Rafael is a partner in Cattie & Gonzalez, PLLC. He practices Medicare and Medicaid secondary payer law.

Rafael earned his Jurisprudence Doctorate degree from the Florida State University in 1990. After graduating from FSU, Rafael practiced social security disability, workers’ compensation, longshore and harbor workers’ compensation, and personal injury law in Tampa, FL. He then served as corporate counsel for FCCI Insurance Company in Sarasota, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Medicare Set Aside Administration and Center for Lien Resolution in Clearwater, Vice President of Medicare and Medicaid Compliance at Gould & Lamb, LLC in Bradenton, Vice President of Strategic Solutions at Helios in Tampa, President of Flagship Services Group in Denver, and President of UnitedHealth/Optum Settlement Solutions in Tampa.

Since 1993, Rafael has published numerous articles, book chapters, and books, including his series on Workers’ Compensation, Permanent Total Disability, Social Security Disability, and Medicare Set Asides. Since 2000, he has also taught workers’ compensation and social security disability, and Medicare/Medicaid law at the FSU College of Law, Stetson University College of Law, USF Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, USF Department of Occupational Medicine, USF College of Public Health, and the University of Tampa.

Rafael lectures frequently on a national basis on the history, substance, and legislative composition of the US workers’ compensation system, the federal social security disability system, and the interplay between both of these systems’ medical benefit structure, including the Medicare Secondary Payer Act’s requirements affecting both. 

Due to his expertise in these areas, he has been actively engaged in the workers’ compensation, social security, and Medicare/Medicaid legislative process at both the state and federal levels. Since 1993, Rafael has attended hearings, testified before legislative committees, testified before executive commissions, provided opinions on proposed legislation, and served as a consultant to legislative and congressional staff on these substantive areas.

Ryan Gavin is one of the founding members of Kamykowski, Gavin & Smith.  Ryan has a diverse practice including professional liability, premises liability, automobile and transportation liability, product liability, and insurance coverage.  He has been in practice for nearly 20 years and is well versed in the needs and expecations of insurance and corporate claims professionals. 

His professional liability practice includes the defense of both medical and non-medical claims. He defends health care providers, including physicians, physicians' groups, hospitals, and other institutions in medical negligence cases.  He also defends other professionals in errors and omissions ("E&O") claims.  Ryan's experience in E&O litigation includes the representation of insurance agents and brokers, third party administrators, corporate directors, and actuaries.  He has tried more than 30 cases to verdict including high exposure claims alleging brain injury, death, and significant economic loss. He has many defense verdicts in recent years that have been recognized as being among the top defense verdicts in the state of Missouri.

As mentioned above, in addition to his professional liability experience, Ryan has extensive expertise in the defense of many other injury, death, and insurance disputes.

Ryan has been invited to present to industry and professional groups on a number of occasions.   He has, for example, presented to insurance brokers and agents on the topic of errors and omissions claims, medical school residents regarding malpractice litigation, and insurance claims professionals with respect to the use of forensic accounting experts.  

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