management approach to TPA’s, and has helped implement these principles across the globe in all areas where XL conducts business.

He has spoken at numerous industry events on topics relating to Claims Management , TPA Management and Medical Management. He has also authored several articles on these subjects.Frank holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from St, John’s University in New York. He resides in New York City.

Mr. Smith, with more than 32 years of diverse experience in the insurance sector, has worked with Kemper Insurance, Continental Insurance, C N A. He was Assistant Vice President, Risk Management for Guardsmark, and was President of a national Managing General Agency prior to joining Family Dollar Stores in 2003. Mr. Smith is currently Divisional Vice President – Risk Management for Family Dollar Stores, and President of Family Dollar Insurance, Inc., Family Dollar’s captive insurance company. Family Dollar is a fortune 300 company with more than 50,000 employees, more than 6,900 stores and annual revenues in excess of $7 billion. Mr. Smith has served as Vice President and on the Board of Directors for the Carolina’s Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) Chapter and the Board of Directors of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National MS Society. Mr. Smith is currently serving as a Work Place Task Force Member – National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention under the auspices of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a public health agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Mr. Smith has spoken on various risk management topics including two Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) International Conferences on Workers’ Compensation Return to Work programs and Traumatic Workplace Response programs, the National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference on Traumatic Response and Workers’ Compensation Return to Work, the Case Management Society of America’s National Conference on Pharmaceutical Abuse Management in Workers’ Compensation, as well as the annual PartnerSource Texas WC Non-subscription Conference, July 2010, The Conference Board – Corporate Security, Business Continuity & Crisis Management Conference in New York City, March, 2011, and on Insurance Fraud at the Annual National RIMS Conference in Vancouver, Canada, May, 2011, Crisis Response to Workplace Violence at the Annual National RIMS Conference in Vancouver, Canada, May, 2011, the National Workers; Compensation & Occupational Medicine Conference, July, 2011.

For his work in the development of successful post traumatic response to workplace violence and acceleration of return to work, Mr. Smith was the 2010 recipient of Risk and Insurance Management Magazine’s Risk Innovator of the Year award and the 2010 recipient of Liberty Mutual’s Responsibility Leader Award.

Mr. Smith attended Boston University prior to earning a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree from Syracuse University.

Gordon Sproule obtained his BS from Vanderbilt University in 1993 and JD from Georgia State College of Law in 1996 where he graduated Cum Laude. He represents automobile manufacturers and distributors in both product liability and warranty cases throughout the Southeast where he serves as lead trial and coordinating counsel in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina. He also represents nursing homes across Alabama in medical malpractice and premises liability. Gordon has been named an Alabama Super Lawyer—Rising Star, listed in “Birmingham’s Top Attorneys”, Birmingham Magazine, and is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He has tried numerous cases to verdict in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia.

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.

 

Janeen Thomas is a litigation attorney with more than 15 years of experience advising businesses and insurers. She focuses her legal practice on contract analysis and complex torts, including litigation of high-profile transportation matters and traumatic brain injury cases. She also handles employment practices liability, miscellaneous professional liability and insurance coverage disputes.

Janeen began her career as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, NY, where she obtained top count convictions. Subsequently, she joined a boutique litigation firm where she established a fraud investigation unit that resulted in cost savings to insurers of several hundred thousand dollars. After gaining insurance claims handling experience at AIG Domestic Claims, Inc., she joined an international firm as an insurance coverage and litigation attorney where she provided advisory opinions to insurers and businesses and litigated complex insurance coverage matters.

Janeen is a frequent speaker across a variety of professional and community groups. In 2018, she spoke at Insurance Business America’s Women in Insurance Summit, co-presented on reputational risks at the Northeast Insurance Conference and gave a CLE on Smart Data – The Newest Tool in the Defense Attorney’s Toolbox. She also was selected by the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) to serve on the 2019 Leadership and Mentoring Program.

An active member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM), Janeen has spoken on cutting-edge tactics for defense of large-loss transportation claims at the CLM annual conference. She also played an instrumental role in launching an online adjuster training course for the CLM, "Identifying Insurance Fraud." In 2017, she spoke on The Impact of Cannabis Legislation on the Insurance Industry and was published in Lexology on “Shrinking Damages with Smart Data.”

