DRI Faculty List

Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute

Swissotel Chicago | Chicago, IL, United States | March 21 - 23, 2018


Bryana L. Blessinger
Shareholder
Bullivant Houser Bailey PC

Bryana L. Blessinger a civil litigator in Oregon and Washington, handles complex first and third party insurance coverage matters including extra-contractual bad faith claims, property loss, D&O, professional negligence, and crime coverage. Bryana also defends general tort actions, with an emphasis on property loss, professional malpractice, and employment law claims. Throughout her career, Bryana has tried more than 30 cases to verdict. Bryana is actively involved in the Defense Research Institute's Insurance Law Committee, serving as an Editor-in-Chief for The Voice.


Andrew Scott Boris
General Counsel & Secretary
American Agricultural Insurance Company

Andrew Scott Boris joined American Agricultural Insurance Company in June of 2014 as General Counsel and Secretary. Prior to joining AAIC, Andrew practiced law in Chicago, Illinois, focusing on a broad range of complex insurance and reinsurance issues on a national and international basis. Andrew also counseled insurance and reinsurance companies on wide-ranging enterprise liability issues and has coordinated company-wide internal investigations addressing such issues. He is a regular speaker and has authored articles appearing in National Underwriter, Global Reinsurance, Journal of Reinsurance, Journal of Insurance, and RISE (CPCU Reinsurance Committee newsletter). He recently authored a chapter titled, Basic Types of Policies and Coverage for a book published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education titled, Illinois Insurance Law.


Eric K. Bowers
Counsel
Zelle LLP

Eric K. Bowers is a partner with Zelle LLP's Dallas office. He defends commercial and residential property insurers in coverage and bad faith disputes, and he prosecutes their subrogation and loss recovery claims. A chemistry major in college, Eric enjoys probing the technical nuances of a property loss with opposing experts and preparing his own experts to persuade juries and avoid pitfalls. He is fluent in Spanish and has significant experience in trans-border disputes.


Robert C. Burrell
Borgelt Powell Peterson & Frauen SC

Robert C. Burrell, Borgelt Powell Peterson & Frauen SC, Milwaukee, WI --biography requested


Virginia Y. (Ginger) Dodd
Partner
Phelps Dunbar LLP

Virginia Y. (Ginger) Dodd practices in the area of insurance and reinsurance. Her litigation experience encompasses a broad range of insurance coverage issues, with an emphasis on complex insurance coverage disputes including time element claims related to windstorm and flood catastrophes, environmental clean-up, chemical exposures and professional liability. In addition, she defends various clients against premises liability, product and professional liability claims. She is AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.


Melissa Fernandez
Senior Counsel Claim Legal
Travelers

Melissa Fernandez is Senior Counsel for the Major Case Unit of Travelers Claim Legal Liability Group, and provides coverage advice, litigation management and other legal services to Travelers complex claim professionals. She earned an A.B. in Psychology, summa cum laude, from Princeton University in June 2004. Melissa is also a 2007 graduate of New York University School of Law, and was an Articles Editor for NYU's Journal of Legislation and Public Policy. Melissa began her legal career at the firm of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, LLP in New York as an associate in the firm's Capital Markets and Litigation Groups. She then clerked for the Honorable Vanessa L. Bryant, United States District Court Judge, District of Connecticut. Melissa joined the Stamford, Connecticut office of Wiggin & Dana upon completion of her clerkship, where she focused her practice on a broad spectrum of civil litigation and was a member of the firm's Insurance and White Collar Practice Groups.


F. Lane Finch, Jr.
Partner
Swift Currie McGhee & Hiers LLP

F. Lane Finch, Jr. has advised on insurance coverage, defended bad faith claims, and litigated first-party and third-party insurance claims in Alabama and California for almost 28 years. He has handled insurance coverage claims involving up to $500 million, as well as class action and other liability claims exceeding $100 million. Lane authored "Automobile Liability Insurance," New Appleman on Insurance Law Library Edition, Chapter 63, as well as numerous articles on insurance coverage and bad faith. He is a Regional Editor for DRI's Bad Faith and Professional Liability Compendia. Lane was adjunct professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (School of Business) and in 2006 was a visiting professor at Anshan Normal University in Anshan, People's Republic of China, where he taught American Business Law and Intellectual Property Rights.


Mia Finsness
Director, Claims
Markel Corporation

Mia Finsness, is a Senior Director, Claims at Markel Corporation. In this capacity, Mia manages team of attorneys who handle all of the complex excess liability claims across the company. She also manages claims professionals in Bermuda, who are responsible for handling casualty claims for policies written out of Bermuda and Europe. All of the claims under Mia's purview involve both Fortune 1000 and middle market companies. Prior to joining Markel in 2014, Mia was a practicing attorney in New York at Clyde & Co LLP, where she worked with international liability insurers on London arbitrations and US coverage litigation. Mia holds a bachelor's degree in History from Boston College, and law degrees from Oxford University and Columbia University. She studied international law at the Sorbonne in Paris and clerked at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg prior to entering private practice in New York.


