Vice President, Insurance
CT TyMetrix
Participating in Session:
The Future of Litigation Management with Predictive Modeling
Faiz Ahmed is Vice President, Insurance at CT TyMetrix. Mr. Ahmed was previously a senior member of the insurance and claims practice at Navigant Consulting, where he directed projects and the firm‘s initiatives related to claims process improvement, claims technology review, litigation management, and insurance marketing and agency relationships. Mr. Ahmed also has extensive experience in the insurance and litigation management space as co-founder and CEO of VisiBillity, Inc., the industry‘s first collaborative claims litigation management solution. Under his leadership, VisiBillity sustained a base of 40,000 law firm and client users prior to the successful sale of the company in 2005. Prior to VisiBillity, Mr. Ahmed was a claims officer at GE Employers Reinsurance and an attorney at the law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson. He is also a frequent speaker at industry events and an author of numerous articles published in several insurance industry publications.
Mr. Ahmed received his JD degree from Tulane University School of Law and his MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University
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Attorney
Daniels, Kashtan, Downs, Robertson & McGirney
Participating in Session:
The Choice is Yours . . . Or is it? - Choice of Counsel Issues in Professional Liability Litigation
Jeff Albinson has practiced law since 1985. His law practice has always been focused on litigation. Following graduation from Stetson College of Law, Jeff served as an Assistant State Attorney in the 6th Judicial Circuit of Florida. He served as a lead trial attorney over a misdemeanor division and also handled serious felony cases, including trials involving murder, arson, white collar crime and child abuse.
After nearly five years of service as an Assistant State Attorney, Mr. Albinson was recruited by former US Attorney Robert Merkle to enter the private practice of law. Once into private practice, Jeff utilized his extensive trial experience to handle complex commercial litigation including civil conspiracy actions and may other types of large dollar commercial disputes and he began to develop a professional liability defense practice coupled with the defense of clients before The Florida Bar and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Jeff‘s trial experience includes handling such complex matters as first degree murder, professional liability, personal injury, commercial contract and non-contract disputes and state tax cases. In addition to his trial practice, Mr. Albinson has utilized his knowledge of litigation based issues to also develop a consultative practice focused on managing and controlling the risk inherent in professional practices and other commercial enterprises.
During his professional career, Jeff has also served as general counsel to a large professional liability insurance brokerage and President of a statewide professional liability insurance agency. This experience allowed Jeff to develop a strong understanding of the underwriting, marketing and administrative side of professional liability insurance.
In sum, Mr. Albinson‘s practice focuses on professional liability defense, risk and practice management for professionals (including the formation, merger and dissolution of firms), general commercial litigation, and all aspects of litigation regarding the commercial nature of professional practice. The firm also defends grievance cases before The Florida Bar and Bar applicants before the Board of Bar Examiners and represents licensed professionals before the DBPR and all licensing bodies.
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Director of Forensic Engineering
LWG Consulting
Participating in Session:
Technology for Maximum Impact At Trial and Mediation
Mamoon Alyah , P.E., is the Director of Forensic Engineering at LWG Consulting. Since joining LWG in 1993, Mr. Alyah has performed vital forensic analysis to determine cause and identify responsible parties in cases involving injury or catastrophic property damage. An industry-recognized expert in Fire Cause & Origin, Power Generation Systems, and Product Defect and Failure, Mr.Alyah is a court qualified expert witness.
Mr. Alyah has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kuwait, and a Masters of Business Administration from Lake Forest College. He is a member of NASP, CLM, NFPA, NSPE and the IEEE. Mr. Alyah is proud to have presented continuing education programs for organizations such as NASP, IAAI, PLRB, IASIU.
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Attorney
Fisher, Rushmer, Werrenrath, Dickson, Talley & Dunlap
Participating in Session:
Navigating the Bermuda Triangle: Ethical Issues Involved in the Tri-Partite Relationship
Joseph L. (“Joe”) Amos, Jr. is a shareholder with Fisher, Rushmer, Werrenrath, Dickson, Talley & Dunlap, PA in Orlando, Florida. A civil trial lawyer, his practice focuses primarily on personal injury cases, professional and products liability, insurance litigation and risk management. He also maintains an active mediation and ADR practice, as a certified civil mediator.
Mr. Amos is licensed to practice in all state and federal courts in Florida, and has tried cases at all levels. He is a past member of the Florida Bar Grievance Committee for the Central Florida region. He currently serves on the Florida Supreme Court Civil Jury Instructions Committee, and is a contributing member of the Florida Bar‘s Trial Practice Committee, as well as the Defense Research Institute and Florida Defense Lawyer‘s Association.
He is a double graduate from the University of Florida where he received his bachelor of arts degree, Phi Beta Kappa, and law degree.
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Partner
Fields, Howell, Athans & McLaughlin, LLP
Participating in Session:
Settlement Days and Private Mediations
Mike Athans has extensive trial and litigation experience representing insurers in bad faith and insurance coverage lawsuits, business clients in commercial and transportation lawsuits, and manufacturers or users in product liability lawsuits. He has been lead trial and litigation counsel in complex insurance and commercial disputes for domestic and foreign insurer clients including Great American Insurance Company, CNA, American Safety Insurance, RSUI, Colony Insurance, Arrowpoint Capital, Markel and London Market Insurers. He has also published articles and given speeches on product liability issues, insurance coverage and construction defect topics.
Since 2003, Mike has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Emory University Law School where he teaches Negotiations and Alternative Dispute Resolution to third-year law students, and trial techniques to second-year law students. Mike has judged mock trials through NITA-sponsored programs and the Frederick Douglas Moot Court Program. He also gives in-house training classes for clients, including negotiation skills training.
Mike is a certified mediator and arbitrator in Georgia who brings experience as both a trial attorney and negotiations instructor to the ADR matter. In 1982, Mike served as a law clerk to Judge Bailey Brown on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Mike is a licensed general aviation pilot who has been an active member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for more than 25 years.
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Assistant Vice President
WestCorp Management Group One
Participating in Session:
Keeping The Lid On Litigation Costs: Strategies That Work
Terri is the Assistant Vice President of Risk Management for WestCorp Management Group One, with 59 apartment communities 15,000 units and 500 employees. Her career has spanned over 25 yrs, including the paper making industry and the oil, gas & chemical industries. Terri joined WestCorp Management One on July 1, 2008. She was previously employed with Alliance Residential Management, LLC, as Risk Manager for 60,000 units and 2,000 employees.
While employed with Alliance, Terri developed and implemented risk management policy and procedures. She also provided training and introduced programs, which in turn, reduced the workers compensation claims from $18,000 per claims to $8,000 per claim. She reduced the General Liability claims from $13,700 to $2,000 and less. Terri’s Risk Management program resulted in a 40% reduction in overall insurance premiums.
Terri has also been an active member of RIMS (Risk and Insurance Management Society), DFW Chapter. She has held the positions of Historian, Director and for the past seven years, has been predominantly involved in the External Affairs Committee. She attends RIMS on the Hill, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC annually, as well as RIMS on the Hill, in Austin, Texas, when in session, to lobby for insurance related issues.
Terri is also involved in AAGD (Apartment Association of Greater Dallas), where she has participated on several committees, including the membership committee and toy drive committees.
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Senior Regional Executive
Travelers Bond & Financial Products
Participating in Session:
“Navigating the Bermuda Triangle”: Ethical Issues in the Tripartite Relationship
Patrick Barnett is the Senior Regional Executive in Florida for Travelers Bond & Financial Products Claim Organization. Patrick currently oversees the Employment Practices, Director and Officers, Fidelity and Fiduciary product lines. Patrick has been with Travelers for over 10 years and has held numerous roles including Director of Employment Practices claims for the Public Sector Services Underwriting Group which insurers governmental agencies nationwide. Patrick served in similar roles supporting the same lines of business during his previous 7 years with the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies.
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Senior Vice President and General Counsel
GAB Robins
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
Preventing and Defending Bad Faith Claims: Current Trends and Strategies
Harry Baumgartner is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of GAB Robins, based in Parsippany, N.J. GAB Robins provides claims administration services and medical cost management for workers‘ compensation and other liability claims, and property and casualty loss adjustment services to insurance companies and self-insured corporations.
Prior to joining GAB Robins, Baumgartner was the director of risk management and legal services for BASF Corporation in Florham Park, N.J. In that capacity, he was responsible for insurance procurement, claims and litigation management, and related legal services. He is a past chairman and treasurer of the operating committee of the Civil Justice Reform Group, a Fortune 100 corporate coalition dedicated to tort and legal reform. He also chaired the litigation committee of the New Jersey chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, and was one of the principal authors of the revised federal rules on electronic discovery.
Baumgartner joined BASF after several years in private legal practice, where he concentrated on commercial litigation and principally represented insurance companies in coverage disputes. He previously was a public relations officer with AT&T, and he began his career in journalism, working as an editor and reporter for newspapers in Florida and New Jersey. He earned a B.A. degree from Rutgers University, a J.D. degree from Seton Hall University, and an M.B.A. from Centenary College.
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National Claim Director
Firemans Fund Insurance Company
Participating in Session:
Getting to the Agreement: Perspectives on the Negotiation and Implementation of a Successful Alternative Fee Arrangements
Mr. Beemer has 29 years in the insurance industry with Aetna, CNA, Home Insurance, Risk Enterprise Management and Fireman‘s Fund Insurance Company. He is currently 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 and expert witness.
He is a member of the AIA subcommittee on Construction, a member of the Southern California Construction Defect Claim Managers Association and on the Advisory Board for the Council on Litigation Management.
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Partner
Raymond & Bennett
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
Kane Bennett started his trial career as a prosecutor. As an Assistant District Attorney, he was in the courtroom every day. He tried numerous jury and non-jury cases to verdict and questioned hundreds of witnesses under oath in court proceedings. Immediately prior to co-founding Raymond and Bennett, he spent seven years practicing at one of Connecticut‘s largest litigation and trial firms where he was named a Partner. His experience included the handling of cases involving catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and business disputes.
Attorney Bennett‘s practice encompasses a wide array of civil litigation in state and federal courts in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Individuals, businesses, and insurance companies hire him to handle cases ranging from personal injury matters and construction defect claims to business disputes and contract litigation. Attorney Bennett also handles employment and commercial litigation on behalf of individuals and businesses.
Attorney Bennett has earned recognition as a technology leader. He is a frequent author and commentator on issues concerning legal technology and firm management. He is active on the technology committees of the Connecticut Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute. He also has presented seminars on mobile lawyering, technology errors, cyber liability, electronic discovery, and the benefits of a paperless law practice.
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Vice President
Zurich North America Claims
Participating in Session:
Class Actions: Plaintiffs’ Attorneys’ Dream, Insurance Carriers’ Nightmare
Vince is currently Vice President of claims for Mass Litigation and Pollution. He supervise over 60 people that handle multiple policy year claims including, toxic torts, pharmaceutical and product cases etc. worldwide. He has been with Zurich Insurance Company for five years. Prior to that he was with AIG for 12 years where he was in charge of the legal malpractice and miscellaneous E&O division. At AIG he was also in charge of the Financial Institution department. Prior to that Vince was a Regional Litigation Manager with the Home Insurance Company where he was responsible for the management of the staff counsel offices and panel counsel for the Eastern section of the United States.
Before joining the insurance industry Vince was a practicing attorney in New Jersey. He was with two defense firms in New Jersey commencing in 1973. He was also first assistant with the City of Jersey City law department where he was in charge of all litigation against the City. He handled and supervised his staff of five attorneys on cases ranging from minor accidents to Federal Civil Right claims under section 1983. Vince also acted as Risk manager for the City and is an ARM.
Vince is a graduate of New York Law School and is a Navy Vietnam Veteran.
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Claims Manager
West Bend Mutual Insurance Company
Participating in Session:
How To Value A Case
Jeff Bilitz is a Claims Manager for West Bend Mutual Insurance based in West Bend, Wisconsin. West Bend is a regional P&C carrier that writes business in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio and Missouri. He has 20 years of casualty claims experience, the majority of which has been spent handling and supervising large and complex liability losses and litigated files. He has been at West Bend for the past nine years and his current duties include managing a team of claims examiners who are responsible for large file oversight, auditing, and training. He has also worked with West Bend’s Legal Department to develop and implement Litigation Handling Guidelines for claims associates, staff attorneys and outside defense counsel.
Jeff is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point with a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. He has his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation from the American Institute for CPCU and the Associate in Claims designation from the Insurance Institute of America.
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Vice President – Claims
AXIS PRO Insurance
Participating in Session:
The Choice is Yours . . . Or is it? - Choice of Counsel Issues in Professional Liability Litigation
Michael graduated with honors from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Philosophy. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from Boston University School of Law, graduating in the top third of his class. Since receiving his law degree, Michael has distinguished himself in various areas of insurance law representing corporate and individual clients at defense firms in Dallas, TX and Chicago, IL, and as in-house counsel for American Family and Zurich American Insurance. Michael is admitted to practice law in the state courts of Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, and Texas as well as several federal jurisdictions.
Michael joined Media Professional Insurance in April of 2002 as claims counsel and was promoted to Vice President of Claims in November of 2004. He has continued in this role for AXIS Insurance after they acquired Media/Professional in May of 2007. Michael oversees the claims department for AXIS PRO‘s Professional Liability programs which include Technology, Specialty Errors and Omissions, Lawyers and Accountants. Michael is a frequent speaker and panelist on various topics surrounding the cyber liability and errors and omissions insurance industry.
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Attorney
Cozen O‘Connor
Participating in Session:
Enhancing Efficiencies and Cooperation in the Defense Relationship
Richard J. Bortnick is a Member resident in Cozen O‘Connor‘s West Conshohocken office who practices with the Global Insurance Group. He litigates directors‘ and officers‘ liability, cyber and technology risks, professional liability, insurance coverage, products liability and commercial litigation cases. Prior to joining Cozen O‘Connor, Richard currently serves as a member of the Executive Corporate Committee of the Franklin Institute science museum and sits on the Board of Directors of the non-profit organization Need In Deed.
Richard lectures at seminars around the world and also has published and been quoted in numerous articles. He received his bachelor of science degree, summa cum laude, from Boston University in 1981. In 1985, he received his law degree, cum laude, from the Villanova University School of Law. He is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey and is admitted in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the District of New Jersey, and the Western District of Michigan, as well as the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Third and Eleventh Circuits. Richard is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
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Assistant Vice President, Risk Management Counsel
Enterprise Holdings
Participating in Session:
Strategies for the Effective Handling of Complex Claims in Different Forums
Brian S. Braunstein is Assistant Vice President and Risk Management Counsel for Enterprise Holdings and its Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A- Car and National Car Rental brands. Enterprise Holdings also operates Enterprise Commercial Trucks, Enterprise Car Sales, Enterprise Fleet Management and WeCar car sharing. Braunstein oversees legal matters related to risk management for the company&srquo;s operations in North America and Europe, including liability claims, insurance products and programs, various regulatory matters, complex and class action litigation and risk transfer.
Before joining Enterprise, Braunstein worked as a claims attorney for Progressive Insurance Company where he focused on coverage analysis, defense counsel management and high exposure/complex litigation.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in business management from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University.
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Executive Managing Director and General Counsel
H5
Participating in Session:
Effective Management Of Discovery In A Complex Case
Julia Brickell is executive managing director and general counsel of H5. In addition to overseeing the legal affairs of the company, including corporate governance and legal compliance issues, Ms. Brickell advises on corporate strategy. Prior to joining H5, Ms. Brickell was associate general counsel of Altria Client Services from 2000 to 2008. She focused on product liability litigation, risk assessment, and electronic data management. From 1998 to 2000, Ms. Brickell served as vice president and deputy general counsel of Philip Morris USA. Prior to joining Philip Morris, Ms. Brickell practiced at Davis, Polk & Wardwell in New York, where she handled antitrust, securities, professional malpractice, and commercial litigation. Ms. Brickell is a frequent lecturer on methods of evaluating and addressing the strategic challenges and risks posed to companies by the explosion of electronically stored information. She is on the board of Lawyers for Civil Justice and serves on the faculty of Columbia University‘s Executive Master of Science in Technology Management program. Ms. Brickell obtained her B.A. from Smith College and her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.
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Attorney
Brown Law
Participating in Session:
How Lean Can Law Be? Successful Strategies for Reducing Cost
John F. Brown Jr., principal of Brown Law LLC, is a University of Notre Dame (B.A.) and University of Pennsylvania (J.D.) educated and U.S. Department of Justice trained lawyer. He is a former shareholder of one of the country‘s largest law firms. John joined that firm when it was still a litigation boutique of 19 lawyers shortly after receiving the Attorney General‘s Special Commendation Award for trial achievements while with the Department of Justice‘s Criminal Division. During the growth of his former firm to over 500 lawyers, he tried and handled litigation matters in 27 different states. Over the past several decades, John has been involved in numerous complex litigation matters ranging from varied contract actions, product and construction defect claims to legal malpractice, misrepresentation and fraud matters. He has tried matters for both plaintiffs and defendants. A listing of significant representations is available for download in the Knowledge section of this site. John is admitted to practice in New York, Pennsylvania, and Colorado.
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Principal
Cagney Network
Participating in Session:
Insurance Exposures and strategies for 2010
Dick launched Cagney Network in 2007 with the mission of helping insurance industry participants and providing clarity to the institutional money managers investing in the insurance industry. His firm facilitates the exchange of information between insurance experts as well as between insurance experts and investors.