Mr. Tyson was born and raised in Staten Island, New York. He is a graduate of Villanova University School of Law, class of 1989. Mr. Tyson graduated from Villanova University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. He has practiced law in large California defense firms since graduation. Mr. Tyson is a trial lawyer who specializes in arguing damages in high profile cases. He also argued before the California Supreme Court the most important case for insurance companies in over 30 years, the multi-billion dollar Howell v. Hamilton Meats case. Mr. Tyson has primarily litigated cases in the areas of products liability, personal injury, commercial and general civil litigation, professional malpractice, environmental and employment law. He has represented individuals, corporations, partnerships, professionals and many other different types of businesses. Mr.Tyson was admitted to the California Bar June 1990 and to the District of Columbia Bar October 1993. He has won California Lawyer of the Year, San Diego Defense Lawyer of the Year, Most Influential, Top Lawyer, San Diego SuperLawyer and other awards. 

I am licensed in Louisiana and Texas. My practice covers Products Liability/Toxic Tort, Personal Injury and Insurance Coverage. I have tried over 70 cases in both Federal and State court. For the past three years I have served as the defense liaison counsel for the FEMA Trailer Formaldehyde Products Liability Litigation. I have taken the lead or participated in 2 of the 3 bellwether trials and 1 of the 2 Summary Jury Trials. I have co-authored several articles in several legal journals including most recently: "The Mass Action Provisions of CAFA:Where Defendants Fear to Tread?" DRI's For the Defense (April 2009).

Scott R. Whiteside is Executive Vice President of Gallagher Construction Services in San Francisco. Gallagher Construction Services, part of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., is dedicated solely to serving the insurance, surety and risk management needs of the construction and real estate industry throughout the United States. Mr. Whiteside specializes in designing both Owner Controlled and Contractor Controlled Insurance Programs for public and private projects. He manages Gallagher's National Wrap-up practice group. He currently manages one of the largest Contractor Controlled Insurance Programs in the country. In addition to wrap-ups, Whiteside specializes in risk manangement programs for general contractors, subcontractors, home builders, developers and architects and engineers. He has also provided expert testimony in construction insurance claims involving large property losses and complex liability issues. Whiteside began his insurance career in 1973 as an adjuster for a national insurance company. In 1982, he was appointed Technical Services Manager for the San Francisco office of Willis Corroon. He was a founding partner in 1992 of Lamberson Koster & Company, a San Francisco based construction broker, which was acquired by Gallagher in 1996. Scott helped create the National Wrap-up practice for Gallagher and under his leadership in the past 15 years, the team has placed wrap-ups on over $15 Billion in project values. Whiteside is a sought after speaker on the topic of wrap-ups and insurance programs for contractors. His speaking engagements include RIMS, National Women in Construction Conference, International Risk Management Institute [IRMI], West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminar, the Hospitality Law Conference and the Institute for International Research [IIR].

Wendy L. Wilcox earned her B.A. (1993) in Sociology, with honors, from the University of California, Los Angeles. Wendy earned her J.D. (1997), with honors, from Southwestern University School of Law. She has also received various awards, including Excellence For the Future Award – Employment Discrimination Law and Exceptional Achievement Award – Intellectual Property. Wendy focuses her attention in the areas of products, premises and professional liability, construction defect and insurance coverage litigation and employment practices litigation. She has written numerous articles concerning insurance coverage, construction defect, litigation, arbitration, expert witnesses, and has presented this material at seminars. Wendy has also represented several defendants in published California Appellate and Supreme Court decisions. Wendy is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Professional Liability Underwriters Society and Defense Research Institute. She is admitted in all courts in California, both state and federal. Wendy is also admitted to practice before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.Wendy was a speaker at the 17th Annual West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminar on May 13 and 14, 2010, at The Disneyland Hotel. She lectured on current construction defect and insurance issues.Wendy was a speaker at the 15th Annual West Region Construction Defect & Law Seminar on the subject of Construction Defect Class Actions on September 16-18, 2009, in San Diego, California.Wendy was a speaker at the West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminar held on May 14 and 15, 2009, at The Disneyland Hotel. She spoke on the various issues concerning the recent California Supreme Court decision of Crawford v. Weather Shield Manufacturing, Inc. (2008) 44 Cal. 4th 541.Flatley v. Mauro, 39 Cal.4th 299 (2006) (Represented Defendant in Anti-SLAPP Motion).“Dodging the Pitfalls of Qualifying an Expert,” Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine (September 2005).“Compelling Arbitrations and Confirming an Arbitration Award,” Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine (November 2004).CEB Advising and Defending Corporate Directors and Officers (book), Consultant (October 2004).“Applying the Litigation Privilege Before Trial” Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine (June 2003).“Making Preparations for Expert Witnesses” Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine (November 2002).“Additional Insured Coverage Claims: Where’s the Money?” The Defense Research Institute Young Lawyers Connection Newsletter (December 2002).“Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims: The Arbitration’s Over; Here’s the Bad Faith Claim.” This article was co-authored with Paul White and published in May 2002, for a Defense Research Institute seminar.