Matthew S. Foy
Partner
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP

Matthew S. Foy is a partner in Gordon & Rees's San Francisco office and serves both as the National Practice Group Leader of the firm's Property and Casualty insurance practice as well as the Practice Group Leader of the San Francisco Insurance group. Mr. Foy has more than 15 years experience representing national insurers at the claims stage, in trial, and on appeal. He currently serves as Chair of DRI's Insurance Law Committee and is also a member of the International Association of Defense counsel.


Johanna E. Fricano
AVP, Claims Practice Leader
QBE North America

Johanna E. Fricano manages the investigation, evaluation and resolution of Public Company Management Liability claims, including Federal securities litigation, shareholder derivative litigation and demands, books and records demands and fiduciary matters. In addition to her claim handling responsibilities, Jo liaises with underwriting to strengthen the partnership between claims and underwriting by delivering and analyzing reports of pending claims and discussion of claims trends and developments. Jo is also involved in initiatives designed to deliver QBE's brand to customers, trading partners and other stakeholders.


Daniel I. Graham, Jr.
Partner
Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP

Daniel I. Graham, Jr. a founding partner in his firm, assists his insurance company clients in both appreciating and navigating the complex coverage issues intellectual property infringement and unfair business practice claims present. He has represented his clients' interests before state and federal courts nationwide, at both the trial and appellate level, and in doing so, helped law addressing the scope of insurance coverage in the context of emerging technology-related coverage issues. He has been recognized by Leading Lawyers Network, Chambers USA, and Super Lawyers magazine.


Carol A. Griffin
Assistant Vice President and Associate General Counsel
Resolute Management Inc.

Carol A. Griffin is an Assistant Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Resolute Management, Inc. Previously, Ms. Griffin was an attorney with the Complex and Emerging Risk Claims Department of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Additionally, Ms. Griffin was the managing attorney of the Law Offices of Carol A. Griffin, an in-house insurance coverage counsel office for Travelers Property Casualty, and an associate and partner in the Boston office of Morrison, Mahoney & Miller, LLP. Ms. Griffin has been a frequent speaker at numerous continuing legal education seminars for twenty-five years on a variety of topics with a special emphasis on insurance coverage and bad faith/unfair claims settlement practices and author of numerous articles and chapters in four books. Ms. Griffin is a graduate of Boston University School of Law and Washington University.


John T. Harding
Partner
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP

John T. Harding is a partner who practices in his firm's Insurance and Bad Faith Group. John's practice is concentrated in the areas of insurance coverage litigation and advice, reinsurance disputes and arbitrations, and "bad faith" litigation. John has more than twenty-seven years of experience in representing domestic and foreign insurers on a national basis in coverage disputes under CGL, excess, umbrella, commercial property, homeowners, auto and other specialized policies, and extensive experience in the trial of complex coverage cases.


Karen I. Johnson
Second Vice President Complex Claim Manager
Travelers

Karen I. Johnson is one of two managers of the Travelers Business Torts Claim Group. The Business Torts Claim Group is made up of experienced coverage and litigation attorneys and senior claim professionals who specialize in claims involving breach of contract, copyright, trademark and trade dress infringement, privacy violations, business and product disparagement, data breach and other cyber events, class actions, medical products bodily injury, and technology, printers and manufacturers errors and omissions. Prior to joining Travelers in 2000, Karen was an insurance defense and insurance coverage attorney in private practice in Minneapolis, MN.


Michael A. Kotula
Partner
Rivkin Radler LLP

Michael A. Kotula is a partner in the Insurance Coverage practice group at Rivkin Radler LLP in New York. He is past chair of the ABA TIPS Excess, Surplus Lines and Reinsurance committee, and has authored a number of publications, including the chapter on Environmental and Toxic Tort Coverage Issues in NEW APPLEMAN LAW OF LIABILITY INSURANCE. Michael has over 25 years of experience representing insurers in litigation involving asbestos, toxic tort, environmental pollution, product liability, construction defect and accident claims. He has an AV Preeminent 5.0 rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and is recognized by Super Lawyers in the Metro New York area in Insurance Coverage and Best Lawyers in America in Insurance Law, and the Insurance Coverage practice group at Rivkin Radler is recognized by Chambers USA for Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Insurer.


