Mary Ann Vorndran is an accomplished claims executive with more than 30 years of experience leading casualty and excess claims teams across the insurance industry. She currently serves as Regional Casualty Claim Director at EMC Insurance Companies, where she oversees complex casualty claims, strengthens operational practices, and supports teams in delivering consistent, high-quality results.

Before joining EMC, Mary Ann held several leadership roles at AXIS Capital, including AVP Excess Claims Manager, where she managed national excess casualty litigation and guided strategy on high-exposure matters. Her earlier career includes leadership positions with The Navigators Group, American Claims Management, and AIG, where she directed multi-line teams, advanced claims handling standards, and managed a wide range of challenging and high-severity losses.

Mary Ann has contributed to the industry beyond her day-to-day work, including co-authoring a CLM Leadership White Paper and presenting at the CLM Annual Conference. She holds an MBA in International Business from National University, a BA in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the CLMP designation.

Known for her collaborative leadership style and deep technical expertise, Mary Ann continues to make a strong impact on the claims profession and the teams she supports.

Her practice focuses primarily on general liability, personal injury, and professional liability litigation. Ms. Benler-Ward has substantial litigation experience representing individuals, businesses, and public entities throughout California.

Ms. Benler-Ward has favorably resolved a variety of matters including personal injury, legal malpractice, and medical malpractice on behalf of her clients. Her successes include the resolution of numerous personal injury and malpractice matters by way of demurrer, summary judgment, and early settlement. Ms. Benler-Ward obtained a dismissal by summary judgment on an action to recover over $500,000 in attorneys’ fees resulting from a real estate transaction gone bad.

Prior to attending law school, Ms. Benler-Ward spent three years working as a certified paralegal for a multi-state civil litigation defense firm. She earned her J.D. from California Western School of Law in 2012, where she received the Pro Bono Honors award, was a member of the Women’s Law Caucus and Phi Alpha Delta, and served as a certified law clerk for the San Diego Public Defender.

Outside the office, Ms. Benler-Ward enjoys gardening, back-country camping, and homebrewing.  She also enjoys reading and attempting home improvement projects with her spouse.

Mr. Moreau earned his law degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, where he graduated cum laude and was honored as a 2014 “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.” While in law school, Mr. Moreau was a Thomas Jefferson Fellow and an Intellectual Property Fellow, as well as an active member of the Student Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Society, and the Entertainment Society. He earned both his undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Journalism from California State University, Long Beach.Prior to joining Klinedinst, Mr. Moreau worked for several solo practitioners in the greater San Diego area, representing clients in a broad range of civil litigation, from bankruptcy and professional liability to trademark, copyright, and idea law.A native San Diegan, Mr. Moreau regularly volunteers with the Surfrider Foundation, and spends his free time with his wife, family, and friends, preferably at the beach surfing. Education Thomas Jefferson School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2014) California State University, Long Beach (B.A., 2011)

Christine Polito earned her J.D. from Southwestern Law School in 2014 and her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2010. During her time at Southwestern, Ms. Polito co-authored an opening and reply brief before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, earning a favorable reversal and remand for her clients.  Ms. Polito also externed at the Central District of California and chaired Southwestern’s Moot Court Honors Program. Her practice areas include personal injury and construction defect litigation. Education: Southwestern Law School (J.D. 2014) University of California, Santa Barbara (Summa Cum Laude, B.A. 2010)Practice Areas: Personal Injury; Construction DefectMemberships: Admitted to California Bar (2014); Central District of California (2014); Southern District of California (2015); San Diego Lawyers Club