Joshua Bachrach is the chair of Wilson Elser's Life, Health, Disability & ERISA practice. Josh represents clients in state and federal courts throughout the United States in litigation involving ERISA and non-ERISA life, health and disability disputes, as well as disputes over pension benefits. Josh also represents insurers in coverage and bad faith litigation and has experience with disputes involving managed care issues. He is a frequent speaker at national seminars on ERISA-related subjects and has written numerous articles on ERISA and related topics. Josh is a partner in Wilson Elser's Philadelphia office.

Julie K. Bolt is the Assistant Counsel for Standard Insurance Company in Portland, Oregon where she oversees and directs complex ERISA and non-ERISA life and disability insurance litigation throughout the country. Ms. Bolt is a 1989 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law. Prior to joining Standard, she was a partner in the Portland firm of Martin, Bischoff, Templeton, Langslet & Hoffman and spent five years as a federal court law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.

Byrne J. Decker is a Partner in the Portland, Maine office of Pierce Atwood, LLP. He has a national practice in employee benefits/ERISA litigation. Byrne has defended benefits claims in district courts in every federal judicial circuit. He is a frequent writer and speaker on ERISA topics and is the current Vice-Chair of the DRI Life, Health & Disability Committee.

Elizabeth G. Doolin is a member of Chittenden, Murday & Novotny LLC in Chicago, Illinois. She has nearly 25 years of experience representing insurance and financial services industry clients in ERISA litigation, life insurance litigation, insurance coverage disputes, healthcare contract litigation, insurance tax litigation, commercial disputes, securities fraud and RICO claims, employment discrimination matters, and regulatory issues. Elizabeth has significant trial and appellate experience, and is a frequent author and speaker on insurance and litigation issues. She has also been recognized as one of the Top 10 Women Civil Appellate Lawyers in Illinois by the Leading Lawyers Network. She is a member of DRI's Life, Health and Disability, Data Management and Security, and Women in the Law Committees.

D. Larry Kristinik, III, is a partner in the Columbia, South Carolina, office of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. His practice is focused on the defense of claims of alleged bad faith refusal to pay benefits under individual life, disability, and accident insurance policies and providing pre-decision and regulatory advice to insurers. He also has extensive experience with policy rescissions, agent misconduct claims, and interpleaders. He is the chair of Nelson Mullins' insurance industry practice group and also is a member of the Association of Life Insurance Counsel. He is the former chair of the Insurance Law Practice Group of ALFA International. He has previously served as a speaker at DRI's Life, Health, Disability & ERISA Seminar and Boot Camp for Young Lawyers. He has served in the leadership of the Life, Health and Disability Committee for several years and will serve as the Program Chair for the 2018 DRI Life, Health, Disability & ERISA Seminar.

Leonor (Leo) M. Lagomasino, a partner with Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in the Miami, Florida office, defends insurers in cases involving individual disability and ERISA, bad faith, life insurance and commercial first party coverage actions. She is the Chair of DRI's Life, Health and Disability Committee.

Linda M. Lawson is the managing partner of the Los Angeles office of Meserve Mumper & Hughes LLP. Ms. Lawson represents insurance companies in matters relating to life, health and disability coverage and ERISA. She also represents management in employment-related litigation involving wrongful termination, sexual harassment and employment discrimination. Ms. Lawson is currently a member of DRI's Law Institute, DRI's Employment Law Committee, and is a past chair of the Life, Health and Disability Committee.

Mark E. Schmidtke is a shareholder with the law firm of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. in its offices in Valparaiso, Indiana and Chicago, Illinois. For over thirty years, Mr. Schmidtke has represented insurers, employers and fiduciaries in ERISA and non-ERISA employee benefit litigation throughout the United States. In 2016, Mr. Schmidtke was appointed as Chair of the U.S. Department of Labor Advisory Council on Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, commonly known as the ERISA Advisory Council. He was appointed to the Council by Labor Secretary Thomas Perez in 2014 and also served as Vice Chair of the ERISA Advisory Council in 2015. Mr. Schmidtke has authored numerous books and articles on employee benefit topics in various national publications. He is a Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. In July 2016, he was selected for inclusion in Who's Who Legal – Labour, Employment & Benefits, an international listing of attorneys selected based on the opinions of law firm clients and labor, employment, and benefits lawyers from around the world. Mr. Schmidtke is an AV lawyer in Martindale Hubbell and has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America. He was selected by Best Lawyers peers as Lawyer of the Year – Employee Benefits Litigation for the Chicago Region for 2017.

Gary Schuman is Senior Counsel – Litigation at Combined Insurance Company of America, a supplemental life, health and disability insurer and a subsidiary of Chubb Ltd. His practice includes providing day-to-day legal support to the company's Claims, Underwriting, Policyholder Service and Special Investigation Departments, as well as managing all contract and extra-contractual litigation filed against the company nationwide. Mr. Schuman has lectured at numerous national and regional legal conferences and is widely published in a number of law journals and treatises on a variety of life, health and disability topics. Mr. Schuman is an active member with the Defense Research Institute, having served as Chair of its Life, Health and Disability Committee (2010-2012).

E. Ford Stephens has a litigation practice in Virginia with a focus on insurance and appeals. He represents insurers in life health, disability and ERISA litigation in both state and federal courts. He is a contributing author to the ABA's publications ERISA Survey of Federal Courts, and Misrepresentation in the Life, Health and Disability Insurance Application Process: A National Survey. Mr. Stephens is listed in Best Lawyers in America for Insurance Law (2015) and Virginia Super Lawyer Magazine for Insurance Coverage (2013-2015). He is a partner at Christian & Barton, LLP (www.cblaw.com), in Richmond, Virginia.