Irene K. Yesowitch understands the challenging business aspects as well as the litigation environment faced by the insurance industry.

Irene has extensive experience in what she calls “financial loss litigation.” Representing directors and officers, lawyers, and accountants in myriad matters since the mid-1980s, Irene has developed experience that is invaluable to her defense clients as well as her insurer clients. A trial lawyer at heart, she utilizes this experience and knowledge of business/corporate litigation and insurance to maximize the impact of her services to her clients.

Irene continues to provide insurers strategic analysis and advice attendant to bad faith litigation, e-commerce, marketing, product development, regulatory compliance, market conduct, agency relationships, loss control, risk management, reinsurance, the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Office of Foreign Asset Control regulations. Additionally, she continues to emphasize a coverage and bad faith practice that includes litigation, coverage analysis, and other issues attendant to the business of insurance.

Irene is an avid speaker having presented numerous programs to claims and underwriting professionals, as well as lawyers, on such topics as fair settlement practices, insurance coverage analysis, evidence in a bad faith lawsuit, additional insureds and contractual indemnity coverage, the duty to defend, DOI regulations, reservation of rights, personal and advertising injury coverage, coverage for construction litigation exposures, and proper use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. The dozens of articles that she has published over the last 28 years further exemplify her place as one of the leading business and insurance coverage litigation attorneys in California.

Cathy Zwaan is a claims examiner responsible for managing hospitality liquor liability, excess umbrella and coverage/bad faith exposures. USLI, a Berkshire Hathaway company. USLI underwrites specialty insurance products for small businesses nationwide. She previously held the position of litigation manager.

Cathy has over 30 years of experience in a wide variety of insurance industry positions, including leadership roles, with the majority of experience in the claims arena. She has specialized in managing various complex indemnity and coverage claims in various product lines, with a focus in liquor liability and excess/umbrella while employed with USLI, Reliance Insurance Company, Penn National Insurance, and Global Indemnity Insurance Company.

As Litigation Manager for USLI, Cathy was responsible for the selection, appointment, evaluation and oversight of high-quality and cost-effective defense counsel for all venues and jurisdictions nationwide. She is also responsible for developing internal processes and procedures to create a climate for the claim professionals and attorneys to jointly strategize with the ultimate goal of practical bottom-line driven claim resolutions.

Cathy was a finalist for the 2015 CLM Litigation Management Professional of the Year award. She serves on the Executive Council and faculty for CLM's School of Claims Mediation as well as the ADR committee.

Mercedes Colwin is the founding partner of the GRSM New York Office. She handles a wide variety of litigation, including employment law, commercial litigation, class actions, products liability, professional liability, wage and hour class actions, defamation and related First Amendment claims, civil rights violations and criminal law.
Prior to private practice, Ms. Colwin served as an Administrative Law Judge for the New York State Division of Human Rights. During these nine years of service, while a partner at a major regional New York law firm, she presided over three thousand cases brought under federal and state discrimination laws.
Forbes Business American Airlines named Ms. Colwin one of the six most influential women in America. The list includes dignitaries such as former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Notre Dame Law School presented Ms. Colwin with the prestigious Graciela Olivarez Award for outstanding achievement as a leading Hispanic lawyer of the highest ethical and moral standards. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor received the same award. MultiCultural Law magazine also profiled Ms. Colwin in a Leadership Interview titled, Reaching Back to Diversify the Legal Professional. Human Resources Magazine named Ms. Colwin as one of the Nation’s Most Powerful Rising Employment Attorneys.

Mary Galligan is a director in Deloitte & Touche’s Security & Privacy practice. Mary advises senior executives on the crisis management challenges they face, in particular cyber risks. She helps clients develop and execute security programs to prevent and minimize the business impact of cyber threats. This includes board education, cyber war gaming, and other strategy efforts as the public and private sector collaboration around cybersecurity in the US begins to takes shape.

