DRI Faculty List
Professional Liability Virtual Seminar
Virtual | December 2, 2020
Scott Barabash Vice President, Professional Liability Claims
Aspen Specialty Insurance Co
Scott Barabash is Vice President, Professional Liability Claims at Aspen Insurance in San Francisco, CA, currently oversees their Lawyers and Accountants Claims programs. He has more than 20 years of industry experience, including 16 years handling and supervising claim handlers of a variety of professional liability claims, including: lawyers, real estate professionals, accountants, consultants, title agents, public entities, cyber, and other miscellaneous professionals. Prior to joining Aspen, Barabash was a manager of Professional Programs claims team at Zurich American Insurance Company. Barabash is an attorney admitted to practice in NY and NJ. He has spoken at various industry events. |
Andrew P. Carroll Associate
Goldberg Segalla LLP
Andrew P. Carroll is an associate at Goldberg Segalla LLP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Carroll focuses on handling matters relating to professional liability, real property, and commercial litigation. His professional liability practice includes representing attorneys, accountants, brokers, and directors and officers in civil litigation and investigative matters. His experience spans through trial and appeal, including multiple forms of alternative dispute resolution. Additionally, Carroll handles complex commercial litigation matters stemming from various claims of statutory violations, contractual disputes, and alleged breaches of fiduciary duty. |
Gawain Charlton-Perrin Director of Risk Management
The Hanover Insurance Group
Gawain Charlton-Perrin is a nationally recognized author and lecturer on professional liability, ethics and risk management. At The Hanover, Charlton-Perrin focuses on Risk Management for Professional Liability Programs for lawyers and other professionals. Prior to joining The Hanover in November of 2012, he focused on Risk Management for lawyers for another insurance carrier. Formerly, Charlton-Perrin prosecuted attorneys for ethical violations for the State of Illinois and later defended attorneys for a Chicago law firm in legal malpractice cases and ethics complaints. He is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois, the Federal Northern District Court in Illinois and the U.S. Supreme Court. |
Laura E. Dean Associate
Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP
Laura E. Dean is of-counsel in the Raleigh office of Cranfill Sumer & Hartzog LLP. Laura's practice is focused on defending professionals, including lawyers and real estate agents, in professional negligence claims. She also handles product liability matters, general construction cases and general business disputes. Laura practices in both the Federal and State courts across North Carolina. In addition, she is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey state courts. Laura is the 2020 Professional Liability Seminar Vice Chair. |
Melissa Demmon VP, Claims Counsel, Professional Liability
Sompo International
Melissa Demmon is Vice President of Claims Counsel at Sompo Insurance Company. Demmon joined Sompo in July 2012 and supervises the lawyers' malpractice and accountants' malpractice claims team. She has over 22 years of insurance claims and legal experience. Demmon spent many years with law firms in New York, again serving as coverage and monitoring counsel to insurers in connection with D&O/PL insurance policies. She also defended insurance companies in federal and state courts in coverage litigation. Demmon received a JD from St. John's University School of Law, and a BA from Columbia College, Columbia University. |
Zandra E. Foley Partner
Thompson Coe Cousins & Irons LLP
Zandra E. Foley with Thompson Coe Cousins & Irons LLP, Houston, TX represents lawyers, accountants, architects, doctors, nurses, engineers, insurance agents, brokers, management companies and other practicing professionals and groups including HOAs, COAs and management companies in claims involving alleged errors and omissions. She has served as trial and appellate counsel for individuals in legal malpractice claims and defends clients in grievance proceedings before the State Bar of Texas. She also defends medical malpractice claims against doctors and nurses and defends nurses in disciplinary actions before the Texas Board of Nursing. |
Dennis L. Galvin Assistant Vice President - Claims
Argo Pro
Dennis L. Galvin is Assistant Vice President - Claims of Argo Pro, in charge of overseeing the Lawyers Professional Liability claims group. Prior to joining Argo Pro, Galvin was Vice President – Professional Liability Claims for OneBeacon Professional Insurance, where he oversaw a group of claim attorneys handling claims in Lawyers Professional, Real Estate Professional, Insurance Agents Errors & Omissions, Content Technology and Cyber Insurance Prior to joining OneBeacon, Galvin worked for Lexington Insurance Company, where he was responsible for handling complex professional claims in a variety of areas including LPL, RPL, insurance agents, accountants, media corporations and government entities. Prior to joining Lexington, Galvin was in private practice in the Boston area where he specialized in civil litigation including insurance defense and coverage litigation. Galvin received his Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, MA and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stonehill College in North Easton, MA. Galvin is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. |
Joseph P. Garin Managing Partner
Lipson Neilson PC