Kerry S. Lee, MBA, PE, SECB, M.ASCE
Senior Vice President
Nelson Forensics LLC

Kerry S. Lee, MBA, PE, SECB, M.ASCE, is the Senior Vice President of Nelson Forensics, LLC. Kerry is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Architectural Engineering and has over twenty-seven years of experience in design and forensics. His areas of expertise include industrial, commercial, and residential projects including failures of structures and buildings, civil site grading and drainage, and building envelopes. Mr. Lee is an accomplished engineering and forensic expert with many depositions, mediations, arbitrations, and trials to his credit on cases in multiple states and in federal court.


Roman Lifson
Partner
Christian & Barton LLP

Roman Lifson is a partner with Christian & Barton LLP in Richmond, Virginia. He has tried cases in federal and state courts across the country and focuses his practice on motorsports law, product liability and catastrophic injury litigation. Mr. Lifson is the past chair of DRI's Automotive Specialized Litigation Group and past chair of the Virginia Bar Association's Civil Litigation Section. Mr. Lifson has served as Chair of DRI's Product Liability Conference and DRI's Strictly Automotive seminar. Mr. Lifson devotes time to car racing at race tracks across the country. He is the Law Institute liaison of this conference.


Kelly M. Lippincott
Partner
Carr Maloney PC

Kelly M. Lippincott focuses her practice on insurance coverage, product liability, and professional liability. She has first-chaired dozens of jury and bench trials in federal and state courts in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. In the area of insurance coverage, she has advised insurers on an array of matters and defended insurers in federal and state courts. Kelly has litigated disputes involving property coverage, life insurance coverage, and additional-insureds, as well as other areas of coverage.


Melanie C. Lockett
Partner
Lowe Stein Hoffman Allweiss & Hauver LLP

Melanie C. Lockett is a Partner at Lowe, Stein, Hoffman, Allweiss & Hauver, LLP, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She enjoys a diverse trial and appellate practice with an emphasis on insurance coverage and defense in the areas of commercial general liability, professional liability, extra-contractual liability, and bad faith. Melanie is a Steering Committee Member for the DRI Insurance Law Committee, Diversity Committee, and 2018 Annual Meeting.


R. Brandon McCullough
Senior Associate
Picadio Sneath Miller & Norton PC

R. Brandon McCullough is a senior associate, where he focuses his practice on insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, business litigation, and appellate litigation. Mr. McCullough regularly represents insurers in a wide array of coverage and bad faith disputes involving numerous types of personal and commercial lines policies. Mr. McCullough is a member of the Insurance Law Committee of DRI, where he serves as Compendium Vice Chair, Chair of the Young Lawyers Subcommittee, and Vice Chair of the State Mobilization Initiative.


Elizabeth L. Musser
Partner
Tressler LLP

Elizabeth L. Musser is a litigator who focuses on representing insurance companies in complex coverage disputes. She has represented insurers in bad faith litigation, and in disputes regarding the availability of insurance coverage for professional liabilities, directors and officers liabilities, personal and advertising injury, construction defects, and environmental and toxic torts. Elizabeth has defended clients in broker malpractice, directors and officers liability, products liability, and breach of contract suits. In May 2010, she completed a 30-hour Basic Mediation Training program, focusing on collaborative negotiation.


Ronald R. Robinson
Founder and the Executive Partner
Berkes Crane Robinson & Seal LLP

Ronald R. Robinson is a founder and the executive partner of Berkes Crane Robinson & Seal LLP. He has over 25 years experience as a trial and appellate attorney specializing in complex, multi-party insurance coverage and underwriting disputes. His national coverage and underwriting practice includes insurance advice, mediations, arbitrations, ADRs, litigation and appeals in the following coverage areas: casualty, E&O, D&O, intellectual property/media/web risks; personal injury, advertising injury and terrorism risk with an emphasis on asbestos, bad faith, construction defects, environmental, entertainment/media/web risks and toxic tort insurance disputes. He previously served on DRI's Law Institute Committee, as Chair of its Insurance Law and its Excess & Reinsurance Committees, and as Chair of DRI's Subcommittee on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Acts of 2005, 2007 and 2015, for which he was awarded DRI's National Community Service Award.


Katie J. Roh
Managing Counsel
Travelers

Katie J. Roh is Managing Counsel within Travelers Claim Legal General Liability Major Case Group, focusing on complex claim counseling and coverage litigation management. Prior to joining Travelers, Katie practiced at Mendes & Mount, LLP and specialized in insurance coverage issues arising from asbestos, pollution and other toxicants. Katie holds a B.A. in History, cum laude, from Binghamton University, a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and is admitted to the bar in New York and Connecticut.