Mary joined Deloitte after retiring in 2013 from a distinguished career with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). Mary oversaw all FBI investigations into national security and criminal cyber intrusions in New York City, and advised numerous financial institutions, media entities and law firms during their high pressure situations. Her most recent position was with the New York Office as the special agent in charge of cyber and special operations, where she led the largest technical and physical surveillance operation in the FBI.

She gained significant crisis management experience as the supervisor over the FBI's investigation into the terrorist attacks on 9/11, as one of the on-scene commanders in Yemen after the bombing of the USS Cole, and as the special agent in charge of special events and SWAT in New York City.

Mary held other leadership roles during her 25-year tenure with the FBI.

  Chief Inspector of the FBI
  Led a director’s initiative on risk-based management
  Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC), Administrative division, New York office

Mary holds a bachelor's degree from Fordham University, Bronx, New York, a master's degree in Psychology from the New School for Social Research, New York, New York and an honorary doctorate of Law from Marian University, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She is an FBI-certified crisis negotiator and crisis manager.

Steve is the Vice President and Airlines Claims Manager responsible for the direct handling of claims and litigation involving domestic and international air carriers. Steve is also a member of the AIG Aerospace Emergency Response Team, focusing on Legal and Expert Retention. Steve obtained his undergraduate degree from Baylor University, his MBA from the University of New Mexico and his JD from Southern Methodist University. He is a licensed attorney in Texas, New Mexico, South Carolina, and D.C. He has ten years experience as outside counsel with a major international law firm and as associate general counsel with an aircraft manufacturer. His career includes representation of air carriers, aviation product manufacturers, aerospace defense firms, airports, cargo operators, FBOs, and aircraft owners and pilots. In addition to his legal experience, Steve has an extensive aviation background as a U.S. Air Force pilot flying the Northrop T-38 and AT-38 aircraft; prior to entering his legal practice specializing in aviation and aerospace matters.

Eileen Bower has extensive experience representing insurers in high-exposure, complex insurance coverage disputes arising under various liability policies. Eileen is often called upon to develop and implement a resolution strategy in difficult, multi-party actions and has consistently achieved highly favorable settlements for her clients.

She has litigated many long-tail environmental and asbestos insurance coverage matters in state and federal courts across the country. In that capacity, she has served as lead litigation and trial counsel as well as appellate counsel for more than 25 years. Eileen has also represented insurers in coverage disputes arising under general liability, professional liability, errors and omission and commercial crime policies in various jurisdictions. She regularly counsels clients with respect to underlying claims involving complex insurance coverage issues, including the nature and extent of the duty to defend; targeted tender; trigger of coverage; allocation; bad faith; other insurance provisions; policyholder and other insurer insolvencies; late notice; and breach of cooperation. In addition, she served as national coordinating counsel for a major insurer’s sexual abuse claims.

Eileen completed the Mediation Skills Certificate Program at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, which allows her to serve as a mediator in connection with state and federal court panels as well as in a variety of insurance coverage disputes and complex litigation.

Eileen is a prolific presenter on topics involving high exposure, complex insurance issues, including environmental and asbestos litigation, bad faith claims, duty to defend, and reservation of rights.

Eileen has been recognized by Chambers USA, Super Lawyers and other legal services rankings as a leading lawyer for insurance, and was named a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.

Kenneth P. Carter, CPCU is Chief Claims Officer for Concert Group and formerly Vice President - Claim Operations with Merchants Insurance Group. Mr. Carter started his career in insurance after graduating from the University of Rochester with a degree in philosophy in 1989. He has a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership and has obtained the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter professional designation. Mr. Carter has been engaged by local and national insurance and legal organizations to lecture and write on a variety of topics including; ethics, tripartite relationships, complex decision analysis, negotiation best practices, good faith claim handling, risk transfer methodology, the use of technology in litigation management, and post-catastrophe legal and regulatory challenges. In 2012 the national Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) honored Mr. Carter as Litigation Management Professional of the Year. Ken lives in Orchard Park, NY. 

John Crawford is a partner at Lommen Abdo, P.A., where he handles cases involving personal injuries, wrongful death, insurance coverage, transportation litigation, premise liability, workers' compensation, mental impairment/mental anguish, and punitive damages. He is admitted in Minnesota and Wisconsin state court, the federal courts for the districts of Minnesota, Western District of Wisconsin, and North Dakota, and the U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit.

John is certified as a civil trial specialist by both the Minnesota State Bar Association and the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Since 1997, he has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Minnesota Insurance Law Deskbook, a 26-chapter deskbook on insurance coverage. He is also a frequent speaker on insurance coverage and related issues.