Prior to founding Cagney Network, Dick established the securities brokerage operation of Cochran Caronia Waller. He led the unit to become the top insurance focused investment brokerage operation before its merger with Fox-Pitt Kelton. In 1996, he established the North American Securities unit of the Canadian Investment Bank Nesbitt Burns in Chicago.
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Director of General Liability & Property Claims
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Participating in Session:
Getting to the Agreement: Perspectives on the Negotiation and Implementation of a Successful Alternative Fee Arrangements
Bob Carlson is the Director of General Liability & Property Claims for Costco Wholesale Corporation headquartered in Issaquah, Washington. Bob joined the Risk Management Department of Costco in January of 1997 following 25 years with Aetna Life & Casualty where he held various claim positions throughout the country.
Bob’s group at Costco is responsible for all general liability and property claims in the United States and Canada. His folks also oversee all of Costco’s property exposures throughout the world. Costco maintains an in-house claim operation which is run in tandem with dedicated TPA operations in the US and Canada.
Bob holds the CPCU and AIG designations from the American Institute of Insurance.
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Vice President Litigation Management/Major Case Unit
Everest National Insurance Company
Participating in Session:
Preventing and Defending Bad Faith Claims: Current Trends and Strategies
Christopher A. Carucci is Vice President for Litigation Management and the Major Case Unit for Everest National Insurance Company, Inc., based in Liberty Corner, N.J. Carucci is responsible for managing all aspects of litigation management for the company as well as oversight of its most complex claims.
Prior to joining Everest National Insurance Company, Carucci was a manager in the Specialties Claims Organization of Zurich North America and was responsible for handling legal malpractice error and omissions claims. He worked at AIG before joining Zurich North America. At AIG, he managed a nationwide caseload of bad faith, coverage and high exposure claims.
Carucci is a member of the American Bar Association, the New York Bar Association, the Council on Litigation Management, the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, and the Defense Research Institute. He earned his B.A. degree from Fairfield University and his J.D. from New York Law School.
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Attorney
Rynearson Suess Schnurbusch and Champion
Participating in Session:
On the Same Page—From the Quill to the Missive
Debbie Champion is a founding partner in the firm of Rynearson Suess Schnurbusch and Champion. Ms. Champion is actively practices in Missouri and Southern Illinois, in the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. She has tried cases in eastern and southeastern Missouri and in southern Illinois. She has orally argued before the Missouri Supreme Court and the Eastern, Western and Southern District Courts of Appeals.
Ms. Champion won the Lawyer‘s Lawyer Award at the 2008 Women‘s Justice Awards. She is a recipient of an Outstanding Volunteer Award from Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and the Missouri Pro Bono Publico Award from the Missouri Bar Association. She was recently honored by the Women‘s Law Caucus of Washington University for her commitment to the advancement of women in the law.
She has been selected as one of Ten Outstanding Young St. Louisans by the St. Louis Junior Chamber of Commerce. She served on the Board of Directors and the Advisory Board of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of Shelter the Children. She was a founding member of Kids‘ Inc, a charitable organization for underprivileged children of East St. Louis, Illinois.
Ms. Champion co-authored the Missouri Practice Worker‘s Compensation Subrogation Chapter. She often presents educational seminars to clients and to the legal community on topic a variety of topics, most recently including voir dire, depositions, dealing with the difficult client, premises liability, workers‘ compensation subrogation, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and Missouri and federal liens.
Ms. Champion is a Fellow and charter member of the Litigation Counsel of America and she is a member of the Council for Council for Litigation Management. Currently, Ms. Champion serves on the 21st Judicial Circuit Judicial Commission as part of Missouri‘s non partisan court plan.
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Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Claims
Selective Insurance Company of America
Participating in Session:
How Lean Can Law Be? Successful Strategies for Reducing Cost
Thomas M. Clark is Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Claims for Selective Insurance Company of America based in Branchville, New Jersey. He is responsible for oversight and management of all claims legal functions at Selective, including in-house legal groups dedicated to litigation, insurance coverage, compliance and bill review, in addition to 11 distinct staff counsel offices. He was formerly with USAA in San Antonio, Texas where he was Vice President of Region Counsel Operations overseeing claim litigation management functions for the enterprise nationally, which included 7 regional offices and over 150 litigation management employees. Prior to assuming that role, he focused on regulatory, legislative affairs, and complex claims management.
Tom is a member of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC), Defense Research Institute (DRI), American Corporate Counsel Association, and the Council on Litigation Management, and has been a participant in numerous panels on the topics of ADR, litigation management, and legal expense control. He obtained his JD from the College of William & Mary in Virginia and is a certified mediator.
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Deputy General Counsel
CSC
Participating in Session:
Rethinking Legal Fees In the New World
Responsible for all legal concerns of CSC‘s commercial business units in the United States including Outsourcing, Business Solutions, World Sourcing and all industry verticals (Chemical, Energy and Natural Resources, Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Technology). Advise senior management on all legal issues arising from the licensing of software products, licensing and sublicensing agreements, outsourcing agreements and professional services agreements including but not limited to employment issues, corporate law, real estate and litigation management. Lead legal due diligence and acquisition teams for all domestic acquisitions and divestitures by CSC. Support all efforts to create world-wide centers of excellence for the provision of technology services. Created an integrated legal team across North America and instituted comprehensive training and compliance plans.
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Attorney
Butler Pappas Weihmuller Katz Craig
Participating in Session:
Effective Management Of Discovery In A Complex Case
Preventing and Defending Bad Faith Claims: Current Trends and Strategies
Lewis F. Collins, Jr., is a Partner in the Tampa, Florida office of Butler Pappas Weihmuller Katz Craig, LLP. He is Board certified in Civil Trial Law by both the Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and practices primarily in the areas of commercial litigation, bad faith, products liability, drug and medical device litigation, wrongful death, personal injury, employment law, and professional liability defense. Mr. Collins served as President of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (2005-06) and is Past President of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association. Mr. Collins currently holds the position of President of the Lawyers for Civil Justice. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Defense Research Institute and was Dean of the Litigation Management College at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University (2001 - 2002).
Mr. Collins is AV rated, is a member of ABOTA and is a Master of the American Inns of Court. He received the 1997 Florida Defense Lawyers Presidential achievement award and the 1996 DRI Exceptional Performance award. Mr. Collins was recognized as a ALeading Florida Attorney” in the field of Products Liability Defense by Leading American Attorneys (an honor awarded to less than 2% of Florida Attorneys) and as a “Florida Super Lawyer”.
Mr. Collins received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Florida State University in 1975 and his Juris Doctor from Loyola University in 1978. He is the author of numerous articles that have appeared in national peer-reviewed legal treatises and publications. He is a frequent lecturer on trial tactics and substantive legal topics ranging from trial tactics, technology, legal malpractice, bad faith and products liability, to discovery procedure, ethics and law firm management.
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Managing Partner
Gordon & Rees
Participating in Session:
The Impact of the Media on the Courtroom, Lawyers and Litigants
Mercedes Colwin is the managing partner of Gordon & Rees’ New York office. She handles a wide variety of litigation, including employment law, commercial litigation, products liability, civil rights violations and criminal law. Ms. Colwin has successfully tried 43 cases to verdict in various jurisdictions throughout the nation. Ms. Colwin regularly defends corporate executives from Fortune 500 companies accused of wrongdoing including claims of sexual misconduct. Prior to private practice, Ms. Colwin served as an Administrative Law Judge for the New York State Division of Human Rights. During her nine years of service, while a partner at a major regional New York law firm, she presided over three thousand cases brought under the federal and state discrimination laws. Recently Forbes Business American Airlines named Ms. Colwin one of the six most influential women in America. The list included dignitaries such as former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright. The Long Island Business News recognized her as one of New York’s rising “young stars” under the age of 40. Notre Dame Law School also presented Ms. Colwin with the prestigious Graciela Olivarez Award for outstanding achievement as a leading Hispanic lawyer of the highest ethical and moral standards. Widely regarded as one of the top national legal analysts on the Fox News Network, she appears to discuss critical legal issues and high profile cases.
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Attorney
Costello & Associates
Participating in Session:
Measuring the Value of Counsel
Daniel Costello, Founder of Daniel P. Costello & Associates, LLC, has years of experience concentrating in complex litigation, construction litigation, litigation management, and insurance coverage. He has successfully handled over 150 major jury trials, arbitrations, and mediations. He has an undefeated trial record, working on significant multi-million dollar cases. Mr. Costello has had handled some of the largest construction and products liability case in the state of Illinois. Additionally, he has litigated and managed cases across the country including Washington, Texas, Louisiana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, and Illinois.
Additionally, he has substantial corporate business experience. In his time working for a Fortune 500 insurance company he became the youngest National Director of Claims Litigation in the history of the 90 year old company rising to the position in only five and half years. In his time working as the head of all staff counsel operations, and directing all litigation management programs the company experienced a significant turn around. During this time the company implemented a full range of cost and litigation management tools including the use of active metrics, counsel scorecards, continuous process improvements, and systematic audits.
Mr. Costello graduated from Lewis University as an “Honors Scholar” graduating with High Honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/History. He graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law with a Juris Doctor and a certificate in Energy and Environmental Law. He also received an post bachelor‘s Certificate in Leadership from Xavier University.
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Casualty Practice Leader
XL Insurance (Bermuda), Ltd.
Participating in Session:
Strategies for the Effective Handling of Complex Claims
Kate Daly is the Casualty Practice Leader for XL Insurance (Bermuda), Ltd., responsible for investigation, reserving and resolution of casualty claims with potential exposure in excess of $5M, and also serves as XL‘s Global Litigation Manager responsible for reviewing all changes to XL‘s panel counsel list.
Prior to her transfer to Bermuda, Kate handled pollution and international products claims for eight years in XL‘s offices in Pennsylvania. Her previous insurance experience includes three years with CIGNA Corporation where she held the position of Marine Loss Control Specialist.
Kate is licensed lawyer, a former U.S. Coast Guard Officer, and a former merchant mariner, having begun her multi-faceted career long ago as an engineman on ARCO oil tankers. She received her law degree in 1992 from Northeastern University, a Masters in Marine Administration in 1987 from the University of Rhode Island, and a B.A. in Environmental Science in 1976 from East Stroudsburg State College in Pennsylvania. Currently, she and her small family are enjoying life in Bermuda and cruising over the numerous reefs there in a rather small but very seaworthy Boston Whaler.
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National Claims Manager
Verizon Communications, Inc.
Participating in Session:
Effective Management Of Discovery In A Complex Case
Mr. del Pino has 25 years experience in the legal and insurance arenas. He joined the New York Telephone Company litigation team as an investigator/adjustor in 1983. Since, he has managed in legal administration, the docket management functions, and has been the claims manager since 1993. Mr. del Pino was instrumental in the development and implementation of the business plan that brought the first “Baby Bell” company into the TPA environment. Since that time the program has grown through several mergers and acquisitions and is national in scope.
Today the program is a high deductible-insured program handled by a TPA with close oversight by a small team of professionals at Verizon. Inherent in all the change was the development and continued evolution of Litigation Management Guidelines and the closely coordinated account instructions at the TPA to address proper litigation management techniques. Having moved from a large self-insured client to an insured client has posed interesting challenges as to counsel‘s ongoing obligation to the client, not the insurer.
Mr. del Pino participates in industry events, has been a guest speaker at some, and he is readily available to meet and discuss litigation management issues.
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Senior Vice President – Management and Professional Liability
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. of New York, Inc.
Participating in Session:
The Choice is Yours . . . Or is it? - Choice of Counsel Issues in Professional Liability Litigation
Responsibilities include Business Development, and marketing of Executive Risks lines of coverage, including Directors & Officers Liability, Employment Practices Liability, Fiduciary Liability, Crime & Fidelity Insurance, K&R Insurance, Cyber Liability (Network Security/Privacy Liability), and all forms of Professional Liability.
Joe DePaul comes to AJG from AmWINS Brokerage of New York, Inc. where he was a Vice President and Manager since April of 2003. Joe focused exclusively on management and professional liability insurance solutions for public, private, non-profit, and association entities. Joe was responsible for overall management of the team at AmWINS, production/business development, and marketing. During Joe‘s time at AmWINS he developed expertise in Errors and Omissions Insurance, specifically Cyber Liability/Technology, including Privacy Insurance and Media Liability.
Prior to joining AmWINS, Joe held Vice President positions at both AON and Marsh from September 1999, through April 2003. While at AON, Joe was responsible for overall account management, specifically focused on Private Equity and Merger & Acquisitions clients. The insurance solutions provided to these clients involved due diligence projects, inclusive of all lines of property and casualty insurance. His experience at Marsh, again specifically focused on Private Equity and Merger & Acquisition clients, included business development activities, and account management for management liability solutions, as well as transactional Merger & Acquisition insurance solutions. This included Representations and Warranties Insurance, Tax Liability Insurance, Litigation Buyouts, and other creative transactional Merger & Acquisition insurance solutions.
Joe developed exceptional underwriting skills as an Underwriting Manager at Gulf Insurance Company and Five Star Managers (General Star Insurance Company), from September 1995 through September 1999. While at these firms, he was responsible for underwriting/financial analysis and business development involving management liability products, for public, private and non-profit entities.
Mr. DePaul began his insurance career in 1994, and has since developed exceptional knowledge in all aspects of management, underwriting, and brokerage of management and professional liability products.
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Executive Vice President, General Counsel
Alexander Gallo Holdings
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
Domenick C. DiCicco serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Alexander Gallo Holdings, LLC. With more than 20 years of corporate litigation experience, DiCicco‘s leadership spans litigation and business performance management, including enterprise best practices, indemnity reduction and cost reduction.
Prior to joining Alexander Gallo Holdings, DiCicco served as Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of NAC for Zurich Insurance Group, where he oversaw litigation and corporate management. Previously, DiCicco was a partner with Edelstein, Martin, Nelson, & DiCicco Law Firm in Philadelphia from 2002-2004. During his tenure as a trial attorney, Mr. DiCicco was recognized for obtaining several multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements by being invited to be a member in the Million Dollar Advocate Forum. For CNA Insurance Companies, he served as Counsel for Large Accounts and National Subrogation Counsel. DiCicco began his career with Post & Schell in Philadelphia.
DiCicco holds a Master of Business Administration, Summa Cum Laude, from Pennsylvania State University and a Juris Doctor from the Delaware Law School. He is Co-Chair of CLM‘s Advisory Board and Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association‘s Committee on Excess and Surplus Lines. Most recently, DiCicco was elected to the New Jersey State Assembly, representing the 4th District, which covers parts of Gloucester and Camden counties. He also serves as corporate counsel for the Deptford, New Jersey, Fire Department.
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Senior Vice President
XL Insurance
Participating in Session:
Vendor or Partner? The Impact Your Relationship With Outside Counsel Has On The Defense Dollar
Jim is the Head of Claims Operations for North America Property & Casualty for XL Insurance and is also responsible for leading their Global vendor management group. Prior to joining XL, he was Vice President of General Liability and Group General Counsel with Travelers Indemnity Company.
Jim has served on numerous Industry groups including the CLM Board of Advisors, Defense Research Institute Insurers’ Roundtable, American Bar Association Staff Counsel Committee, American Insurance Association Liability and Litigation Management sub-committees, International Association of Defense Counsel, American Corporate Counsel Executive Committees and the Insurers’ Y2K Roundtable. Jim is a member of the Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bar Associations and is located in Hartford, Connecticut. He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and Villanova University School of Law.
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Attorney
Woolls and Peer
Participating in Session:
On the Same Page—From the Quill to the Missive
Jeffrey A. Dollinger is a Shareholder with Woolls and Peer in Los Angeles, California. Born in San Francisco in 1963, Jeff attended UCLA where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy in 1986. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law in 1989. While in law school, he served as a Note Editor on the American Journal of Law and Medicine. While earning his J.D, Jeff took graduate courses at Boston University School of Communication where he taught multiple graduate and undergraduate seminars on the application First Amendment principals to print and electronic media. Jeff was admitted to the California Bar in 1990. Jeff practices before all state and federal courts in California, including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He speaks on a number of topics including the duty to defend, environmental coverage, avoidance of bad faith, the Cumis doctrine, additional insured endorsements, construction defect coverage and litigation, trial practice and negotiation.
Jeff‘s law career began in 1990 at Buchalter, Nemer, Fields and Younger where he became actively involved in multi-party complex insurance coverage litigation. Jeff is now a seasoned litigator. He has tried bench and jury trials in both State and Federal courts. Jeff has litigated many issues including insurance, entertainment, First Amendment, franchise, workers‘ compensation, civil conspiracy and anti-trust.
Jeff has spent much of his career analyzing and litigating insurance coverage issues. He has researched and authored hundreds of opinions and position letters concerning rights and obligations under first party policies, general liability policies, excess and umbrella policies. He frequently defends companies against bad faith claims. Jeff has litigated numerous environmental insurance coverage matters against large corporate insureds, including Union Oil, Shell, Jensen-Kelly, Litton Industries, Martin Marietta, and the State of California. Jeff advises his insurer clients on SIU compliance requirements, licensing and other regulatory concerns.
Through personal experience, Jeff has obtained considerable franchise business law experience. He has incorporated multiple businesses and has analyzed liability and tax issues to determine proper business structure and form. He has negotiated and drafted many management contracts, member and shareholder agreements, and commercial leases. Jeff is constantly troubleshooting business management issues, including compliance with OSHA regulations and the California Health and Labor codes. Jeff has analyzed franchise uniform offering circulars and has advised both franchisers and franchisees as to their respective rights and obligations under franchise agreements.