Jonathan L. Schwartz
Partner
Goldberg Segalla LLP

Jonathan L. Schwartz concentrates his practice on insurance coverage litigation and counseling, including primary and excess commercial general liability, professional liability/errors and omissions, directors and officer's liability, cyber risk, commercial property, business auto and cargo liability, employer's liability, and employment practices liability insurance policies. A mainstay of Jonathan's practice is extracontractual actions against insurers. He is Chair of his firm's Cyber-Risk Coverage subgroup. Jonathan was designated as an Illinois Super Lawyers in 2016 and is peer-rated AV, the highest possible rating, from Martindale-Hubbell.


Margaret A. Shipitalo
Partner
Cassiday Schade LLP

Margaret A. Shipitalo handles all aspects of insurance coverage counseling and litigation in state and federal courts, both at the trial and appellate levels. Her practice includes litigating declaratory judgment and breach of contract lawsuits, actions for rescission and reformation of insurance policies, and bad faith matters. She also assists clients with drafting policy language and self-insurance program documents. She has experience with national and international claims under a broad range of policies, including general and excess liability, cyber liability, first party property, trucking, auto, directors and officers, and errors and omissions. She maintains a prominent role on DRI's Insurance Law Committee, including serving as Marketing Co-Chair for the Northeast Regional Claims Conference in Hartford, Connecticut in 2016.


Monica T. Sullivan
Partner
Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP

Monica T. Sullivan focuses her practice on insurance coverage litigation and arbitration, maintaining an international client base that seeks her counsel on matters including pharmaceutical claims, environmental claims, construction claims and product liability issues. Monica brings extensive experience to the Bermuda market, where she has served as U.S. claims counsel to Bermuda insurers for over 20 years. In this capacity, she has managed arbitrations domestically and abroad. In addition to her litigation and coverage practice, Monica regularly conducts lectures and training seminars for claims and underwriting staff on emerging coverage issues, jurisdictional concerns and general claims handling practices.


Timothy F. Sullivan, RPLU
President & CEO
NAMIC Insurance Company Inc.

Timothy F. Sullivan, RPLU, is the President & CEO of NAMIC Insurance Company, Inc. (NAMICO), as well as the Vice President and General Manager of NAMIC Insurance Agency (Agency), affiliates of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC). Together NAMICO and Agency comprise NAMIC Insurance Solutions, a niche provider of Insurance Company and Insurance Agent professional liability insurance, including D&O, Company E&O, Agent E&O, Employment Practices liability, Fiduciary liability and Data Breach liability insurance coverages for the insurance industry. Tim has spoken frequently on the topics of Conflicts of Interest for Mutual Directors and Officers, Responsibilities of Directors and Officers, Insurance Bad Faith, and Insurance Agent and Insurance Company Professional Liability Issues.


James R. Swinehart
Shareholder
Clausen Miller PC

James R. Swinehart has been a lawyer for over 34 years and has focused his nationwide practice in first-party property coverage and litigation. He has handled matters involving property damage, builders risk, business interruption, arson, misrepresentation, environmental contamination, and other building damage or problems such as fire, hail, defective construction, collapse, hurricanes, and mold. Jim has practiced in many state and federal courts and has experience in mediations and arbitrations. His practice involves substantial dealings with experts in various disciplines and writing opinion letters, motions, and briefs.


Peter C. (Pete) Thomas
Managing Director
Guy Carpenter & Company LLC

Peter C. (Pete) Thomas is a Managing Director for Guy Carpenter. He has 41 years of insurance and reinsurance experience. Before Guy Carpenter he held leadership roles at Willis Re, Arch Re and PMA Reinsurance, among other leading (re)insurance companies. He was the President and COO of the Burlington and Alamance Insurance Companies. Pete is a regular lecturer for the Reinsurance Association of America and is a member of RIMS. He graduated from Catholic University with a degree in Philosophy.


Jeffrey D. Van Volkenburg
Shareholder
McNeer Highland McMunn and Varner LC

Jeffrey D. Van Volkenburg focuses his practice on the defense of corporations, insurance companies and individuals throughout West Virginia state and federal courts, including in the areas of insurance coverage, toxic tort defense, oil and gas litigation, wrongful death, professional liability, deliberate intent and personal injury. Jeff has been recognized as a Rising Star by West Virginia SuperLawyers numerous times.


Heidi L. Vogt
Von Briesen & Roper Sc

Heidi L. Vogt is Chair of the Insurance Coverage and Risk Management Section and the Co-Practice Group Leader of Litigation at von Briesen & Roper, s.c. Heidi represents insurance companies in Wisconsin and across the country in complex insurance coverage matters including general liability, environmental, asbestos, toxic tort, products, construction defect, auto, mold, bad faith, mass tort, intellectual property, trucking, firearms litigation, employer liability, first party property, and professional liability. Heidi is a member of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, the Wisconsin Defense Counsel, the Defense Research Institute, the American Bar Association, and the State Bar of Wisconsin.