Published Works
Strategies for Responding to Reptile Theory Questions, 57 FOR THE DEFENSE 70 (December 2015)

Why Courts Should Not Admit CSA Scores as Evidence, 54 FOR THE DEFENSE 82 (December 2012)

How to Get Damaging Evidence From Litigants’ Social Media Sites: Practice Tips in Dealing With the Stored Communications Act, 14 THE TRANSPORTATION LAWYER 24 (October, 2012)

MINNESOTA INSURANCE LAW DESKBOOK, 4th Edition (2015), Editor-in-Chief

Punitive Damages in Commercial Transportation: State by State Summary (Minnesota), ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Section (2007)

Spoliation of Evidence: State by State Summary (Minnesota), ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Section (2008)

Comparative/Contributory Negligence and Joint and Several Liability: State by State Summary (Minnesota), ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Section (2009)

Minor Compromises: State by State Summary (Minnesota), ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Section (2010)

Seminars and Presentations

Rapid Response Strategies for Catastrophic Accidents: Collecting and Preserving Evidence, and Avoiding Spoliation Claims, Minnesota Trucking Association's Annual Law Conference (2013)

Minnesota Insurance Law Today, Minnesota CLE (June 2009) Insurance for Litigators Webcast, Minnesota CLE (August 2010) The Minnesota Insurance Law Deskbook & Seminar, Minnesota CLE (August 2011)

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.

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.

As Datacert’s Vice President of Product Management and Strategic Markets, Shaheen Javadizadeh is responsible for maintaining Datacert’s established leadership position in the corporate legal market while expanding the company’s market presence in new markets. As a Legal, Insurance, and Compliance industry veteran, Javadizadeh has innovated management solutions and legal best practices for over 50% of the Fortune 100 Legal Departments over the past 18 years. Javadizadeh has also been a pioneer and industry pundit on compliance and risk management.

Recognition/Awards: 
Proud recipient of the 2013, Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee (FIFEC) Jerry Zappolo Distinguished Service Award
 
Professional Organizations:
FIFEC Executive Committee Member & Public Relations Member (Former Executive Chairman)
CLM Claims College School of Insurance Fraud,  Former Co-Dean
IASIU South Florida  - Former Chapter President

Experience: 
Brett is currently an SIU Manager with Assurant. 

Brett Kelley worked in Major Case/Complex Investigations and Large Loss Investigations for Liberty Mutual/Safeco for six years.

He is the former SIU Manager for Personable Insurance Company and Kingsway America and focused on non-standard auto insurance nationally

Brett  also worked for Allstate Insurance Company as a major case Analyst and started his insurance career over twenty years ago with Progressive Insurance Company handling investigations related to auto theft, fires/arson and medical provider fraud. 

Brett started his investigative career working for The Florida Legislature investigating internal and external theft and program abuse. 
 
Historical: 
Brett was born in the mid-west (Iowa), but he was raised in New Orleans [N’awlins] and is a graduated from Loyola University.  

Director of Litigation American National Property and Casualty Company

Paula began her career with American National Property and Casualty Company in 1982, she has handled all aspects of claims in the Property and Casualty field for personal lines. In 1988 Paula began handling Litigation file assignments and in 1999 began managing the Litigation Department. In 2003 she was promoted to her current position, Director of Litigation.

Paula is responsible for litigation management in 43 states. She has handled catastrophic claims and Class Action Litigation.

As the company expanded Paula’s role included litigation management of Commercial, Construction Defect and Agriculture Litigation.

Paula is the mother of four sons and six grandchildren.

Lisa has worked for over 23 years for the insurance industry. Her career in claim includes work for Zurich from 1998 -2004 as a senior claims adjusters handling commercial transportation claims. In 2004, she joined AXIS Insurance Company where handled GL claims and rose in the claims management to Vice President of Primary and Excess Casualty Claims.  She also started the A&E claims unit for AXIS.  In early 2019, she accepted a position as the Senior Vice President of Houston International Insurance Group Claims where she leads the Construction and Internal Claims departments. 

CURRENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Megan McClellan is a broker for Marsh's FINPRO practice in Washington, D.C., and currently is the FINPRO National Retail Practice Leader.  As a broker, she advises clients on the evaluation and design of risk transfer solutions that address financial and professional exposures, including directors and officers liability, errors and omissions, cyber security and privacy liability, employment practices liability, fidelity (crime) and fiduciary liability.  Megan is responsible to her clients for all aspects of analysis and placement of FINPRO related coverages, including strategic planning, risk analysis, coverage analysis and program design, and, to ensure superior results, partners with a FINPRO placement specialist in the marketing to and placement of capacity with insurers.  Megan’s clients include publicly traded, as well as private, U.S. and multinational clients in various industries. 