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Director of Litigation
Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation
Participating in Session:
Class Actions: Plaintiffs‘ Attorneys‘ Dream, Insurance Carriers‘ Nightmare
Suzanne M. Don de‘Ville has spent nearly fifteen years involved in all aspects of insurance defense and coverage litigation in both Illinois and Arizona. She began her career handling a high volume of liability claims for the Chicago Transit Authority and has since handled hundreds of cases in the areas of general liability, automobile liability, products liability, medical malpractice liability, construction defect, and commercial litigation. Suzanne has also served as Illinois House Counsel for a large domestic automobile insurance carrier as well as in-house positions for two other major international carriers. Suzanne has also served as Chairperson for nearly a hundred arbitrations in Cook County Illinois.
Suzanne transitioned from the practice of law to litigation management in 2008 when she became the Director of Litigation Management for Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. In this position, she is responsible for the handling and management of over 3,000 individual suits and 4 complex class actions. Her duties include developing and implementing litigation procedures and billing guidelines for a dozen outside law firms and daily involvement in complex and high exposure litigation.
Suzanne has served as a co-chair of the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the Chicago Bar Association and has authored articles for the Illinois Bar Association Journal. She has also taught law to aspiring paralegals through Northwestern Business College and other professional organizations. She is currently active in the Council on Litigation Management, co-authoring the course on Fundamentals on Litigation Management which has been presented to claims professionals across the United States.
Suzanne graduated with High Honors from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, where she specialized in research in the areas of Social Psychology and attitude change. She received her law degree from the Sandra Day O‘Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in 2005. During her time in law school, she was active in moot court and trial advocacy programs and taught legal writing to first year law students. She is licensed in Arizona and Illinois and is admitted in Louisiana as in-house counsel.
Suzanne makes her home in Mandeville, Louisiana with her 6-year old daughter who thinks that Mommy‘s job is really cool.
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Attorney
Ahmuty, Demers & McManus
Participating in Session:
Technology for Maximum Impact At Trial and Mediation
Brian J. Donnelly was an Assistant District Attorney in the Nassau County District Attorney‘s Office from 1985 to 1988. During those three years he tried twenty five jury trials to verdict. The cases involved both misdemeanors and serious felony offenses. Many of those convicted were violent criminals and drug offenders with extensive prior criminal records. The conviction rate for cases tried by Mr. Donnelly was extraordinarily high. When he left the District Attorney‘s office to join Ahmuty, Demers & McManus, he was honored by his colleagues for his leadership, integrity, and professional ability as a trial attorney.
During his tenure at the District Attorney‘s office, Mr. Donnelly lectured new Assistant District Attorneys on trial techniques. He was specially designated by District Attorney Denis Dillon to be the Assistant District Attorney in charge of all violent assaults involving inmates at the Nassau County Corrections Center.
In 1988 he joined the firm of Ahmuty, Demers & McManus as an associate and became a partner in 1993. He has tried cases for Ahmuty, Demers & McManus for the past twenty years both in State and Federal Court.
Mr. Donnelly has tried cases of the highest exposure in Courts throughout Upstate New York, the City of New York, and Long Island. Several of the cases tried by Mr. Donnelly have drawn attention from the media including the first case to go to trial of a firefighter involved in the post 9/11 recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site and the alleged rape of a minor at a prominent University.
Mr. Donnelly has coordinated the response of self insured retail and transportation clients to catastrophic incidents. He is the supervising partner for cases involving some of the largest self-insured retail and transportation companies in the United States.
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Legal Affairs
DCR
Participating in Session:
Best Practices for Managing Deposition Value and Minimizing Deposition Expenses
Vincent is responsible for the legal affairs of DCR Litigation Services as well as high-level consultation on major cases for DCR. As an attorney, Vincent has a keen understanding of the matters handled by DCR, and can fine-tune the offerings to meet the needs of attorneys within law firms and corporate counsel.
Vincent has extensive expertise in business litigation, workers compensation, and toxic tort matters. He has worked in private practice as well as corporate litigation teams.
He received his JD from the University of California Davis, and his BA (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of California Los Angeles.
Vincent is admitted to practice law in California and Pennsylvania. He has been admitted to practice in numerous federal District Courts and U.S. Supreme Court. He is a member in good standing with the California State Bar Association and the Pennsylvania State Bar Association.
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Attorney
Smith Freed & Eberhard
Participating in Session:
Vendor or Partner? The Impact Your Relationship With Outside Counsel Has On The Defense Dollar
Jeff serves as the managing partner of Smith Freed & Eberhard. His practice focuses on civil litigation throughout Oregon and Washington, with an emphasis on the defense of commercial liability claims and large automobile accidents.
Jeff has over 20 years experience working on civil litigation cases. He has represented a wide range of clients in complex, high-profile matters, including insurance companies and their insureds.
Jeff serves as the editor of two of the firm‘s newsletters: the Oregon Risk Management Reporter and the Washington Risk Management Reporter. The newsletters provide information on recent case law and legislative changes affecting insurance carriers and risk management departments. Jeff is also a 2006, 2007 and 2009 Oregon Super Lawyer.
Jeff has prepared and delivered a number of presentations on civil litigation and professional liability defense matters for various insurance companies, trade organizations and fellow attorneys.
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Attorney
Hermes Sargent Bates, LLP
Participating in Session:
Ethics Jeopardy Returns!
How to Value a Case
Jennifer D. Edgeworth is a Partner at the law firm of Hermes Sargent Bates, L.L.P, in Dallas, Texas. Her practice areas include environmental litigation, product liability, and construction litigation. She has represented a variety of clients including chemical distributors, oil companies, general contractors, product manufacturers, and solid waste disposal companies. Her representative experience includes defending allegations of CERCLA violations, defending oil companies against allegations by independent contractors of exposure to hydrogen sulfide and benzene, defending shippers of hazardous materials, defending construction defect claims, and negotiating supply contracts.
Mrs. Edgeworth obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree, cum laude, from Texas Christian University (TCU), and went on to obtain a Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor Degree from Baylor University.
Mrs. Edgeworth is a Texas State Chair for the Council on Litigation Management. She often speaks on matters involving trial practice and litigation. She chaired the Environment, Energy, and Resource Committee of the American Bar Association, Young Lawyer Division and is a member of the Dangerous Goods Advisory Council. She is also the president of the 2700 member Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, serves on the Board of Directors of the Dallas Bar Association, and was honored as the Outstanding Young Professional of 2009 by the TCU Alumni Association. She has been recognized by her peers as one of Dallas‘ Best Lawyers Under 40 by D Magazine, and a Texas Rising Star by Texas Monthly Law & Politics.
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Market Relations Specialist
The Liberty Mutual Group
Participating in Session:
Legal Quality & Cost: Controlling Both, Sacrificing Neither
Mark has over 10 years of experience in the field of litigation systems training, legal workflow analysis, marketing and systems projects. He has done extensive work with private firms and Liberty Mutual‘s own Field Legal organization in the roll-out, implementation and customization of comprehensive technology suites to include timekeeping, billing, document production and case management systems. In 2009, he was a guest speaker at both the RIMS Conference and the National Worker‘s Compensation and Disability Conference. Mark is a graduate of Vanderbilt University (BS) and the National Theater Conservatory (MFA).
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Senior Vice President and Chief Claims Officer
Arrowpoint Capital
Participating in Session:
Case Closed: Methods for early resolution of disputes and litigation
Before joining Arrowpoint Capital, Julie served as the Vice President of Staff Counsel, Services Provider Group, and Claims at Fireman‘s Fund Insurance Co. Prior to Fireman‘s Fund, she held various senior level positions with Zurich and Liberty Mutual. Throughout her career, Julie has gained extensive experience in claims, organizational transition, and vendor and litigation management and currently oversees all claims activity for Arrowpoint Capital. Julie earned a Juris Doctorate from Antioch School of Law, a Master of Science from Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Oregon.
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Specialty Claims Director
Catlin, Inc.
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
Gytis has over twenty-five years claims experience and began his claims career with the Royal Insurance Company. This was subsequently followed by associations with General Accident, General Re / National Re, Colonial Indemnity, and Catlin, Inc. Through the years Gytis has been involved in the resolution of many high exposure and extremely complex claims and possesses an ability to understand and analyze intricate claims, coverage and litigation issues.
In his current position as Specialty Claims Director at Catlin, Inc., Gytis oversees the company‘s Casualty Claims operation based in Atlanta, GA. As a Second Vice President at General Re he worked with client companies in the resolution of a significant number of complicated and high exposure claims. Through his association with these clients, Gytis observed first hand both effective and ineffective litigation management efforts. This client involvement provided Gytis the perspective and ability to effectively assess and address litigation management issues and implement effective litigation strategies going forward. Gytis is a graduate of Boston State College with a B.S. Degree in Management.
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Vice President & Manager, Enterprise Legal Services
The Liberty Mutual Group
Participating in Session:
Legal Quality & Cost: Controlling Both, Sacrificing Neither
Helen has had over 30 years of experience at Liberty Mutual 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 Mutual. Her organization is also responsible for the analytics, technology, auditing and process improvement initiatives for the litigation management function. Helen has a Bachelor of Science of Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
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Vice President – International Claims
ACE Overseas General
Participating in Session:
Enhancing Efficiencies and Cooperation in the Defense Relationship
Mark has been in the insurance business for over 30 years holding a variety of claims and underwriting positions involving all lines of business in the international and domestic US Markets. Since 1999 Mark has served as a senior member of the ACE Overseas General claim executive and is responsible for the management and oversight of claims arising globally from business written by ACE outside the US paying particular attention to larger, serious and more complex claims and intervening where appropriate. His responsibilities include promulgating Claims Best Practices as well as ALAE management and control. He is an admitted attorney and speaks and writes from time to time on various insurance and business topics.
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Attorney
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith
Participating in Session:
Matter management: what it means for claims and claims legal professionals
Timothy R. Graves is the managing partner of the Los Angeles office and serves on the firm wide management committee. He was the original chair of the firm‘s Healthcare Practice Group and assisted in building this practice area into one of the nation‘s largest and most diverse. He is a leading authority on alternative billing measures and manages several national and regional programs. Mr. Graves has extensive experience representing long term care providers in elder law matters; health maintenance organizations in bad faith litigation, law enforcement entities in cases alleging false arrest, imprisonment, and abuse; healthcare providers in medical negligence cases; medical device manufacturers in products liability cases; hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, rental car companies, food delivery, retail stores, transportation companies, artisans, contractors, and governmental agencies in personal injury and premises liability litigation. He has tried in excess of 60 cases to jury verdict and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
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President and Chief Executive Officer
Resolute Systems, LLC
Participating in Session:
Metrics Driven Mediation - When to Mediate and how to Measure its Success
Ryan Hamilton is President and Chief Executive Officer of Resolute Systems, LLC. Resolute is a national mediation, arbitration and ADR consulting company headquartered in Milwaukee with offices and mediators/arbitrators throughout the country. He serves as the Relationship Manager in a number of national Metrics-Driven ADR programs that Resolute has implemented on behalf of its insurer and corporate clients. Hamilton has been with Resolute and in the fields of Alternative Dispute Resolution and liability insurance consulting for the past 20+ years.
Under Hamilton‘s leadership, Resolute earned a number of awards and distinctions, including being named “ADR Provider of the Year” by the American College of Civil Trial Mediators and ranked by Inc. Magazine as the 66th fastest growing privately held company in America in its 13th Annual Edition.
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Attorney
Haverson Consulting
Participating in Session:
Measuring the Value of Counsel
Mr. Haverson has over twenty six years experience in claims/ litigation management and dispute resolution emphasizing multi- party insurance related disputes in both insurance company and law firm settings, including over a decade of experience as Vice President of Claims Legal for Zurich North America, the in-house group responsible for coordinating legal counseling on complex insurance coverage issues and managing coverage and bad faith litigation on a nationwide basis. He has been responsible for managing relationships with outside counsel nationally and has drafted and implemented litigation management best practices, guidelines, reporting standards, budgeting and billing practices. Mr. Haverson has substantial experience working with both in-house case handlers and outside coverage counsel utilizing data and information tools to analyze trends, improve performance and manage costs. He has provided consulting services with respect to metric based design of alternative billing arrangements and other insurer/corporate client servicing issues.
Mr. Haverson also has broad expertise with respect to complex insurance coverage/bad faith issues relating to claims arising from toxic tort, asbestos, environmental, construction defect, product, professional liability and umbrella/excess and other matters and provides expert services in the areas of insurance coverage, allocation, claims handling and bad faith. He also provides ADR services and is a panel member of the American Arbitration Association Commercial Arbitration Panel.
Mr. Haverson is a member of the Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey Bars. He is a member of the DRI Insurance Law Committee and is a Fellow with the Council On Litigation Management.
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Partner
Nelson Levine deLuca & Horst, LLC
Participating in Session:
Preventing and Defending Bad Faith Claims: Current Trends and Strategies
Bob Horst is one of the founding partners at Nelson Levine deLuca & Horst, LLC, where he represents insurers in complex coverage disputes, bad faith litigation, class action defense, and the investigation of suspected fraud. Horst has tried more than 40 jury cases to verdict and hundreds of additional bench trials. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, he has litigated matters pro hac vice in numerous jurisdictions throughout the nation, including Delaware, Ohio, Florida, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Washington.
Horst is author and co-editor of the text Extracontractual Litigation Against Insurers (published by Incisive Media in October 2009). He also is General Counsel to the International Association of Special Investigative Units ("IASIU"). IASIU is the insurance industry‘s leading "fraud-fighting" organization, with 40 chapters worldwide and more than 4,000 members. Horst frequently is quoted in national publications, and recently has been asked to comment for articles in The New York Times, The National Underwriter, Law 360, The Legal Intelligencer, www.examiner.com, and the Jackson Clarion Ledger (Mississippi). Horst leads Nelson Levine‘s recruiting and professional development efforts and also acts as a private arbitrator in insurance coverage matters. He was his firm‘s managing partner from 2003 -2008.
Horst earned his B.S. degree from Pennsylvania State University and his J.D. from Villanova University.
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Founder
Howie Consulting
Participating in Session:
Taming the E-Dragon: Controlling Costs, Avoiding Double Billing and Winning Fee Disputes for Duplicative E-Discovery in Litigation of All Sizes
Joe Howie is a consultant and writes about using technology in litigation. Formerly in-house counsel with Phillips Petroleum, he has been active in developing and marketing legal technology for over 20 years. He is Director, Metrics Development for the eDiscovery Institute, a member of the board of directors of the Association of Litigation Support Professionals, a member of the Law Technology News editorial board and a Fellow in the Council on Litigation Management.
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Partner
Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton LLP
Participating in Session:
Best Practices for Managing Deposition Value and Minimizing Deposition Expenses
Christopher Huther is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton LLP. Mr. Huther is a member of the firm&rquo;s Business Trials Practice Group and the leader of the firm&rquo;s Communications practice. He is an experienced litigator, appearing regularly before federal and state trial and appellate courts, the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Transportation, and other federal and state regulatory agencies.
Mr. Huther represents domestic and international companies on a broad range of issues including rate and contract disputes, compliance with state and federal regulations, and the development of regulatory strategies. Mr. Huther serves on the Board of Directors of the International Telecommunications Society and the Advisory Board for Pike & Fisher’s Communications Environmental & Land Use Report. Mr. Huther is a frequent speaker nationwide and was recently recognized by SmartCEO Magazine as one of Washington DC&rquo;s Legal Elite. Mr. Huther received his JD from the Georgetown University Law Center and is licensed to practice in Washington, DC and Virginia.
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Partner
Howrey LLP
Participating in Session:
Managing Long-Tail Liability Litigation – Risks and Strategies
Robert Jacobs has represented policyholders in a wide array of insurance coverage disputes arising from such things as product liabilities, environmental property damage, wrongful death, first-party property loss, business interruption, contingent business interruption, advertising liability and various directors and officers-related liabilities. Mr. Jacobs has extensive experience assisting policyholders in enforcing their rights to coverage under most commercial insurance products including Comprehensive General Liability (CGL) policies, London Market umbrella and excess policies, so-called “Bermuda Form” excess liability policies, directors and officers liability policies, errors and omissions/professional liability policies, multimedia policies, fidelity policies and other specialized coverage. This experience includes all phases of litigation from precomplaint investigation and counseling to trial, and also includes alternative dispute resolution proceedings such as domestic and international arbitrations and numerous mediations. Mr. Jacobs has also counseled clients on such matters as maximizing coverage prospects while defending class action claims, utilizing nontraditional coverage options for specialized risks and structuring defense cost sharing agreements with multiple insurers for complex claims.
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President
Law Department Consortium
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
Peter is an accomplished trial lawyer, business consultant and trainer with expertise in interpersonal communication and client / law practice development. He has devoted the last 10 years of his career to creating, implementing and managing projects designed to promote stronger and more productive, profitable and rewarding strategic business relationships between corporate law department leaders and their preferred outside counsel and legal suppliers.
Peter pioneered establishment of the “Law Department Consortium Marketplace” – a unique legal services market in which law department buyers and select law firm sellers strive to align their economic interests and collaborate in developing new win-win solutions to advance their respective business goals.