EXPERIENCE
Megan has been a broker in the Marsh FINPRO practice since March 2012.  Prior to joining Marsh, Megan practiced law for nearly four years as an associate with the law firm Troutman Sanders LLP in Washington, DC.  In that capacity, Megan represented insurance carriers in coverage matters involving directors and officers liability and other forms of professional liability insurance.  On behalf of her clients, Megan: analyzed coverage, liability and exposure in connection with securities class actions, derivative actions and other corporate governance matters, ERISA stock drop suits, regulatory investigations and commercial contractual disputes; resolved coverage disputes; and contributed to the resolution of underlying claims.  Megan also represented insurers in coverage litigation.

Prior to attending law school, Megan worked for Marsh as a Risk Analyst in Washington, DC for nearly three years.  In that capacity, Megan was responsible for facilitating and assisting with the renewal process of property and casualty lines of coverage for middle market clients.

EDUCATION & AFFILIATIONS
Megan graduated with a JD from The George Washington University Law School and is a member of the Bar in Virginia and the District of Columbia.  She earned a BBA from James Madison University.

Megan co-chairs the Ambassador Advisory Board of the non-profit organization, The World of Children Award.

David M. O’Connor of O'Connor & Associates, LLC, an AV-rated six-lawyer Boston firm, defends claims against policyholders and represents carriers in coverage and unfair claims practices litigation. Mr. O’Connor is recognized in Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and has been  a Massachusetts Super Lawyer in mulitple practice categories. Mr. O'Connor regularly presents to industry groups on contractual risk transfer; insurance coverage; extra-contractual exposures; and defending unpopular corporate targets.  He obtained a B.A. from Georgetown University and is a cum laude graduate of Boston College Law School, where he was Articles Editor for the B.C. Environmental Law Review. He is admitted in Massachusetts; the  U.S. District Court, Districts of Massachusetts, Connecticut and  Arizona; and the  U.S. Court of Appeals, First and Ninth Circuits.

Sonia Odarczenko, a 1988 graduate of Loyola University of Chicago School of law and 1984 graduate of Bradley University, magna cum laude, is Coverage Counsel at AmTrust, supporting all lines of business, addressing coverage issues and managing litigation against the Company.  Sonia joined AmTrust in September, 2019, after 18 years in private practice handling professional liability defense and coverage litigation as a partner at a large Chicago insurance defense firm and 13 years as in-house counsel at Markel and Navigators (a brand of the Hartford).   Sonia has been a speaker and panelist at both PLUS and CLM conferences and meetings. 

Combined background in international law, corporate and investment banking and insurance, Tienneke Petit has been assisting clients around the globe, working on projects involving international business, governance, legal and regulatory compliance, strategic positioning, insurance programs, claims and litigation management, risk portfolio review and many more.

Holding prior positions as independent attorney with Cottyn in Brussels, legal and regulatory counsel at Euronext-NYSE in Paris, international claims manager at AXA Corporate Solutions in Paris and New York and currently owner and CEO of PetitConsult as well as being Governance Lead at BNP Paribas USA, Tienneke has been and still is very actively involved in international claims and litigation management. She has acquired in-depth experience unravelling the intricacies of (international) litigation management and is focused on proactively searching for resolution while creating an environment of integrity and trust.

Tienneke holds Master in Laws degrees from the Catholic University of Leuven (BE) and the University of Sceaux-Paris (FR) and a LLM European Company Law from the University of Exeter (UK). She also holds the Associate in Risk Management Certificate (USA).

Mark Raffman’s areas of practice include complex litigation (including class actions), product liability (including silica litigation), insurance coverage litigation, professional ethics and liability litigation, domestic and international commercial litigation and arbitration, and mass tort and environmental litigation. Mr. Raffman has represented clients before state and federal trial and appellate courts, administrative agencies and arbitration panels.

Representative clients in litigation and arbitration matters include:  Lafarge North America Inc. (products liability and commercial litigation and arbitration); The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies (insurance coverage litigation); and Rockwell International Corporation (toxic tort and other litigation matters).

Mr. Raffman is included in the 2009 Chambers USA guide to “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.”

As an Assistant Vice President of Allied World Assurance Company, Tom is responsible for the management of complex litigation and high severity exposures in medical malpractice claims throughout the country.  He has over 18 years of claims and legal experience.

Before entering the insurance industry, Tom served as a Law Clerk to Justice Bowman of the Appellate Court of Illinois, following which he practiced at Alholm and Monahan and Cassiday, Schade and Gloor in Chicago, where he specialized in the defense of hospitals, physicians, and long-term care facilities.  He handled all aspects of the defense of his clients, including depositions and trials (solo and second chair).

In 2002, Tom served as a Senior Claims Representative at CNA HealthPro.  Immediately prior to joining Allied World, Tom spent six years as the Claims Litigation Manager at American Physicians Assurance/The Doctors Company, where he monitored, evaluated, and provided direction and recommendations to the claim analysts and defense counsel on all high severity exposures in the company.  

Tom received a B.S. in History from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and a Juris Doctorate with Honors at Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he won numerous awards in the Moot Court Honor Society and served as a Legal Writing Teaching Assistant his final year.

Jordan’s practice focuses on counseling insurance companies ranging from single-line risk retention groups to multi-line national insurance companies. His work for these clients includes coverage analysis, working with all parties involved in the process, including claimants, and when necessary, coverage litigation. Jordan has experience working with the following lines of insurance: professional liability insurance issued to psychologists, psychiatrists, hospitals, surgery centers, long-term care facilities, senior living facilities, home health care agencies, diagnostic imaging companies, neuro-monitoring companies, massage therapists, organ procurement companies, police departments, attorneys, private equity companies, abstracters, title agents and escrow agents. Jordan also has extensive experience working with primary and excess directors and officers insurance.

Jordan also focuses on litigation and advising clients on how best to maximize gains while limiting exposure. He has represented clients in complex litigation across the country, both in federal and state courts. Jordan has extensive experience resolving cases through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, mechanisms that result in clients achieving their goals while minimizing expenses.

When not practicing law, Jordan enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

Manager – Legal Resource Control Unit, The Cincinnati Insurance Companies
 
Brad Spicer has over 23 years of P&C insurance experience, ranging from claim handling, to litigation supervision, to a management roles in The Cincinnati Insurance Companies’ Complex Claims group.  Brad currently oversees CIC’s Medicare claim handling compliance and serves as Manager of CIC’s Legal Resource Control Unit, where he also oversees CIC’s legal e-billing technology, legal spend analytics and is responsible for maintenance of CIC’s approved panel legal counsel, litigation guidelines, and billing guidelines.  Brad holds an M.B.A. degree, as well as AIC, AIS, and INS designations.

Michelle Stegmann, Esq. is Vice President, Construction Defect and Environmental Claims for Crum & Forster.  Prior to joining C&F in November 2014, Ms. Stegmann was the Nationwide Manager of Environmental Liability Claims as well as Regional Manager of Crisis Management Claims for Starr Indemnity in NYC, and an Assistant Vice President/Associate General Counsel with Resolute Management, which handles asbestos and pollution claims formerly handled by various insurance companies.  Ms. Stegmann joined Resolute Midwest at its inception in September 2010 after serving as an Assistant Vice President in the Environmental and Mass Tort Claims Department, Law Division, of CNA Insurance for 9 years. In that role, she was the technical lead for all asbestos teams, coordinating litigation, trade group, and judicial initiatives in asbestos litigation nationwide and addressing CGL as well as Employer's Liability issues involving primary, umbrella and excess cover. Prior to CNA, Ms. Stegmann spent five years with Fireman's Fund Insurance in Novato, CA--also in the area of environmental claims and coverage--and previously worked with Crum & Forster (Envision Claims Management Corporation) in NJ and as an associate with Cuyler, Burk & Matthews in NJ handling environmental insurance coverage defense as well as direct defense of product liability and auto cases.For CLM, Ms. Stegmann served as a Co-Chair for the Environmental & Toxic Tort Subcommittee from 2010-2013 and was lead Chair in 2014.  She served as a curriculum advisor for the CLM Claims College--School of Claims Management and acted as faculty, teaching the Disposition Strategy Course.  She has also authored several articles for Litigation Management magazine and presented a webinar with counsel on asbestos litigation in 2013.  Ms. Stegmann also served as part of the editorial board for the American Journal of Law.Ms. Stegmann is also a faculty member with Cardozo School of Law's prestigious Intensive Trial Advocacy Program and has been a speaker on topics relaitng to asbestos litigation/claims handling issues for Perrin Conferences, the American Conference Institute and the American Bar Association.  She graduated magna cum laude from Cardozo and was a member of Law Review.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Anna D. Torres is a seasoned civil litigator with over 30 years of experience. Her practice focuses on all aspects of third party insurance defense litigation, including personal injury and wrongful death, premises liability, products liability, construction defect, automobile and transportation, liability coverage and insurer bad faith claims.