Recognizing an unmet market need, Peter created and produced five annual “LawPartnering Forums” – the first-of-a kind serious of national conferences devoted to promoting understanding and use of strategic partnering business models by corporate law departments and their preferred outside counsel and legal suppliers.
When “marketing” was still considered unprofessional by most law firm leaders, Peter designed and successfully promoted “Selling Skills for Attorneys” training/coaching programs to firms of all sizes nationwide. During the nineties, Peter trained over 2500 lawyers at all levels of experience how to build strong client relationships and sell their services effectively.
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Governance, Risk Management & Compliance Industry Market Development Manager
Microsoft Corporation
Participating in Session:
The Evidence Lifecycle Management Standard for Early Case Assessment and Beyond
Jeff Jinnett is Governance, Risk Management & Compliance Industry Market Development Manager, US Financial Services Group, for Microsoft Corporation. Mr. Jinnett is a former partner of the international law firm of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, LLP (now Dewey & LeBoeuf) and has experience in advising Fortune 500 companies in the financial services industry on the use of technology to support corporate governance, risk management and compliance programs. Mr. Jinnett has testified as an expert before committees of the US Senate on issues relating to the intersectiion of law and technology. He is a member of ARMA (a records and information management professional association) and the Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics (SSCE).
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Risk Manager
Veolia Transportation
Participating in Session:
Case Closed: Methods for early resolution of disputes and litigation
Mr. Johnson is an accomplished risk and insurance professional with over 15 years of diverse commercial insurance experience in workers‘ compensation, auto liability, bodily injury, property and general liability programs. Mr. Johnson previously worked for Accident Fund Insurance Company of America where he held a variety of management and leadership positions in the area‘s of claims, finance, and premium audit during his 14 year tenure. Currently Mr. Johnson is the regions Risk Manager for Veolia Transportation - Las Vegas division, where he directs the self-insured workers‘ comp, auto liability and fleet management programs for 1,200 employees, 4 sites and over 400 vehicles. Over his career, Mr. Johnson effectively developed and implemented programs, practices, and procedures to reduce the frequency and severity of accidents in industries such as manufacturing, construction contractors, health, food service, education, municipalities, and transportation. He also is responsible for the regions federal DOT compliance drug & alcohol program, assisting with safety programs and culture, employee relations and general management.
Mr. Johnson values a solid knowledge of business practice and thorough understanding of how risk and safety fits the corporate risk management model; being empathetic with people; taking genuine interest in providing sincere advice; and offering technical claims acumen faced by today‘s leaders in the risk and safety management community.
Mr. Johnson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Organization Administration from Central Michigan University. Currently Mr. Johnson is completing his ARM designation and also is in final management courses through James Madison University. Also, he is a licensed workers‘ compensation representative for the NV Hearing Division, holds a RWCS designation, and completed a variety of OSHA and FTA training courses.
Believing in giving something back professionally and within community, Mr. Johnson is a fellow member and serves as Nevada State Co-Chair of the Council on Litigation Management; recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Southern Nevada Chapter of RIMS; member of the National Registry of Workers Compensation Specialists; member of the Registered Professional Adjusters Association; Member of the National Association of Safety Professionals; and serves on a variety of committees at his local church.
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Counsel
Southern California Edison
Participating in Session:
Best Practices for Managing Deposition Value and Minimizing Deposition Expenses
Mr. Jones is an attorney in the legal department of Southern California Edison. In this role, Mr. Jones focuses primarily on eminent domain cases. This includes interfacing with outside counsel as well as extensive involvement in the cases.
Prior to Southern California Edison, Mr. Jones was an attorney at Oliver, Sandifer & Murphy, also focusing on eminent domain cases. Andrew earned his Bachelor‘s degree from Princeton University, and his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles CA.
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Vice President Risk/Safety Management
Jordon Construction
Participating in Session:
Insurance Exposures and strategies for 2010
Patricia directs the risk /safety management functions, including safety management systems, quality, wellness initiatives, insurance and litigation. Patricia‘s experience in safety and risk management for both general industry and construction has provided her a unique perspective on how to structure and implement creative solutions to manage risk. Her specialty is management system implementation that directly effect corporate culture, insurance procurement and overall corporate performance. She has received numerous professional awards and professional designations and is a frequent speaker and writer on risk management and safety related topics.
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Founder and Senior Consultant,
A.Kershaw, PC//Attorneys & Consultants
Participating in Session:
Taming the E-Dragon: Controlling Costs, Avoiding Double Billing and Winning Fee Disputes for Duplicative E-Discovery in Litigation of All Sizes
Anne Kershaw is the founder of A. Kershaw, P.C. // Attorneys & Consultants (www.AKershaw.com), a nationally recognized litigation management consulting firm providing independent analysis and innovative recommendations for the management of all aspects of volume litigation challenges. A. Kershaw PC excels in addressing difficult corporate litigation management issues, recommending solutions that leverage technology and communication to substantially cut costs, enhance partnerships with outside counsel, and strengthen litigation support. The firm‘s practice includes the design and implementation of legacy data management, litigation response plans, and protocols for the preservation and collection of data for discovery. The firm also vets data search and review technologies, educates outside counsel on electronic discovery issues, manages vendor selection, and conducts cost benchmarking surveys for legislative and judicial consideration. A list of some of the firm‘s clients is included (with client permission) on www.AKershaw.com.
Ms. Kershaw is also the President, General Counsel and co-founder of the E-Discovery Institute (www.ediscoveryinstitute.org), a not-for-profit corporation conducting studies of electronic discovery processes and dedicated to resolving discovery challenges facing the legal community.
Ms. Kershaw has been involved with high tech litigation management since 1993, taking management roles on national coordinating and trial counsel teams defending volume, multi-state, product liability claims. Ms. Kershaw has an AV+ rating in Martindale Hubbell and consults in complex and individual cases on electronic data discovery strategy and issues and has served as an expert for FRCP 30(b)(6) technology and corporate policy depositions. Ms. Kershaw also maintains ongoing involvement in federal and state civil rules reform to address electronic discovery issues and litigation fairness issues, providing litigation survey data and testimony before the Federal Civil Rules Advisory Committee. In addition, Ms. Kershaw is a Faculty Member of Columbia University‘s Executive Master of Science in Technology Management Program, teaches at the Georgetown University E-Discovery Academy and is an Advisory Board Member of the Georgetown University Law Center‘s Advanced E-Discovery Institute. She is a frequent lecturer and in March 2007, she joined Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Harvard Law Professor Arthur Miller at Georgetown‘s Thought Leadership Summit. She is also one of the principal drafters of Navigating the Vendor Proposal Process: Best Practices for the Selection of Electronic Discovery Vendors and a contributing editor of The Sedona Conference Glossary For E-Discovery and Digital Information Management (May 2005 Version), both publications of the Sedona Conference® Working Group on Best Practices for Electronic Document Retention and Production RFP+ Group (www.thesedonaconference.org).
Ms. Kershaw is a 1987 graduate, cum laude, of New York Law School and a 1982 graduate of Bard College. She is admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Third, and Ninth Circuits, United States Supreme Court, and all New York State Courts.
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Vice President, Risk Management
Waco Scaffolding and Equipment Co.
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
Former Ohio State Highway Patrol officer. 10 Years experience in the insurance industry working in claims (General Liability, Auto, Property, Workers Compensation, Treaty and Facultative re-insurance claims).
In the private sector specializing in the development, implementation and supervision higher level self-insured retention (SIR) programs, restructuring corporate insurance programs, implementing training and loss control programs. Also developed systems that require working closely with defense attorneys not only in the litigation process but in the development of investigation procedures, contract review and corporate safety programs with the purpose of having an organization be defendable in court prior to a loss occurring.
Industries worked in:
Wholesale and retail food industry, the construction crane rental industry, the explosives industry (manufacturing and blasting for the construction and mining) and the scaffolding manufacturing, sales and rental industry.
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Founding Partner
Kopka Pinkus Dolin & Eads, LLC
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
Bob is the senior partner of a litigation law firm with 7 offices in three states: Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Kopka Pinkus Dolin & Eads handles all manner of insurance and commercial litigation including employment, various professional lines, trucking, banking and contract disputes. Bob has been very active in litigation management for many years and his firm is an industry leader in the development and implementation of innovative alternative fee arrangements.
Bob is a litigator with many years experience in the courtroom and has handled appeals in several states. He also argued a case in the United States Supreme Court.
Bob has handled a wide variety of insurance defense matters for over 20 years, including bodily injury, personal injury, property damage, consumer fraud and breach of contract on behalf of insurance and self-insured companies as well as corporate companies. He defends declaratory judgment actions on behalf of insurance companies and advises them regarding coverage involving environmental liability, among other things. He has also defended toxic tort suits involving asbestos, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, paints and industrial coatings. Bob represents common carriers in hazardous waste and toxic spill litigation, and also directs the firm‘s transportation, including automobile, UM/UIM and trucking, FELA and consumer fraud defense practice. He currently defends professional liability claims involving lawyers, doctors, real estate and insurance agents, title insurance companies and handles multi-party automobile, trucking and railroad claims involving significant exposure bodily injury and property damage claims. Bob recently presented an appellate argument before the United States Supreme Court in an appeal involving federal jurisdiction. He has also appeared before the Illinois and Indiana Supreme Courts and before several other federal and state appellate courts.
He is admitted to practice law in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin and is admitted in the United States Supreme Court and in numerous federal appellate and district courts. Additionally, Bob is a member of the Federal Trial Bar and has been admitted pro hac vice, for the purpose of trying individual cases in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas and California.
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Senior Partner
Kelley, Kronenberg, Gilmartin, Fichtel & Wander, P.A.
Participating in Session:
Settlement Days and Private Mediations
Steve Kronenberg, the firm‘s Senior Partner and founding member, received his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Miami and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1975. He is a member of the Miami-Dade County and Florida Bar Associations, as well as the Florida Bar Workers‘ Compensation Section Executive Council and the Florida Bar Workers‘ Compensation Trial Advocacy Workshop and Board Certification Seminar.
He is a past member of the Rules Committee of the Florida Bar‘s Workers‘ Compensation Section, and past Chairman of the Florida Bar Workers‘ Compensation Section. In addition, Steven has served as the Florida Bar Journal‘s Workers‘ Compensation Editor and Editor of the Florida Bar Workers‘ Compensation Newsletter. Steve is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been included in both Best Lawyers in America and Florida Leading Attorneys since 1997. He was the recipient of a Friends of 440 Honoree Award in 1996 and a Merit Award from the Judges of Compensation Claims in 2001. Steve also acts as judicial liaison to the Florida Bar Workers‘ Compensation Section and is a faculty member of the Florida Worker‘s Compensation Trial Advocacy Program.
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Partner
Mayer Brown
Participating in Session:
The Evidence Lifecycle Management Standard for Early Case Assessment and Beyond
Mike Lackey serves on Mayer Brown‘s Partnership Board. Mike also co-chairs the firm‘s Electronic Discovery and Records Management Practice, leads the Washington, D.C. office litigation practice, and chairs the firm‘s Automated Practice Support Group. Mike‘s practice focuses on civil and criminal litigation and electronic discovery. He represents major companies and individuals in state and federal proceedings, including multi-district and class action litigation, government contract disputes, and appeals. Mike also has represented defendants in numerous grand jury proceedings and governmental investigations. In addition, he is nationally recognized for his knowledge of electronic discovery issues and serves as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Georgetown University Law School Advanced E-Discovery Institute. Mike is an award-winning adjunct professor of advanced appellate advocacy at the George Washington University Law School.
Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Michael served as Associate Independent Counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel of David M. Barrett from 1997-1998. Before then, he was a lieutenant in the US Navy and graduated from the prestigious "Top Gun" school in 1987. He has a degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from MIT. Because of his military, engineering, class action, and appellate background, he is often sought to handle litigation where it is necessary to understand and distill complex technical and legal concepts.
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Attorney
Smith & Brink, P.C.
Participating in Session:
Strategies for the Effective Handling of Complex Claims
Mr. Langlois is a Shareholder of the firm and a member of its Board of Directors, Mr. Langlois has extensive trial experience in the Rhode Island and Massachusetts state courts as well as the United States District Courts for the District of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. His practice is concentrated in the area of insurance defense litigation including Insurance coverage, special investigations, and bad faith claims. Mr. Langlois engages in an active civil trial practice and has litigated cases Involving construction site accidents, premises liability, liquor liability, products liability, lead poisoning, auto accidents, and insurance claims settlement practices, In addition, Mr., Langlois has argued numerous appeals to the Rhode Island Supreme Court
Mr. Langlois has written and lectured extensively on Insurance and legal issues for clients and the insurance industry throughout the United States. A list of these seminars and programs is available on request.
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Senior Vice President & Claim Manager
Tokio Millennium Re
Participating in Session:
Taming the E-Dragon: Controlling Costs, Avoiding Double Billing and Winning Fee Disputes for Duplicative E-Discovery in Litigation of All Sizes
Thomas Leidell: Tom joined Tokio Millennium Re Ltd on 3/12/07, as Sr. Vice President- Claim Manager, where he heads up the claims operation for TMR. With a career that has spanned over 28 years, Tom has enjoyed the benefit of being with some top level Insurance/ Reinsurance companies such as XL Insurance, Munich-America Re, ACE, Cigna, Home Insurance, Chubb and the Hartford. His work experience has been at virtually every level of claims, starting his career as a Claims Representative to his current role of Claims Manager for TMR.
Tom is a graduate of The University of Michigan where he achieved his Masters Degree and The University of Florida where he achieved his Bachelors of Science. He has served a two year term as President of “The Loss Executives Association” and also serves on the Advisory Board for “The National Forum”. Tom is also a member of the FDCC (Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel) and serves also as International Chair- Bermuda for the CLM (Counsel on Litigation Management). Tom has presented regularly at insurance/ reinsurance executive summits and conferences.
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Partner; Chair, The Legal Audit Group
Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson, LLP
Participating in Session:
Keeping The Lid On Litigation Costs: Strategies That Work
Mari Henry Leigh serves on the Advisory Board of the Council for Litigation Management (CLM) and is the Education Chair. Mari is a partner in the law firm of Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP. For more than 25 years, Mari has been engaged in litigating and providing counsel in a wide variety of complex, civil litigation matters, including: federal antitrust, copyright, trade secret and trademark infringement claims, RICO, common-law fraud and commercial contract matters, insurance and insurance related claims, and product and professional liability claims. A substantial portion of Mari‘s practice focuses on litigating, counseling and providing opinions and analysis on the reasonableness and allocation of attorneys‘ fees. Currently, Mari serves as the Chair of MBT‘s Legal Audit Group, one of the Nation‘s largest practice groups of its kind. Mari has conducted or supervised more than 150 legal fee audits and/or bill reviews of fees in litigation involving an aggregate of approximately $1.5 billion in legal costs. Mari is recognized as one of Illinois‘ “Leading Lawyers” in the areas of commercial litigation and was interviewed on the topic of “Runaway Legal Costs” for Sky Radio Program‘s, entitled: “America‘s Most Influential Women.” Mari is admitted to the Illinois and Ohio State Bars, and their respective federal counterparts. She serves as the Chair of the Chicago Bar Association‘s Professional Fees Committee, which regularly holds hearings and oversees arbitrations involving client complaints regarding member and non-member professional fees. Mari has served as an adjunct instructor in trial advocacy and legal research and writing, and is a frequent speaker and author on litigation management, legal ethics, attorney fee disputes, independent counsel and the attorney-client privilege.
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Founder and CEO
WorkProducts, Inc.
Participating in Session:
The Evidence Lifecycle Management Standard for Early Case Assessment and Beyond
Steve is Founder and CEO of WorkProducts, Inc., architect of the MatterSpace® ELM product. MatterSpace, through the Evidence Lifecycle Management process, bridges the gap between Information Management and Electronic Data Discovery, resulting in a more automated eDiscovery/information governance process, with much lower costs and risk. Prior to WorkProducts, Steve founded, funded and sold Data Imaging, Inc., at the time (2000) the largest legal discovery services company in the Southeast. Additionally, as senior vice president of eDiscovery at iLumin Software Services, a division of Computer Associates, Inc., Steve led the architecture design, product development, and go-to-market strategy for the iLumin Assentor Electronic Discovery & Compliance Solution (both software and e-discovery services). Earlier in his career, Steve held legal research product and sales management positions with Thomson West. Steve has been speaking and writing on the subject of litigation technology for more than 18 years, including recently creating and engaging an ELM LinkedIn group, organized for professionals supporting eDiscovery policy research leading to effective civil justice system decision-making.
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Partner
Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
Derek is a trial lawyer who is experienced in business, product liability, toxic tort, and environmental litigation. He has led or served on litigation teams for Tyco Fire & Security companies, DuPont, Pharmacia & Upjohn, Lockheed Martin, and other national and international companies.
An expert at litigation strategy, Derek reduces costs and increases efficiencies for business clients through meaningful early case assessments, electronic knowledge and case management processes, and well planned persuasion strategies. He serves as first chair on trials and appeals in state and federal courts. He is also a trained mediator who is equally skilled at negotiating alternative dispute resolutions, from mediated settlements to large, complex arbitrations.
He has achieved the Martindale-Hubbell AV rating, which indicates the height of professional excellence and the highest levels of skill and integrity as judged by his peer members of the bar and members of the judiciary. In addition, he has been published on a variety of legal topics, including internet law, challenging arbitration awards, and recovering environmental remediation costs, among others.