In 1985, Ms. Torres received her B.A. degree with distinction in English from San Diego State University and received her Juris Doctorate from Stanford Law School in 1988.

Ms. Torres began her legal practice in San Diego, California . In 1994, she relocated to Florida where she continued in private practice in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. She is the founder of TorresVictor.  

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Ms. Torres is licensed to practice in Florida and California and is admitted to practice in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, United States District Court Southern District of California, and the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of the United States District Courts in Florida .

She is a member of the American Bar Association and a number of insurance industry associations. She is currently serving as Co-Chair of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committe of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation.

SPEECHES, LECTURES AND PAPERS

Ms. Torres is a frequent speaker in continuing legal educational programs and insurance industry conferences. She has been a speaker on topics ranging from fraud, advanced personal injury practice, civil discovery, insurance law and litigation and ethics, at these representative events:

Ms. Torres has been approved to instruct adjuster continuing education by the Florida Department of Financial Services.

Paul is the Founding and Managing Partner of Walsh, Barnes, Collis & Zumpella, P.C.  Paul’s practice covers the entire spectrum of civil litigation, including defending companies and individuals in wrongful death, bodily injury and catastrophic property losses arising from major fires, construction, industrial, tractor-trailer and automobile accidents, and product liability claims. He also defends bad faith, employment practices liability, executive and professional liability claims. He regularly represents construction companies, tractor-trailer companies, product manufacturers, banks, personal care facilities, steel companies, and electric companies. Paul has tried more than 100 jury trials to verdict.  He chairs the firm’s Civil Litigation division.

Paul has frequently lectured at seminars presented by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the Pennsylvania Association for Justice as well as many insurance companies. He was one of three attorneys asked to speak at the Pennsylvania State Judicial Conference in February 2007. He has authored materials regarding commercial civil litigation for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the Pennsylvania Association for Justice.

Paul previously served as a Hearing Officer for the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania for a six year term. He formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Emergency Medical Foundation.  Paul has also served as President, Director, and General Counsel for the Pittsburgh Athletic Association and currently serves as chairman for the Johnny Majors/Mercury Award committee.

Paul has been listed as an AV® Preeminent™ lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, representing the recognition of the highest level of professional excellence by his peers, since 2000 and has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer from 2007-2011.

Education

Admissions

Professional Associations

Publications

Reported Cases

Adam Whitten is the managing partner of Goodman McGuffey's Charlotte office. He began representing large corporations and insurance carriers immediately upon graduation from law school in 2003. He has represented nursing homes, banks, security companies, construction companies, airlines, telecommunication companies, hotels, employment staffing companies and large manufacturers in workers compensation matters across the state of North Carolina. He has also represented clients in civil matters involving negligence, premises liability and third-party liens.

Adam is a member of the North Carolina and Mecklenburg County Bar Associations. He has spoken to various groups including adjusters, human resource managers, risk managers and attorneys on a variety of legal topics including workers' compensation, occupational disease, disability, return to work standards, communication with treating doctors, and the nuances of working with the North Carolina Industrial Commission and within the North Carolina Workers' Compensation system. Adam has worked with the Children's Law Center and Council for Children's Rights in Charlotte advocating for children involved in difficult custody disputes.

Adam received his undergraduate degree in journalism from Brigham Young University in 1999. He was a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society. He was awarded the University Scholarship for his academic achievements. He also was awarded the Communications Department Talent Award scholarship for his performance with writing. He received multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists while working as a reporter and sports editor.

Adam earned his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003. While in Chapel Hill, Adam was on the Dean's List and worked in the school's pro bono program including some time assisting a local district attorney with domestic violence cases. In 2003, Adam was a national finalist in Chicago-Kent's Louis Jackson National Student Writing Competition in Employment and Labor Law.

Adam is actively involved in the local community and has worked as a volunteer coach with the local YMCA and community sports organizations. He has also worked with the Boy Scouts of America as a merit badge counselor and assistant scout master. Adam is also fluent in Portuguese thanks to a two-year stint in southern Brazil as a missionary for his church.