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President
InTune Business Advisors LLC
Participating in Session:
Crisis Management: What Do You Do When Managers Depart From Personnel Policies And Standard Operating Procedures?
Jim has eighteen years of financial, operational and technological experience, which includes leadership roles with Ernst & Young LLP, Campbell Soup Company and MBNA America (Bank of America). Jim founded InTune Business Advisors LLC six years ago in order to give clients more control through three services: Business Transactions; Fraud and Compliance; and Process Improvement.
As a CPA, Jim has addressed complex corporate finance issues, performed due diligence and led companies out of financial crises. As a CFE, Jim helped lead a worldwide medical device manufacturer through its first year of Sarbanes Oxley Section 404 compliance, and InTune was the only outside firm retained in this capacity in subsequent years. He has worked with the FBI on fraud investigations and is a frequent speaker on fraud related topics.
As a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Jim has generated significant savings for legal departments. It was during one such project where Jim leveraged his application development expertise to automate legal bill processing, budgeting and reporting, and where he subsequently functioned as Interim Legal Program Manager for a $500M company. This experience led to the development of LegalEye™, which allows corporate law departments with large, complex and diverse matter portfolios to reduce costs, manage expectations and improve performance without sacrificing the quality of legal representation. As the author of The LegalEye™ Blog (www.LegalEyeBlog.com), Jim recently addressed a conference of general counsel and law department managers on the topic of budgeting for improved performance.
A graduate of John Carroll University with a double major in Accounting and Finance, Jim received a full tuition scholarship from the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his MBA. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the American Society for Quality, the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management and the Council on Litigation Management, where he serves on the Alternative Fee Arrangements Committee. Jim also serves on two Pittsburgh based charitable organizations (North Hills Community Outreach and HEARTH). He enjoys golf, tennis, platform tennis and playing music.
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Founding Partner
Lynch & Associates P.C.
Participating in Session:
Settlement Days and Private Mediations
Tim Lynch is a 39-year resident of Alaska having driven there with his wife 10 days after graduation from the University of Kentucky Law School. He has had his own law firm since 1973. Although based in Anchorage, he handles a broad range of insurance defense and coverage matters including trials, settlement conferences and mediations in all four judicial districts with cases from Barrow in the north to Ketchikan in the south. He has been a member of the Council on Litigation Management since its founding and serves on several committees.
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Vice President Property and Material Damage Claims
Harleysville Insurance
Participating in Session:
How To Value A Case
Settlement Days and Private Mediations
Mr. Mannato serves on the Advisory Board of the Council for Litigation Management and is co-chairman of its Litigation Guidelines Sub-Committee. He currently serves as the Vice President of property and Material Damage Claims. In his previous role as Vice President, Associate General Counsel, and Chief Litigation Counsel at Harleysville Insurance, Mr. Mannato was primarily responsible for all claims and non-claims litigation for Harleysville Insurance, which is a mid-sized insurance company that sells property, casualty, life and flood insurance in the Eastern and Midwestern states. Mr. Mannato was responsible for hiring, evaluating and directing hundreds of law firms; managing all staff counsel operations at Harleysville Insurance; and monitoring the receipt, review and payment of all legal and litigation-related costs at Harleysville Insurance. Prior to joining Harleysville Insurance, Mr. Mannato served as vice president at General Electric (Global Financial Restructuring and TIP/ModSpace) where he was responsible for litigation management of financial recovery operations. Before entering the business world, Mr. Mannato, who is admitted in state and federal courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, was an attorney in private practice for 11 years at both a large law firm (Reed Smith Shaw & McClay) and a small insurance defense firm in the Philadelphia area. Over his 20 years of experience as an attorney, Mr. Mannato has been involved in numerous types of litigation cases, from complex commercial litigation to bankruptcy to insurance defense. He has experienced litigation as an attorney in both large and small law firms and as a business leader in both insurance and non-insurance companies. Mr. Mannato is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and Brown University. Mr. Mannato resides in Collegeville, PA with his wife, Melissa, and their three young children, Catie, JT, and Andrew.
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Senior Vice President/Group Claims Counsel
ACE Group Claims
Participating in Session:
Enhancing Efficiencies and Cooperation in the Defense Relationship
Joe provides legal counsel to the global claim organization within the ACE Group. This work includes large loss management for all lines of business and overall guidance on claim process. In addition, he actively manages the relationship between ACE Group Claims and its outside and in-house legal providers. Joe joined ACE in 2005 after 19 years with CIGNA in various claim, legal and risk management positions.
Joe is a graduate of Fairfield University and Suffolk University School of Law.
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Attorney
Deasey, Mahoney, Valentini & North
Participating in Session:
Crisis Management: What Do You Do When Managers Depart From Personnel Policies And Standard Operating Procedures?
A partner in Deasey, Mahoney, Valentini & North, Ltd., Carla P. Maresca concentrates her legal practice in employment discrimination, civil rights, and immigration law. As an experienced jury and bench trial litigator and appellate practitioner, Carla represents individuals, small businesses, corporations, and governmental entities. She also drafts employee handbooks, policies, and contracts, and provides employment counseling on issues such as wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and family and medical leave.
Carla’s knowledgeable and skillful handling of both litigation matters and employee counseling and training has earned her widespread respect among clients and opposing counsel. She was selected as a 2006, 2007, and 2008 Rising Star for her focus in employment litigation.
A frequent lecturer, Carla is regularly invited to present seminars and continuing legal education (CLE) on sexual harassment in the workplace, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, immigration reform, and standard operating procedures for human resource managers. Carla also serves on the panel of employment law arbitrators and mediators for the Philadelphia region of National Arbitration & Mediation (NAM).
In her spare time, Carla enjoys the practice of yoga, studying Eastern philosophies, and traveling.
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Chief Executive
Legal Solutions Group
Participating in Session:
Enhancing Efficiencies and Cooperation in the Defense Relationship
Gary has over 20 years consulting and technology experience, in and around the financial services industry. Over the past 12 years in particular he‘s been involved directly in the specialized field of litigation planning and performance measurement for major corporations and well-known insurance carriers.
Gary achieved his Masters in Project Management (majoring in Corporate Strategy) from Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh and was Managing Director of Litigation Management for a leading consulting and technology organization for nearly 5 years, before founding Legal Solutions Group, where he has designed, developed and implemented leading-edge litigation management software tools and related services.
Effectively managing change is a key factor in Gary‘s philosophy towards delivering improved results for clients.
Philosophy: "Be open to change and embrace it, as it is inevitable"
He is married, with 2 children, and lives in Manhattan, NYC.
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Vice President, Liability Claim
CNA
Participating in Session:
Keeping The Lid On Litigation Costs: Strategies That Work
James D. Martin (Jim) is the Vice President of Standard Lines Liability Claim for CNA. He provides strategic leadership for the overall performance of the Liability line of business and tactical leadership for specific complex matters.
Prior to joining CNA, Jim was the Director of Commercial Claims at Nationwide Insurance, where he helped to manage their national commercial claim portfolio. Before his claim responsibilities, Jim served as Claim Counsel at Nationwide, where he directed strategy on complex claims and class actions. Prior to Nationwide Jim was a litigation manager, senior claim adjuster and multi line claim adjuster at other major Midwestern insurance carriers.
Jim received his B.A. from Ohio University and his J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law.
An avid sports enthusiast, Jim has coached over twenty youth sports teams and has served on Boards of Directors for numerous youth sports organizations.
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Attorney
Freeman Mathis & Gary
Participating in Session:
Navigating the Bermuda Triangle: Ethical Issues Involved in the Tri-Partite Relationship
Ben Mathis is the Managing Partner of Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP and also is the partner in charge of the Labor and Employment Law section. His employment law and directors and officers representation is national in scope and he has been lead counsel in cases in over 45 states. Mr. Mathis has been named a Georgia "Super Lawyer" by Atlanta Magazine and a Georgia "Legal Elite" by Georgia Trend Magazine. He was nominated by the Speaker of the House Of Representatives and was selected as a defense representative to the EEOC‘s first Rulemaking Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C.
His wide ranging experience includes federal and state jury and bench trials, injunctive hearings, NLRB representation and ULP hearings, and appeals before a number of the federal courts of appeals (2d, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th circuits), as well as the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court.
Mr. Mathis received his undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology (B.S., with honor) and his law degree from the Washington & Lee School of Law (J.D., cum laude), where he was a member of the Law Review and was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for Labor Law.
Mr. Mathis has served in a variety of leadership positions in legal, business and civic groups. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, and has received the Outstanding Alumnus Volunteer Award. He has served as Chair of the Employment Law Committee of the Defense Research Institute and received the Committee‘s Dedicated Service Award. Mr. Mathis also serves on the Executive Committee of the Atlanta Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and has served as Vice-chair of the Civil Rights Committee of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
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Director
Tribler Orpett & Meyer, P.C.
Participating in Session:
Ethics Jeopardy Returns!
Harlene Matyas is a director in the law firm of Tribler Orpett & Meyer, P.C. Ms. Matyas is engaged in the practice of civil litigation, with a primary emphasis in the areas of construction and products liability, legal and professional malpractice, commercial litigation, and food safety and liability. Her more recent trials include matters as diverse as construction site negligence, intentional interference with contractual relations, and products liability. In addition to her busy trial schedule, Ms. Matyas also has expertise in mediation of complex cases, and in appellate practice.
Ms. Matyas is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association. At the Chicago Bar Association, she has served as chair of the Circuit Court Committee, and as a member of the Judicial Evaluation Committee.
Over the years, Ms. Matyas has provided training to attorneys and claim personnel for many insurance carriers. Currently, Ms. Matyas speaks before diverse audiences, including claim professionals, attorneys, and business professionals.
Ms. Matyas has a Bachelor&srquo;s Degree from the University of Illinois and a law degree from New York Law School.
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Shareholder
Kubicki Draper
Participating in Session:
Keeping The Lid On Litigation Costs: Strategies That Work
Brad McCormick is a shareholder at Kubicki Draper, a member of the Executive Board, and serves as President of the firm. He works out of the Miami office and, in his capacity as President, he is responsible for all client-related issues, including case assignments, conflict checks, rate agreements, audits and compliance with client guidelines. The focus of Mr. McCormick‘s practice is in the areas of construction defect/accident, products liability, toxic/hazardous substances, catastrophic injuries and mass tort litigation. His extensive experience and knowledge in both liability and insurance issues enable him to excel in the handling of complex claims and develop appropriate strategies for a quick and successful resolution.
Since joining Kubicki Draper in 1992, Mr. McCormick has successfully litigated a large volume of cases with significant financial exposure. He has experience defending Fortune 500 Companies, product manufacturers, general contractors, design professionals and developers. Mr. McCormick is "AV" rated by Martindale-Hubbell; he has been named a "Florida Super Lawyer"
on several occasions by Law and Politics Magazine; and he was recognized in Florida Trend Magazine as one of Florida‘s "Legal Elite." Over his career, he has served as a lecturer for corporations and insurance companies throughout the United States, and has been frequently appointed as a Guardian Ad Litem and as a Florida Bar Arbitrator/Chair Person in fee hearings.
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Senior Counsel
Kraft Foods
Participating in Session:
Rethinking Legal Fees In the New World
Paul McDonald is Senior Counsel in the Corporate and Legal Affairs Department of Kraft Foods at headquarters outside Chicago, IL. He provides antitrust and sales counseling for Kraft‘s North America Sales, and Global Supply Chain, organizations, and also supports marketing, corporate governance, and acquisition and divestiture functions.
Prior to joining Kraft, Paul served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Philadelphia District Attorney‘s Office, where he conducted hundreds of criminal trials and hearings. Subsequently, as an attorney with Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, he participated on litigation teams representing Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation in United States v. Philip Morris USA Inc., et al., the U.S. Department of Justice‘s civil racketeering lawsuit against “Big Tobacco;” Verizon and MCI in their merger proceedings; and the Auto Alliance, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors in their challenge to California‘s proposed greenhouse gas emission regulations abrogating federal mandates on corporate average fuel economy.
Paul received his B.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. While at Princeton, he was elected President of the Undergraduate Student Government (i.e., student body president). He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Paul currently serves as a Division Co-Director for the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Litigation, overseeing the Section‘s Corporate Counsel, Minority Trial Lawyer, and Woman Advocate Committees, among others. For the upcoming Bar Year, 2009-2010, he will serve as a Vice Chair for the Section‘s Corporate Counsel Committee. Within the ABA, he has also Co-Chaired the Planning Committee for the 2009 Section of Litigation Committee on Corporate Counsel CLE Conference, is on the Planning Committee for the 2009 ABA National Conference for the Minority Lawyer, and is leading new ABA initiatives: (i) to assist diverse attorneys in developing and maintaining business relationships with corporate law departments, and (ii) to support the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues and Associated Leaders of Urban Debate and their related debate programs and competitions serving predominantly minority high school students. He is a frequent panelist and moderator for ABA programs.
Most recently, Paul served on the Judging Panel of FutureFirm 1.0, a game of strategy, skill and endurance devised by Prof. William Henderson of Indiana University‘s Maurer School of Law, “to craft a new law firm business model that is likely to survive and thrive 20 years into the future,” given the current pressures to the law firm business model that has essentially remained unchanged for nearly 100 years. See http://firms.law.indiana.edu/events/futurefirm/.
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Claims Counsel
Markel Service, Incorporated
Participating in Session:
On the Same Page—From the Quill to the Missive
Jeanette Bourey McDonough is Claims Counsel to Markel Service, Incorporated, the claims service manager for several insurers owned by Markel Corporation. For the past eight years, Ms. McDonough has been resident in the Deerfield Illinois claims office which primarily handles professional and products liability claims for Evanston Insurance Company. She has an extensive background in insurance coverage and litigation. Her twenty-two years of experience includes several years of practicing law at two international defense firms, and five years in the Office of the General Counsel for a domestic property and casualty insurance company handling bad faith claims, excess exposures, subrogation claims, and reinsurance matters on a run off book of business. Ms. McDonough works closely with underwriters, claim handlers, managers, and outside counsel in analyzing and resolving coverage disputes.
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Vice President, Claims Legal Services
OneBeacon Insurance
Participating in Session:
Vendor or Partner? The Impact Your Relationship With Outside Counsel Has On The Defense Dollar
As one of the earliest adopters of electronic invoicing technology, OneBeacon has more than five years of aggregated invoice and performance metrics data, representing hundreds of millions of dollars in fees and expenses, to use in evaluating and guiding their litigation management strategies. Through John‘s leadership, OneBeacon has saved millions of dollars in legal expense while improving results. John is charged with streamlining the invoice review and disposition processes and ensuring the realization of the benefits of aggregated electronic invoice data to generate litigation management reports, evaluate the effectiveness of outside counsel, implement cost reduction strategies and evaluate internal staffing choices.
After completing a clerkship with the Rhode Island Supreme Court he entered private practice concentrating on the defense of architects and engineers. Since leaving private practice he has held a variety of legal positions with national insurers in the areas of environmental coverage and litigation management. An attorney for 25 years, he is “AV” rated by Martindale and is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College, Franklin Pierce Law Center, and has completed management training programs at the Wharton School of Business and the London Business School. He is the 2008 Chair of the ACC Insurance Staff Counsel Committee and is on the CLM Board of Advisors.
He is currently responsible for OneBeacon‘s Claims Legal Services which includes 11 staff counsel offices, home office coverage attorneys, a centralized legal bill review team, e-billing implementation and panel counsel oversight. He also has responsibility for environmental claims and extra contractual matters.
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Managing Partner
Barger & Wolen LLP
Participating in Session:
Strategies for the Effective Handling of Complex Claims
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 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.
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Attorney and Co-Chair
Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson
Participating in Session:
Rethinking Legal Fees In the New World
Bruce R. Meckler is the Co-Chair of Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP‘s Executive Management Committee and is the founder of its Legal Audit Practice Group. A former prosecutor for the State of Illinois, Bruce has been providing clients and the legal community with litigation and counseling services for almost three decades. Bruce‘s practice consists of high profile, complex commercial, insurance, employment, reinsurance, criminal (white collar crime) and professional liability litigation and consulting for Fortune 500 companies. Bruce frequently serves an attorneys‘ fee expert and has testified before numerous state and federal tribunals. Bruce has conducted or supervised more that 300 legal bill review audits involving over $3 billion in legal fees; and has led numerous non-fee related corporate and governmental investigative/legal audits involving, among other things, issues of financial fraud and malfeasance. Bruce enjoys an AV Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rating and has been consistently named by his peers as one of Illinois‘ “Leading Lawyers” and “Super Lawyers” in commercial litigation. The subject of numerous news articles and features stories, Bruce‘s practice was recently featured in the October 2008 issue of The Chicago Lawyer in an article entitled: “A Creative Firm Leader with a Unique Practice.” Bruce is a member of the Illinois bar and the trial bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Bruce is a member of the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board and serves on the boards of several community redevelopment projects in Chicago. Bruce is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Trustee of The John Marshall Law School.
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Vice President – Claims
Fred Loya Insurance
Participating in Session:
Matter management: what it means for claims and claims legal professionals
Edgar Meza, Vice President-Claims, is directly responsible for the entire claims organization for Fred Loya Insurance. FLI is primarily an auto insurance company headquartered in Texas serving several states including Texas, California, NM and Colorado. He has been with Fred Loya Insurance for the last 8 years and in that time the company has grown from $42 million in annual written premium to well over $300 million for 2008.
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Attorney
Quilling, Selander, Cummiskey, & Lownds, P.C.
Participating in Session:
Ethics Jeopardy Returns!
Hamp Moody is a shareholder in Quilling, Selander, Cummiskey & Lownds, P.C. with thirty (30) years of experience in representing domestic and foreign primary and excess insurance companies in a broad range of tort, contract and business disputes. He specializes in handling first- and third-party coverage claims, as well as extra-contractual “bad faith” litigation. In addition, he has experience representing both domestic and foreign underwriters in reinsurance arbitrations and litigation.
Moody is an experienced trial lawyer who has obtained defense verdicts in cases ranging from routine tort cases lasting as little as three (3) days, to complex bad faith cases lasting ten (10) weeks. He has also had success at the appellate level where he has represented carriers on a number of key insurance issues.
Moody has also been recognized for his legal skills by his peers. He has been voted a “Texas Super Lawyer” each year since 2004, one of the “Best Lawyers in America” since 2006, and one of “America‘s Leading Business Lawyers” since 2003. Chambers USA, a rating guide for lawyers, reports that his peers have described him as “extremely bright, practical and responsive” and “the type of lawyer everyone wants to be.” A more detailed listing of Mr. Moody‘s accomplishments, experience, affiliations, published opinions, publications and speeches is available on his website.
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Assisitant Vice President & Manager, Billing & Operations
The Liberty Mutual Group
Participating in Session:
Legal Quality & Cost: Controlling Both, Sacrificing Neither
Bob joined Liberty more than 30 years ago in what is now the Commercial Market. He also worked in Liberty‘s Corporate Treasury Department, before joining the Legal Department nine years ago in his current position. Bob has responsibility for our two Centralized bill review and payment processing centers (CLBU‘s) which includes 15 Litigation Auditors, performing review and audit functions. His groups process approximately 50,000 invoices each month. Bob is a graduate of University of Massachusetts at Lowell
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Head of Claims Legal
QBE
Participating in Session:
Measuring the Value of Counsel
Preventing and Defending Bad Faith Claims: Current Trends and Strategies
Matthew Morrison has years of experience focusing on complex litigation and insurance coverage from both the perspective of an insurer as well an attorney in private practice. In his current position with QBE Regional Insurance he is responsible for providing legal counsel on complex insurance coverage issues, management of extra contractual litigation and litigation management programs. He is also responsible for management of Environmental/ Mass Tort claims as well Staff Counsel operations.
In 2001 Matt joined General Casualty as a Claim Attorney in their complex litigation unit supervising litigation nationwide including construction defect, class action, and catastrophic injury litigation. In 2007 Matt was named Assistant Vice President of Liability & Litigation for General Casualty with responsibility for all liability claims. In February 2009 Matt was named Head of Claims Legal for QBE Regional Insurance. QBE Regional Insurance includes Farmers Union Insurance, General Casualty and Unigard and writes insurance in 33 states.
Prior to joining QBE Regional Insurance, Matt was in private practice with an insurance defense law firm in Illinois representing insurers and insureds in complex coverage matters as well as complex liability litigation. He is admitted to practice before the state courts of Illinois and Wisconsin and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Wisconsin State Bar Association and The Council on Litigation Management. Matt is a CLM State Chair for the state of Wisconsin. Matt has spoken to insurance and defense organizations on various topics in the past including most recently the SCHIP Reporting Act of 2007.
Matt graduated with distinction from The University of Wisconsin Madison School of Business in 1992. He obtained his J.D, Cum Laude, from Northern Illinois University College of Law and his MBA from Northern Illinois University College of Business in 1995. Matt lives in the Madison, Wisconsin area with his wife, Laura and their two children Marly and Bennett.
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Chief Legal Officer
Loctronix Corp
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
Current Positions:
- Secretary, BOD - Association of Corporate Council, Dallas-Fort-Worth Chapter
- CLO Loctronix (GPS wireless location technology), Woodinville, WA
- Partner-Member Sr. Management Team, First Law International Sarl, Belgium
- Advisory Board, Managing Law as a Business Consortium
- Fellow, Council on Litigation Management
- Member C.L.O. Forum, Dallas, TX
- Advisor-Attorney, employment-labor law, U.S. Postal Service, Dallas, TX
- Attorney for Australian Wealth Management Company
- Attorney for National Fitness Company
- Speaker-Consultant, A.C.C., A.B.A., H.S.B.A., corporations and law firms on international law-customs, cross-cultural negotiation, strategic alliances, litigation management, crises management, law firm marketing and doing business in Europe and Asia
Previous Positions: Past Chair, ACC Council of Committees; International Legal Affairs Committee, and Law Department Management Committee; BOD Selection Committee
- Special Assistant United States Attorney, DOJ, Identify Theft Task Force
- Director, Legal Counsel, Absolute Business, Inc., Seattle WA (executive outsourcing)
- Director, Tacoma, WA Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneurial Network
- Assistant General Counsel, Ball Corporation, Muncie, IN and Boulder, CO
- Associate General Counsel - Assistant Secretary, Maytag-Hoover, Newton, IA
- Attorney, Fujiyama, Duffy & Fujiyama, Honolulu, HI
Education:
B.A. Augustana College, Rock Island, IL
J.D. Northwestern University Law School, Chicago, IL
Colorado Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, CO
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Attorney
Jones, Skelton & Hochuli
Participating in Session:
Technology for Maximum Impact At Trial and Mediation
Mr. Myles has been a partner with Jones, Skelton & Hochuli since 1987 and concentrates his practice on insurance coverage, bad faith and professional liability. He is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Arizona as well as the Ninth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Myles is the past President of the Arizona Association of Defense Counsel (AADC) and the USLAW Network. He is currently Arizona State Representative for the Council on Litigation Management.
Mr. Myles has tried cases involving insurance bad faith, professional liability, product liability, construction defects and insurance coverage, many involving punitive damage claims.
He is the past chair of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel‘s Professional Liability Committee and its Extra-Contractual/Bad Faith Committee. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), having tried in excess of 45 cases to verdict. He has published articles concerning professional liability, insurance coverage and bad faith, as well as trial practices and procedures. Mr. Myles has spoken at seminars in California, Texas, Florida, Connecticut, Arizona and Canada regarding litigation related issues, as well as trial practices and procedures.
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Vice President of Claims
NLC Insurance Companies
Participating in Session:
Defending a Damages Claim
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.
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Director
Fennemore Craig
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
Mr. Northup is an experienced trial attorney whose practice focuses on complex commercial, tort and professional liability litigation. In addition, he chairs the Commercial Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Northup represents several large corporate clients in a variety of contractual disputes, franchise, real estate and antitrust litigation. He also has extensive experience in premises and security liability cases representing manufacturers, businesses and other organizations including schools. His experience as a former police officer is invaluable in defending liability claims. Mr. Northup also assists clients with avoiding and minimizing the risk of litigation through contractual indemnity and limitation of liability clauses and insurance.
Mr. Northup also has significant experience dealing with electronic data preservation and discovery. He has helped corporate clients formulate policies for suspension of routine document deletion policies when litigation is pending or threatened, and has worked extensively with clients to ensure compliance with court rules relating to document gathering and production.
Mr. Northup is a Martindale-Hubbell AV rated attorney and is recognized in Best Lawyers in America®, Southwest Super Lawyers®, Ranking Arizona – Top Lawyers and Phoenix Magazine Best Lawyers.
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Broker
Ringler Associates
Participating in Session:
The Future of Litigation Management with Predictive Modeling
Syndi OBrien graduated from the University of Denver School of Law in 1986 and practiced law in Denver for eight years. Looking for change, she started a blasting company and worked in the construction industry until moving to Kansas in 2000 where she joined GE Insurance Solutions in Overland Park.
While at GE Syndi managed professional liability litigation and became a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. In this role she developed a strategy for and built a process around litigation management which provides transparency into counsel performance and total claim outcome. She ended her GE tenure as the Claims Integration Leader during the sale of GE Insurance Solutions to Swiss Re.
In 2006 Syndi joined CNA as the Legal Services Director for Global Specialty Lines Claims, where she developed strong relationships with outside counsel and optimized her methodology to enable Claims to measure and comparatively analyze legal services.
In November 2009 Syndi joined Ringler Associates as a structured settlement broker and assists in settlements all over the country. She also consults with law firms, insurance companies and business to assist them in developing data and metrics that will impact bottom line results.
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Founding Partner
Payton & Associates
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
Harry A. Payton founded Payton & Associates and continues to lead its preeminent commercial litigation practice. A South Florida resident for most of his life, Mr. Payton represents various corporations, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, and small and mid-size businesses in business litigation matters ranging from contract disputes and business torts to real estate, construction, and bankruptcy adversary proceedings.
Through years of practice, he has achieved a level of skill recognized by the State of Florida - through board certification by The Florida Bar as a business litigation and civil trial specialist. He is widely recognized by his peers as a diligent, persistent, ethical litigator. Mr. Payton chaired the Business Litigation Certification Committee, which is responsible for screening applicants, preparing and grading exams for certification as a business litigator by The Florida Bar. Following his term on this committee, he was appointed to the Board of Legal Specialization and Education (BLSE), the body that supervises the entire certification program of The Florida Bar. He later chaired the Board of Legal Specialization and Education. He was recently appointed by the President of The Florida Bar to the Judicial Administration and Evaluation Committee.
Mr. Payton has been a leader in the effort by the American Bar Association Committee on Corporate Counsel to develop and promote a uniform system of billing and budgeting that serves as a platform for assessing the productivity and efficiency of outside counsel and law firms. He advocates for improvements in the way in which in-house counsel and corporate law departments manage their business litigation through his active role in the Law Department Consortium.
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Attorney
Nelsen, Thompson, Pegue & Thornton, APC
Participating in Session:
Case Closed: Methods for early resolution of disputes and litigation
With over 25 years‘ experience, Jaymeson Pegue, partner with Nelsen, Thompson, Pegue & Thornton, APC, focuses on insurance coverage, bad faith, and subrogation matters, and provides coverage analysis and advice to clients. She specializes in the resolution of large scale, multi-party litigation with significant exposures. She frequently assists in matters in the latter stages of litigation and constructs settlement strategies which reconcile diverse and competing interests of carriers and plaintiffs alike.
Ms. Pegue is often called upon to write and speak on various insurance-related issues. She has spoken to industry organizations including: the National Association of Insurance Women, the American Conference Institute, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Ms. Pegue is a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated attorney, recognized on the 2009 list of "Super Lawyers" published by Law & Politics magazine, and named a 2009 “Top Women Litigator” by the Daily Journal.
A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ms. Pegue obtained her J.D. from the McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific in 1982, where she was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, served on the Moot Court Executive Committee and received the “Best Oralist” award in the Moot Court Competition. She received her B.A. degree magna cum laude from Arizona State University in 1976.
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Industry Expert
Pepiton Consulting
Participating in Session:
The Evidence Lifecycle Management Standard for Early Case Assessment and Beyond
Pete Pepiton is an industry expert and evangelist in Information Governance and eDiscovery. He has spent the past 15 years developing software and delivering professional services to the Fortune 2000. He has spent much of that time helping to reengineer the way lawyers use technology to achieve greater efficiency and better results in litigation, both as a former practicing attorney and at several technology companies.
Pete is the former eDiscovery Solutions Director for CA’s Information Governance suite. In that role, he guided the direction of CA’s eDiscovery offering and crafted its eDiscovery/Compliance message for corporate clients.
Pete is a member of The Sedona Conference®, a think tank dedicated to education and dialogue surrounding eDiscovery and Information Governance issues. He is a longtime member of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model, a project aimed at generating guidance through the maze of managing an electronic discovery project. He is a frequent speaker and author on Information Governance and specifically its beneficial effects on eDiscovery.
Pete is a member of the Louisiana State and American Bar associations. He received his JD from Louisiana State University Law School and a BS in Accounting from LSU as well.
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Attorney
Barger & Wolen, LLP
Participating in Session:
Rethinking Legal Fees In the New World
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.
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Mediator/Arbitrator
Resolute Systems
Participating in Session:
Metrics Driven Mediation - When to Mediate and how to Measure its Success
Faustin Pipal is a mediator and arbitrator for Resolute Systems. Faustin has mediated over 1,500 cases since beginning his mediation practice in 1993. He has mediated a wide variety of cases including complex commercial, personal injury, professional malpractice, employment and products liability matters. Prior to devoting his practice to Alternative Dispute Resolution, Faustin represented defendants and plaintiffs in civil litigation, primarily in the areas of product liability, personal injury and professional negligence. Faustin is past president of the Chicago Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution, the largest organization of professional mediators in the United States.
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Assistant General Counsel & Manager, Market Relations
The Liberty Mutual Group
Participating in Session:
Legal Quality & Cost: Controlling Both, Sacrificing Neither
Lori‘s background includes over 25 years of insurance and litigation experience with Liberty Mutual. Her Market Relations group provides legal consulting and analysis to Liberty‘s Strategic Business Units and our Brokers, Agents and Customers regarding managing legal services and the associated allocated costs. Lori is a graduate of Providence College and received her JD from Suffolk University Law School.
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Assistant Vice President & Manager, Legal Information Systems
The Liberty Mutual Group
Participating in Session:
Legal Quality & Cost: Controlling Both, Sacrificing Neither
Cathy has held various positions, all in the Legal Department, at Liberty Mutual since 1980. She is currently Director of Systems, Strategic Analytics, Training and Web Services. Her department supports systems, business process re-engineering and analytics for 65 internal Field Legal offices and all outside counsel firms. Cathy has a Bachelor of Arts from Colby College and a Master of Science in Library and Information Systems from Simmons College.
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Law Dept Finance Manager
Johnson & Johnson
Participating in Session:
Matter management: what it means for claims and claims legal professionals
Christopher Potter joined the Johnson & Johnson Law Department in 2001. He received his Bachelor of Science from Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration in 1991 and Masters in Business Administration from University of Pittsburgh, Katz Graduate School of Business in 1997. Prior employment includes Peterson Consulting, Cambridge Technology Partners, and Burson-Marsteller.
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Attorney
Goodwin Proctor
Participating in Session:
Managing Long-Tail Liability Litigation – Risks and Strategies
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.”
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Attorney
Raymond & Bennett
Participating in Session:
How Lean Can Law Be? Successful Strategies for Reducing Cost
Bruce H. Raymond has served as lead counsel in over 1000 litigated cases in 20 years of trial practice in state and federal courts in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Prior to founding Raymond & Bennett in 2007, he was a partner at one of the largest firms in Connecticut. He is the founder of the LinkedIn Group “Alternative Fee Lawyers”. He has been recognized for innovation in law firm design including lean practices and leveraging technology to reduce costs. He manages a digital, paperless office which also includes use of virtual associates and secure, U.S.-based office support outsourcing.
Attorney Raymond has obtained many favorable results for clients in jury trials. His experience includes business litigation, products liability, toxic torts including asbestos, and intellectual property matters. He has litigated personal injury insurance defense cases including motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, liquor liability, and professional liability matters.
Attorney Raymond was elected President of the Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association by his peers where he also served as a member and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Attorney Raymond was elected by his colleagues throughout New England to serve for three years as the Regional Representative on the Board of Directors of DRI (Defense Research Institute) a 22,000 member national organization of attorneys representing corporations and insurers in litigation. Mr. Raymond also served as chairman of DRI‘s ACMIE (Specialized Litigation Group for Agricultural, Construction, Mining and Industrial Equipment). He is an active member of the IADC (International Association of Defense Counsel) an invitation only international defense bar group. He is a member of the American Bar Association sections for Intellectual Property, Tort and Insurance Practice, Litigation, and Law Office Management. Attorney Raymond is a member of the Connecticut and Massachusetts Bar Associations.
The Council on Litigation Management (CLM) appointed Bruce Raymond as its 2009 Co-Chair for Connecticut.
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Vice President & Counsel, Direct Insurance Claims
Endurance Specialty Insurance
Participating in Session:
Taming the E-Dragon: Controlling Costs, Avoiding Double Billing and Winning Fee Disputes for Duplicative E-Discovery in Litigation of All Sizes
Alex joined Endurance Specialty Insurance, Ltd in September of 2006 and is currently Vice President, Claims Manager & Counsel for the Claims Department in Bermuda, managing direct insurance claims matters across all policy lines and assisting in the management of all reinsurance matters. Alex is an experienced insurance claims manager and former litigator with over 18 years experience in the industry. From 2004 to 2006 Alex was a Claims Manager at Liberty International Underwriters in New York City, assisting in managing Liberty‘s Financial Institutions/ Professional Liability Claims Department; and from 2001 to 2004 Alex worked as a Director of Mainstream Claims at AIG technical Services/National Union in the Financial Institutions Claims Department in New York City. Prior to working for insurance companies, Alex had an extensive and successful career as trial attorney at various law firms practicing in New York and New Jersey; in both state and federal courts. Some of the firms that Alex worked for, from 1991 to 2001, included Martin, Clearwater & Bell and Jackson & Consumano. During his legal career Alex specialized in large scale medical malpractice and pharmaceutical products liability matters as well as handling other consumer class actions, employment law cases and coverage matters.
Alex also has experience in the not-for-profit arena, as well, having served as corporate counsel and board member to several not-for-profit entities including service as Chief legal Officer of the Council on the Arts and Humanities of Staten Island (COAHSI). He also served several years as Director of the St. Peter‘s Capital Campaign under the auspices of the Archdiocese of New York and the Vicariate of Staten Island raising funds for the preservation of landmarked sacred structures on Staten Island where he was raised.
Alex graduated with a BA from Boston College in 1988 and achieved a JD, with honors, at The New York Law School in 1991. He is also a member of the Council on Litigation Management, Professional Liability Underwriters Society (PLUS) and the Excess and Surplus Line Claims Association.
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Manager, Claims Litigation Services
Great American Insurance Group
Participating in Session:
On the Same Page—From the Quill to the Missive
JoAnn Ross is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law and a member of the Ohio Bar. She began her legal career with a mid-size Cincinnati firm handling plaintiff personal injury and medical malpractice cases. She also worked at Lexis-Nexis where she was a Research Specialist in the Business Information Services division. She was an expert in the Medical Libraries and Databases online.
JoAnn was the Compliance Officer of a large health network in southwest Ohio, overseeing compliance with Medicare and Medicaid billing regulations for a hospital, nursing homes, home health company, dialysis center, and multiple physician offices. She became a specialist in EMTALA and HIPAA regulations and was an editor of Strategies for Health Care Compliance, an industry newsletter. She is also a specialist in ICD-9 and CPT coding for both hospitals and private physician practices.
JoAnn currently works for Great American Insurance Group where she manages the Claims Litigation Services department. Her department performs bill review for 19 divisions of the company, reviewing close to $100 million in legal bills this year.
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Account Executive
LexisNexis
Participating in Session:
Matter management: what it means for claims and claims legal professionals
Dan Ruderman is an Account Executive for LexisNexis. With over 25 years leadership experience in sales and account management in the technology sector, Ruderman is a key player in shepherding new Fortune 1000 companies through the processes and programs that bring both law and claim departments greater value from their outside counsel. He has developed innovative methods to service and grow the company‘s largest accounts, and directly contributes to product development and customer configured solutions. Ruderman has helped some of the country‘s largest insurance carriers deploy techniques and programs leading to dramatic process improvement as well as significant bottom line cost reductions. Ruderman has more than ten years tenure at LexisNexis, is a CLM Fellow and State Chair Lead (Massachusetts), is a member of Risk Insurance Management Society, and served in officer roles at Toastmasters International. Ruderman has a bachelor‘s degree from Cornell University.
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Correspondent, Producer and Author
Access Hollywood
Participating in Session:
The Impact of the Media on the Courtroom, Lawyers and Litigants
A strong, independent woman who saw what she wanted from a young age, Laura Saltman, grew up telling her friends, family members and pretty much anyone who would listen that she “did not wish to be a star, she wanted to interview them.” A tough task at a time when the world had not yet morphed into the celebrity obsessed society we find today.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Laura Saltman‘s love for television began when her father, a lawyer with Westinghouse, would take her for regular trips to KDKA‘s broadcasting center. There she would not only watch the anchors but also spend hours learning what it took to make a show come to life behind the scenes.
Laura got her first taste of life in front of the camera after appearing in several statewide beauty pageants while attending Ohio State University. After graduating from college, she took a detour down to Tampa, Florida where she got her first hands-on introduction into TV production via an unconventional medium - Infomercials. The experience would prove to be fruitful though. It was here that she got her first taste of the delicate job of dealing with celebrities. More importantly, for Laura, it was the crash course in editing, writing, shooting, storytelling and budgeting that she would need to make the leap into national television.
One year later, Laura found herself in New York City working on her first syndicated television show, Day & Date. Her work ethic helped her transition from a production assistant to an associate producer in a short six months. She then moved to Los Angeles to become one of the youngest producers at Access Hollywood, which had just begun production on it‘s first season, thus fulfilling her dream to interview the stars.
Once she had met her goal, Laura, knew there were other issues she wanted to tackle and left Access Hollywood to pursue a change of pace working in lifestyle programming. She tried her hand in the talk show world and found one her greatest joys was getting to work with real people on real stories.
Access Hollywood was able to woo Laura back to Entertainment, where her love for American Idol helped turn her from producer to on camera talent. When the show was looking for someone to cover stories for their growing digital platform, they turned to Laura. She is now a correspondent covering everything from the Oscars to The Golden Globes, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and Heroes. She writes a popular column on Accesshollywood.com called Dish of Salt. Her articles have been featured on hundreds of websites. She has a weekly segment on Access Hollywood‘s weekend show and is also a regular contributor to
MSNBC, CNN and Chelsea Lately on E! She has also appeared in several reality shows. In 2007 she hosted a pilot called "Country Stepping."
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Attorney
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith
Participating in Session:
Getting to the Agreement: Perspectives on the Negotiation and Implementation of a Successful Alternative Fee Arrangements
He is a partner with the Los Angeles office of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, defending insureds in Premises Liability, Construction Accidents, Construction Defect Litigation, Group home and foster care liability matters. Victor has managed alternative fee programs from both the law firm and carrier perspectives.
His past roles have included that Regional Vice President of Litigation for the Western United States, Reliance Insurance, overseeing both staff counsel and panel firms. He served as National Director of Specialty Litigation for Farmers Insurance Group having functional responsibility for construction defect, professional liability and commercial casualty claims.
Has served as L.A. Superior Court Arbitrator, Mediator and ‘Crash Settlement‘ Officer over the past 30 years. He recently completed a three year appointment for the California State Bar State‘s Judicial Nomination and Evaluation Committee (2004 - 2007).
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Attorney
Schwartz Simon Edelstein Celso & Zitomer
Participating in Session:
Crisis Management: What Do You Do When Managers Depart From Personnel Policies And Standard Operating Procedures?
Member of the Firm, Stefani C Schwartz has a concentration in labor and employment law in the private and public sectors. In addition to complex civil litigation, Ms. Schwartz‘s expertise includes counseling businesses with employment issues.
At Rutgers University Camden School of Law, Ms. Schwartz worked for the New Jersey Governor‘s Office of Employee Relations. After graduation, she served a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Alvin Weiss, former Assignment Judge of the Superior Court, Essex County.
Ms. Schwartz chairs the Firm‘s Labor and Employment Group and concentrates her practice in the areas of labor and employment, representing management; non-compete litigation; public entities and officials in litigation; commercial litigation and appellate practice.
Ms. Schwartz has litigated in both state and federal courts, as well as before the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law. She has practiced before the National Labor Relations Board, the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission, the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She has several reported cases and has been successful with jury and non-jury trials.
She also has extensive experience in the areas of collective bargaining negotiations and labor arbitrations.
As a frequent lecturer, Ms. Schwartz has spoken at over one hundred seminars and conferences on such topics as sexual harassment, employment handbooks and employment and labor law.
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Vice President, Risk Management - Americas
Lafarge North America, Inc.
Participating in Session:
Managing Long-Tail Liability Litigation – Risks and Strategies
- Background and Education
- Responsible for management of all insured litigation and claims for LNA
- Responsible for insurance placement and marketing for North America
- Responsible for insurance related issues in South America
- 20 years experience with claims, insurance and risk management
- 11 years experience with Cement, Ready mix, aggregate and gypsum businesses
- Regional Manager for National Third Party Administrator
- 12 years experience in the construction field
- Associate in Risk Management Designation (ARM)
- University degree in History – University of Texas at Dallas
Lafarge North America is the largest diversified supplier of construction materials in the United States and Canada. Headquartered outside of Washington D.C., Lafarge North America employs approximately 15,300 people who work at more than 1,000 Lafarge locations across the U. S. States and Canada.
Lafarge employees produce and sell cement, ready-mixed concrete, gypsum wallboard, aggregates, asphalt, and related products and services. These products are used in communities across North America to build homes, apartments, offices, schools, hospitals, banks, museums, roads, highways and bridges, as well as parks and swimming pools.
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President and CEO
Carl Warren & Company
Participating in Session:
Metrics Driven Mediation - When to Mediate and how to Measure its Success
As the President and CEO of Carl Warren & Company, Ms. Siebert leverages her industry and leadership expertise to continue the growth and success of the firm as a leading outsourced service provider to insurers, public agencies and corporate clients. Under her guidance, OC Metro Magazine voted Carl Warren one of the Top 20 Companies to Work For in Orange County. Previously, Ms. Siebert served as Vice President & National Director of Claims Operations with Safeco Insurance Company, where she and her executive counterparts orchestrated a complete turnaround of the company‘s personal and commercial property and casualty business. Prior to that, Caryn headed several customer-facing organizations within subsidiaries of GE Global Insurance, which included Employers RE, the #2 P&C reinsurer in the US, and Coregis Insurance, a public entity and professional risk management insurance group.
An attorney by trade, Caryn launched her career as an Associate with the New York law firm LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, where she was first introduced to insurance law. After three years, she joined Crum and Forster, a leading commercial risk insurance provider where she worked for several years in the corporate law department culminating in her appointment as General Counsel of Coregis.
Ms. Siebert graduated with honors with a BA from Brooklyn College and JD from New York Law School. She is also admitted to the Washington, New York and New Jersey Bars.
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Principal
Suite 200 Solutions, LLC
Participating in Session:
Best Practices for Managing Deposition Value and Minimizing Deposition Expenses
Taylor is the founder and principal of Suite 200 Solutions, LLC, a consulting company that connects insurance and legal executives with innovative technology and service offerings to improve their businesses. Taylor has more than 25 years of experience in insurance and insurance technologies, with an emphasis on improving claims and litigation processes. He started his career managing claims for Norcal Mutual and CNA Insurance Companies. At MMI Companies, he directed a consulting practice that designed and supported litigation management programs for self-insured clients.
Taylor has held executive positions with a number of Web-based technology companies offering solutions for insurance carriers and legal organizations — including products designed to support and improve underwriting, litigation management, spend management, case collaboration, vendor management, and other operational and strategic initiatives.
Taylor’s articles have appeared in Claims Magazine, Claims Advisor Magazine, AM Best Review, National Underwriter, and DRI’s For the Defense Magazine.
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Consultant
Risk Assessment & Transfer International
Participating in Session:
Insurance Exposures and strategies for 2010
Katherine Smith Dedrick is one of the founding members of Risk International. Ms. Smith Dedrick consults with corporate and sophisticated policyholders on risk assessment, insurance coverage and post loss recovery of assets. Ms. Dedrick worked for the insurance industry for the first 18 years of her career as national coverage counsel and gained extensive knowledge about the insurance industry, coverage matters, and the resolution and payment of claims captives and reinsurance. Ms. Dedrick counseled the underwriting, claims and executive branches of insurance companies on matters such as the proper way to handle claims, construe policy language and avoid bad faith matters. Because of this experience and her many contacts in the insurance industry, she understand the needs of the insurance companies which often facilitates quicker resolution of claims for her clients.
For the past 10 years, Ms. Smith Dedrick has used the expertise she gained from the insurance industry, exclusively to assist corporate and sophisticated policy holders. She has most recently counseled corporations in recovery of insurance assets for their respective disasters including: facility explosion in California; fire at a manufacturing storage facility in Texas; the second largest fire loss in Chicago for a national company at its manufacturing facility and hurricane losses (Katrina, Charlie, Wilma and Ike). These matters included claims for business interruption, extra expense, repair and replacement, ordinance issues and other similar business–related claims.
After obtaining her law degree, Ms. Smith-Dedrick received her M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 2003. In December of 2008, Ms. Dedrick was honored by the national publication Business Insurance as one of its 2008 “Women to Watch” for her outstanding accomplishments in insurance and risk management. In 1996, she founded and served as the inaugural Chairwoman for Women for Achievement, which provided career mentoring and scholarships for female high school seniors. She received the Mercedes Mentor Award from Mercedes Benz, Chicago Magazine and the Chicago Junior Women‘s League, as well as the Women With Vision award from the Women‘s Bar Association for her promotion of women in business.
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Attorney
Snyder Law
Participating in Session:
Getting to the Agreement: Perspectives on the Negotiation and Implementation of a Successful Alternative Fee Arrangements
Barry‘s trial experience is unmatched by all but a handful of California attorneys. Over his 35 years of experience, he has tried nearly every type of case, including First Amendment, Americans with Disabilities (ADA), trucking, medical, dental, pharmacy and chiropractic malpractice, product liability, premises and construction negligence, real property and insurance claims. Cases involving catastrophic and other damages have ranged from brain damage, death, and dismemberment to long term toxic exposure and punitive damages. The over 130 jury trials in his career have been tried in every county in Central and Southern California.
Barry attended U.C.L.A. during the historic Lew Alcindor basketball years. At the same time he lettered in both swimming and water polo. His legal education was obtained at Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles where he received his Juris Doctorate. He is the founding partner of Snyder Law, a Prof. Corp.
Barry is a Diplomate of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the highest possible rank attainable. He is also a member of the California and Santa Barbara County Bar Associations, the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA), California Trucking Association, and the Transportation Lawyers Association. Over the years, he has been elected to the Cal-ABOTA Board of Directors (1996-2002), was the President of the Central Coast California Chapter of ABOTA, National Special Projects Chair for the American Law Firm Association and a member of the Board of Directors for USLAW Network.
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Attorney/Structured Settlement Consultant
Ringler Associates
Participating in Session:
Defending a Damages Claim
Teddy (Theda) Snyder, Esq., CSSC is an attorney and Certified Structured Settlement Consultant in the Beverly Hills, California office of Ringler Associates. Ringler Associates is the oldest and largest structured settlement company. Teddy joined Ringler in 2001 after more than 20 years of litigation and litigation management experience, including more than 100 trials.
She has presented lectures to numerous legal organizations, state bar associations and annual meetings of the American Bar Association. Her articles have been published in a variety of legal and insurance journals and newspapers, and she has written three books about running a law practice, all published by the American Bar Association.
Teddy holds a J.D. degree from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago and a B.A. cum laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She also holds the Certified Structured Settlement Consultant designation conferred by the University of Notre Dame, and is certified to broker structured sales.
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Vice-President, Information and Knowledge Management
Viacom
Participating in Session:
Effective Management Of Discovery In A Complex Case
Warren Solow is Vice President, Information and Knowledge Management at Viacom, on of the world‘s leading entertainment content companies. Mr. Solow‘s position sits within the Corporate Law Department and is responsible for developing policy and practice around information lifecycle issues including records/data retention. A significant driver of these initiatives is the requirement associated with regulatory and legal data retention rules. In addition, Mr. Solow is a senior member of the committee responsible for the company‘s efforts in the area of e-discovery, including the enhancement of internal capabilities, vendor relationships, technology assessment and collaboration with outside counsel. Prior to Mr. Solow‘s ten years at Viacom he spent a decade at an Amlaw 50 law firm in numerous support functions including case management, technology assessment and logistics. Completing his 360 degree perspective of the litigation ecosystem, Mr. Solow has also worked on the litigation support vendor side, in the areas of product development, staffing and project management.
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President
The Center for Forensic Economic Studies
Participating in Session:
Defending a Damages Claim
Mr. Staller‘s practice focuses primarily on the analysis of, and testimony on, commercial damages (lost profits), personal injury and wrongful-death damages, and damages and liability in labor and employment matters. He has testified in jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations in both state and federal courts throughout the country.
He publishes articles and presents seminars on forensic economic topics and is a guest lecturer at Temple University‘s James E. Beasley School of Law and at Villanova University School of Law.
Prior to joining the Center for Forensic Economic Studies, he practiced law, representing a wide range of clients in a variety of matters, including personal injury, product liability, breach of contract and contract interpretation. He also served as law clerk to Judge S. Michael Pincus of the Circuit Court of Montgomery County Maryland.
He received his Masters in Business Administration from the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and his Master of Accounting and Professional Consultancy from Villanova University. He is certified as an Accredited Valuation Analyst by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts.
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Executive Vice President
Chartis, Inc.
Participating in Session:
Rethinking Legal Strategies in the New World
Mr. Stauffer is an Executive Vice President at Chartis, Inc., the general insurance subsidiary of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), in charge of Litigation Management. In this position, he supervises a staff of 600 and oversees a legal expense budget of approximately $2.5 billion. Before joining AIG in 2003, Mr. Stauffer had been a Senior Vice President and the Director of Litigation for JPMorgan Chase and its predecessor, Chase Manhattan. Prior to that, he was engaged in trial practice as a partner in the New York City firm of Gordon Hurwitz Butowsky Weitzen Shalov & Wein, an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, and an associate at the firm of Breed, Abbott & Morgan.
In addition to bar association activities, Mr. Stauffer is a member of the Board of Directors and past Chair of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.
Mr. Stauffer received a B.A. in economics from Amherst College, a law degree from Harvard Law School, and a masters degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
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Vice President – Strategic Outcomes Practice
Willis North America
Participating in Session:
Case Closed: Methods for early resolution of disputes and litigation
Julie Strickland is a Vice President and responsible for the supervision and management of claims functions in our Phoenix office. The Claim Management team acts as liaison between our clients and the insurance companies in the handling and disposition of open claims and can assist in a claims consulting capacity.
Prior to joining Willis in 2003, Julie was a Claims Manager for AIG Claims Services; Director of Workers‘ Compensation for Continental Airlines; and Claims Manager for The Circle K Corporation. With more than 30 years‘ experience in the insurance industry, she has extensive Risk Management background having worked for two large self insured, multistate employers.
Julie‘s background on the insurance carrier, third party administration, and employer‘s side of the industry contribute to her success servicing clients from her current position with an insurance broker. Her client base covers many business sectors including, but not limited to, manufacturing, construction, healthcare, mining, retail, refining, airlines, and food service.
Julie is a licensed adjuster in the state of Arizona and has authored numerous in-house training manuals; spoken at national seminars on Workers‘ Compensation; audited claims for her own company and a large insurance company.
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Judge
Ninth Judicial Circuit - Florida
Participating in Session:
The Impact of the Media on the Courtroom, Lawyers and Litigants
Stan Strickland has served as a judge in Florida‘s Ninth Judicial Circuit since 1995. His assignments have included civil and criminal divisions, as well as juvenile, domestic relations, and traffic courts. Currently he serves as a circuit judge, civil division. Judge Strickland received his bachelor of science and master of science from Florida State University, and his juris doctorate from Mercer University in Atlanta.
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Regional Legal Services Manager, Eastern Region
The Liberty Mutual Group
Participating in Session:
Legal Quality & Cost: Controlling Both, Sacrificing Neither
Angela joined Liberty in 1997 as an attorney in the Philadelphia, PA Field Legal office. Among other, her current responsibilities include overseeing the Outside Counsel Managed Panel of Workers‘ Compensation and Liability law firms for the Eastern Region of ELS which is comprised of 17 states from Maine to Florida. Angela is a graduate of Hampton University and Widener University School of Law.
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Attorney
Goehring, Rutter & Boehm
Participating in Session:
Vendor or Partner? The Impact Your Relationship With Outside Counsel Has On The Defense Dollar
Stacey F. Vernallis heads the Litigation Group at the Pittsburgh-based law firm of Goehring, Rutter & Boehm. Goehring, Rutter & Boehm serves the tri-state region of Pennsylvania with offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Stacey began her career defending toxic tort and traditional negligence areas, and trying cases throughout Western Pennsylvania. She has tried tort, employment and commercial disputes.
She currently serves as national trial counsel in toxic tort and products liability claims. She represents a variety of insurers and businesses in catastrophic loss cases. Stacey counsels corporations, large and small, in trial and risk management issues. She also conducts pre-complaint investigations to assist carriers and companies on risk allocation and risk shifting mechanisms. Stacey is panel counsel to a number of carriers and works to develop national claims handling practices for prompt investigation and evaluation: the best methods to position for mediation versus trial. In addition to panel counsel, Stacey regularly serves as a private arbitrator.
A frequent presenter at state, regional and national seminars on claims management and handling, Stacey is also written extensively on discovery practices and effective motion practice pre-trial phase. Stacey is a 2010 Best Lawyer in America and consistent Super Lawyer for Pennsylvania. Stacey has been a member of Council for Litigation Management since its inception.
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Attorney
Brown & James
Participating in Session:
Class Actions: Plaintiffs‘ Attorneys‘ Dream, Insurance Carriers‘ Nightmare
Russell Watters concentrates his practice in the areas of complex business and insurance litigation and catastrophic injury and death cases. He is frequently asked to speak to both professional and industry organizations on litigation topics.
Mr. Watters received his education from Southern Illinois University and St. Louis University where he received his B.A. degree in 1973 and his J.D. degree in 1976. He is a life long resident of the St. Louis area.
Mr. Watters is a member of the Missouri Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Defense Research Institute, Property Law Research Bureau, Past Board of Director of the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers, and Council on Litigation Management,
Mr. Watters is admitted to practice before all Missouri State courts, all Illinois State Courts, the United States District Court Eastern District of Missouri, the United States District Court Western District of Missouri, the United States District Court Southern District of Illinois, United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, United States Courts of Appeals, Tenth Circuit and the United States Courts of Appeals, Seventh Circuit.
He is considered one of the leading authorities in the field of business and insurance law, personal injury and products liability litigation. He is retained by a number of the national home offices of many of the largest companies throughout the United States. He is listed as one of the Missouri‘s “Super Lawyers” by Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyer Magazine and has been awarded the annual “No 1 Trial Defense Verdict in Missouri” honor twice by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. He has been inducted into the “Multi Million Dollar Advocates Forum.”
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Assistant Vice President
OneBeacon Professional Insurance
Participating in Session:
How Lean Can Law Be? Successful Strategies for Reducing Cost
Joanne‘s career has evolved from that of an emergency department nurse in a teaching hospital in Chicago, to a community hospital in NH, then on to a trauma center in Massachusetts. After the clinical setting Joanne worked as a nurse consultant for a plaintiffs‘ Med Mal firm in Florida and a defense firm in Austin, TX. While in TX, Joanne received her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin.
Medical Malpractice insurance defense work was the next logical step in career development. Joanne worked for a physician insurer in NJ then started the Med Mal claims unit at Executive Risk Specialty Insurance in CT. ERSIC was subsequently acquired by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies where Joanne spent the next ten years initially as a claim examiner then supervisor and ultimately heading up the Medical Malpractice Unit with a staff of 24. As the Med Mal runoff occurred, Joanne also negotiated high-severity claims for Casualty Bodily Injury claims.
Joanne joined OneBeacon Professional Insurance in August 2009 and manages healthcare claims for the Eastern U.S.
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Managing Attorney
Barry, McTiernan & Wedinger
Participating in Session:
Managing Litigation – a corporate approach
As Managing Partner and founder of Barry, McTiernan & Wedinger, relishes trial work, and tenaciously represents his clients, whether defending claims brought against them, or pursuing recoveries on their behalf.
Admitted to the New Jersey and New York bars in 1988, Rick is also admitted to practice in the United States District Courts in New York and New Jersey. He has also very successfully tried cases pro hac vice in the states of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Obtaining his law degree from Syracuse University in 1987 (where he was accepted to Law Review and graduated cum laude), after clerking for New York Supreme Court Justice Nicholas Clemente, Rick then commenced his legal career with Barry, McTiernan & Moore in 1988 in New York City. In 1991, he opened the New Jersey office for the firm. As such, Rick has grown and developed this office, through very careful selection of attorneys with whom he has chosen to partner. Mindful always of the need to provide consistent, reliable, servicing to all clients, Rick has staffed the office with those equally hard-working, and driven, to maximize client satisfaction and outstanding results.
Proficient at the trial and appellate levels, Rick has won seven-figure results on behalf of plaintiffs, and defeated seven-figure demands on behalf of defendants. He has argued at the appellate level, not only in the state courts of New Jersey and New York, but also in the Federal Circuit Courts, as well as in the New Jersey Supreme Court; he has also submitted several briefs to the United States Supreme Court. Twice his winning arguments have been approved for publication by the New Jersey Appellate Division, and are frequently cited in the case books. Rick is a member of the Monmouth County Bar Association, as well as DANY (Defense Association of New York).
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Attorney
Buckley King
Participating in Session:
Metrics Driven Mediation - When to Mediate and how to Measure its Success
Pat White is a Partner and member of the Advocacy and Litigation Practice Group of Buckley King. Founded in 1983, Buckley King has established itself as a leading full service business and commercial law firm with offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Mr. White focuses on employment, professional liability and complex litigation. In addition, Mr. White participates in and oversees his Firm‘s mediation use with a number of national clients.
Since 2005, Mr. White has worked with major insurance carriers to handle legal work utilizing alternative-fee arrangements. At this time, the majority of work handled by Mr. White and his litigation team is performed on an alternative-fee basis.
Mr. White is licensed to practice in Georgia. He is a member of the Georgia and American Bar Associations, the Defense Research Institute, and a member of the Council on Litigation Management.
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Attorney
Smith & Brink
Participating in Session:
Defending a Damages Claim
Lauren D. Wilkins, Esq. is the President and Managing Director of Smith & Brink, P.C. She has litigated cases in Massachusetts and Rhode Island State Courts as well as in the Federal District Court for the State of Rhode Island. Ms. Wilkins‘s practice focuses on the area of defense litigation, including insurance coverage, special investigations, and bad faith claims. She has a wide range of expertise concentrating in motor vehicle accidents, construction accidents, commercial liability, premises liability, rental car liability, products liability, and property claims.
Ms. Wilkins is admitted to the Massachusetts Bar, the Rhode Island Bar, and the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. She is a member of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Bar Associations. Ms. Wilkins is appointed to the Constables Disciplinary Board in the District Court of the State of Rhode Island and served as a Special Lecturer on law at Providence College from 1987-2005. She is approved by the Rhode Island Bar Association and the State of Rhode Island Superior Court to serve as an arbitrator in civil litigation. Ms. Wilkins currently acts as neutral arbitrator and/or mediator in a wide variety of matters. She is a member of the Justinian Law Society, the Defense Research Institute, and the Counsel on Litigation Management. She is currently the Rhode Island Chairperson for the Counsel on Litigation Management.
Ms. Wilkins has lectured extensively on insurance and legal issues at seminars for the insurance industry throughout the United States.
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Attorney
Harris Beach
Participating in Session:
Taming the E-Dragon: Controlling Costs, Avoiding Double Billing and Winning Fee Disputes for Duplicative E-Discovery in Litigation of All Sizes
Mr. Winchester is a member of the firm of Harris Beach LLP and leader of the e-infosm Electronic Information Counseling and Management Team, which provides comprehensive document management services for both transactional and litigation scenarios. He also practices within the Medical & Life Sciences Industry Team and in the Mass Torts & Industry Wide Litigation Practice Group. As electronic discovery counsel, Mr. Winchester is experienced in all phases of information management relating to the development of document management strategies and policies, compliance with all regulatory agencies, e-discovery, search criteria, review of documents for responsiveness and privilege, sampling of electronic documents for pre-litigation assessments, as well as retention plans and development of disaster plans.
In the tort arena, Mr. Winchester focuses his practice primarily on litigation involving technology and pharmaceutical products. He has defended manufacturers of chemical or pharmaceutical products in products liability claims brought as class actions, multi-district litigation and statewide consolidations or as individual suits involving cancer, cardiac and pulmonary defects, birth defects and other systemic injuries. He has also acted as national counsel, local counsel, and science counsel for numerous companies.
Alan graduated with a JD from Brooklyn law School in 1989 and received a BS from Trinity College in 1989. He is admitted to practice in New York State and Federal courts. Mr. Winchester frequently authors articles on e-discovery and lectures to industry representatives, law firms, and in-house counsel in the areas of technology and its use in managing large and complex litigation. He is a member of The Defense Research Institute and the Council on Litigation Management (CLM).
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Attorney
Brown & James
Participating in Session:
Class Actions: Plaintiffs‘ Attorneys‘ Dream, Insurance Carriers‘ Nightmare
Tim Wolf earned his J.D. degree from St. Louis University School of Law in 2001 and his B.A. degree in 1998 from Westminster College in History and Political Science. He has concentrated his practice in the areas of complex business litigation including class action matters, insurance coverage litigation and insurance bad faith cases.
Mr. Wolf is a member of the Missouri Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association, the Missouri Organization of the Defense Lawyers, the Defense Research Institute, Property Law Research Bureau and the Council on Litigation Management.
Mr. Wolf is admitted to practice before all Missouri State courts, all Illinois State Courts, all Arkansas State Courts, the United States District Court Eastern District of Missouri and the United States District Court Western District of Missouri.
He has authored several articles including, "Civil Conspiracy Claims Extend Business Litigator‘s Reach to Defendants Not a Party to the Contract", "Tide Turning? Decisions Opposing Class Certification", "Missouri Court Limits Class Action Certification” and "Fraudulent Misrepresentation of Policy Limits.”
Mr. Wolf focuses his practice on insurance coverage and bad faith litigation and advice involving primary and excess liability policies with an emphasis on complex coverage and class action lawsuits. He has lectured on class actions and how to manage the class action lawsuit. Mr. Wolf routinely publishes articles and speaks to industry professionals regarding insurance regulations and proper claim handling procedures. His broad based insurance background includes litigating all aspects of insurance cases involving property and casualty insurance.
He has successfully handled intellectual property litigation for his clients involving alleged patent, trademark and copyright infringement claims. Mr. Wolf has tried numerous lawsuits to successful conclusion in state and federal courts. He has deposed hundreds of experts on liability, causation and damages. He has represented clients in mediations and arbitrations in various venues and jurisdictions.
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Attorney
Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C.
Participating in Session:
Keeping The Lid On Litigation Costs: Strategies That Work
Mr. Wollin litigates a wide variety of matters, including commercial, products liability, environmental, toxic tort and intellectual property cases. He has represented public traded and private companies in national and regional litigation in federal and state courts in multiple jurisdictions. He has also appeared as lead counsel in federal and state appellate cases and is co-author of a leading treatise on civil and appellate procedure. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America® and Chambers USA, America‘s Leading Lawyers for Business and is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel.
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Attorney
Bryan Cave
Participating in Session:
The Impact of the Media on the Courtroom, Lawyers and Litigants
L. Lin Wood has more than 30 years experience as a trial lawyer focusing on civil litigation, representing individuals and corporations as plaintiffs or defendants in tort and business cases involving claims of significant damage. Mr. Wood also has extensive experience in First Amendment litigation and management of the media in high profile cases.
On behalf of his clients, Mr. Wood has made numerous national television and radio appearances, including appearances on NBC‘s The Today Show, CBS‘ 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II, Larry King Live, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC‘s Good Morning America, CBS‘ The Early Show, CNN‘s American Morning, MSNBC‘s The Abrams Report, Imus in the Morning and Hardball, Court TV, and the CBS, NBC and ABC evening news programs.
Mr. Wood was profiled in the cover article of the January 1998, issue of Atlanta magazine, on the July 12, 2000, broadcast of NBC‘s The Today Show and in the cover article of the November 27, 2000, issue of Editor & Publisher magazine. Additionally, Mr. Wood was recognized as a Notable Georgian in the January 2002, issue of Georgia Trend magazine. Mr. Wood was recognized in the August 2004, and September 2005, Atlanta Business Chronicle list of Who‘s Who in Law and was recognized in 2005 as a Georgia Super Lawyer in Law & Politics magazine and Atlanta magazine. Mr. Wood was recognized in 2006, 2007 and 2008 as one of The Top 100 Georgia Super Lawyers in Law & Politics magazine and Atlanta magazine and was the subject of a separate profile article in Law & Politics in 2006.
Mr. Wood is the subject of an article published in the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal, entitled "Suing the News Media in the Age of Tabloid Journalism: L. Lin Wood and the Battle for Accountability," 16 FORDHAM INTELL. PROP. MEDIA & ENT. L.J. 467 (2006).
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Attorney
Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold
Participating in Session:
How To Value A Case
Karen Woodward is a trial attorney who focuses her practice on the defense of consumer product class actions and complex litigation. Ms. Woodward has extensive experience coordinating national and statewide litigation against tobacco, medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, as well as defending these entities and other product manufacturers in individual products liability actions involving catastrophic injuries. As such, she is active in Sedgwick‘s Class Action Task Force and Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Practice Group. She also co-chairs the firm‘s Food & Nutritional Supplement Task Force.
Ms. Woodward works in collaboration with her clients to serve their business and strategic objectives. It is her professional mission to provide legal services that are value-based. To this end, Ms. Woodward‘s case management practices are specifically tailored to the demands of a particular action, in conjunction with her client‘s needs, and with an emphasis on forward thinking and efficiency at all times.
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Attorney
Fleming, Zulack Williamson Zauderer LLP
Participating in Session:
Strategies for the Effective Handling of Complex Claims
Partner Mark C. Zauderer, a prominent New York litigator, focuses his practice on trials, arbitrations and appeals of business and commercial cases throughout the United States and frequently serves as an arbitrator and private mediator of significant disputes. He currently serves as President of the Federal Bar Council and a member of the Board of Editors of the New York Law Journal. In 2003, Zauderer was appointed by Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye as Chair of New York‘s Commission on the Jury, a blue ribbon panel charged with finding ways to better utilize the time of citizens who report for jury service. He also served as a member of the Chief Judge‘s Commercial Courts Task Force, which implemented the establishment of the New York State Court System‘s Commercial Division and as member of the Office of Court Administration‘s Program on the Profession and the Courts, which drafted New York‘s current sanctions rules. Zauderer is a past chair of the 2000 member Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association, served as a delegate to its House of Delegates, as a member of the Special Committee on Cameras in the Courts, and chaired the Association‘s Steering Committee on Commerce and Industry. He also served as a member of the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Professional Responsibility, and the Committee on State Courts of Superior Jurisdiction of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Zauderer currently serves as a member of the Governor‘s Judicial Screening Committee for the Appellate Division, Second Department and a member of the Chief Administrative Judge‘s Advisory Committee on Civil Practice and lectures frequently and provides media commentary on litigation related issues. He was formerly a partner with Solomon, Zauderer, Ellenhorn, Frischer & Sharp, a firm he co-founded in 1981. Zauderer received his JD from the New York University School of Law.
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Director
Deloitte Consulting
Participating in Session:
The Future of Litigation Management with Predictive Modeling
Mr. Zizzamia has over thirty years experience serving the financial services industry. He is the founder of Deloitte‘s predictive modeling practice and currently leads their Claims Advanced Analytics Initiative. His areas of expertise include actuarial data mining and predictive modeling, artificial intelligence, and advanced technology R&D. His experience includes modeling for claims, fraud, underwriting, pricing, customer profiling, facility depopulation, lead generation, and direct mail campaigns. His claim modeling applications have been used for first notice of loss severity estimation, litigation propensity, litigation complexity, and fraud detection. Mr. Zizzamia was awarded a U.S. Patent for the use of neural networks in insurance classification plans and has several additional financial services predictive modeling patents pending. Mr. Zizzamia holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Hartford and an M.S. in Mathematics from Trinity College.