Joseph P. Garin is a partner at Lipson Neilson PC. Garin is the managing partner of the firm's Nevada practice. His practice focuses on the defense of professional liability claims. He has defended more than 500 lawyers and law firms during his career. He is consulted frequently and testifies as an expert witness. Garin is the past Chair of the State Bar of Nevada Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and remains active on the Committee He resides in downtown Las Vegas with his wife Monica and daughter Alexa. |
Kiera Goral QBE North America
Kiera Goral is QBE North America's Assistant Vice President for Professional Liability Claims. She is responsible for claims oversight and manages a team of claims professionals for a number of large programs within QBE's Alternative Markets division. Kiera's team manages the following E&O programs: accountants and wealth management advisors; architects and engineers; lawyers; mortgage brokers and title agents; collection agencies; long term care; emergency room physicians; and insurance agents and brokers. Prior to joining QBE, she was Senior Claims Counsel for XL Catlin and an attorney at Thompson Coe, Cousins & Irons LLP. She began her legal career at Bernstein, Chackman, Liss & Rose. Goral earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida. She is a licensed attorney in Florida and Texas. Goral is a frequent, sought after speaker on various issues involving professional liability, including claims prevention and mitigation. |
Jonathan R. (Jon) Harwood Partner
Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP
Jonathan R. (Jon) Harwood is a partner at Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP. Harwood has represented lawyers, accountants, insurance agents, manufacturers, corporations and religious institutions in all phases of litigation. Harwood has also analyzed coverage issues raised by professional liability and D & O policies, as well as represented Directors and Officers, directly, in various types of litigation. See more about Harwood at http://www. traublieberman.com. He is the Vice Chair of the Professional Liability Committee. |
Melody J. Jolly Partner
Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP
Melody J. Jolly is a partner at Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP in Wilmington, NC. Melody defends all lines of professionals including attorneys, design professionals, insurance agents, real estate professionals, and directors & officers. She is Section Leader for her Firm's Professional Liability practice group, and Melody has been recognized for her expertise in professional liability defense, including being named a North Carolina Super Lawyers® Rising Star: 2010 – 2019, Super Lawyer®: 2020, The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Professional Malpractice Law: 2018 – 2020, and the Benchmark 40 & Under 2019 Hot List in the field of Professional Liability Defense. She has maintained an active leadership role in DRI's Professional Liability Committee since 2009, and currently serves as Chair. |
Lisa R. Midkiff, CPCU, RPLU Director of Claims
Brown & Brown Protector Plans Inc
Lisa R. Midkiff, CPCU, RPLU is the Director of Claims for B&B Protector Plans, Inc. d/b/a Lawyer's Protector Plan (LPP), a nationwide lawyers professional liability program. For over 13 years, she has specialized in lawyers professional liability claims. Prior to joining LPP, Midkiff was engaged in private practice and primarily handled medical malpractice and general insurance defense cases. Midkiff is a member of The Florida Bar and holds the CPCU and RPLU designations. |
Kimberly K. (Kim) Noble, JD, CPCU, RPLU, CCP Sr Vice President
Thompson Flanagan LLC
Kimberly K. (Kim) Noble, JD, CPCU, RPLU, CCP is Senior Vice President at Thompson Flanagan, where she advises lawyers and law firms on insurance coverage, risk management and claims processes. Noble has 26 years of professional liability experience in outside counsel, underwriting management and advisory roles. She previously managed professional liability programs at The St. Paul, GE Westport, OneBeacon and Argo Pro. Noble obtained her law degree from the University of Missouri in Kansas City. She is active in PLUS, DRI, CLM claimsXchange, PLDF and other organizations, speaking frequently on risk management and malpractice avoidance topics. Noble is the 2020 Professional Liability Seminar Program Chair. |
Christopher T.(Chris) Sheean Partner
Swanson Martin & Bell LLP
Christopher T.(Chris) Sheean is a partner at Swanson Martin and Bell LLP in the Chicago office and is chair of the firm's class action practice group. He is national trial counsel of products liability claims for a sporting goods manufacturer and represents national and international corporations in various types of commercial, product liability, and intellectual property litigation throughout the United States. His intellectual property practice involves issues of trademark and trade secret misappropriation, copyright infringement, unfair competition, and advertising injury claims. Sheean is also an adjunct faculty member, teaching trial advocacy at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. |
William (Will) Snowden The Juror Project
William (Will) Snowden is the New Orleans Director of the Vera Institute of Justice. In this role, he continues and strengthens Vera's existing partnerships with criminal justice actors and community leaders while identifying new collaborative relationships with government entities and community organizations. Prior to joining Vera, Snowden was a public defender for five years representing New Orleanians in all stages of a case from arraignment to trial. Snowden also developed a focus and specialization in advocacy around reforming the procedures, systems, and policies around jury duty in an effort to promote diversity and representativeness in the jury box. Snowden also launched The Juror Project—an initiative aiming to increase the diversity of jury panels while changing and challenging people's perspective of jury duty. |
Kathryn S. (Kate) Whitlock Hawkins Parnell & Young LLP
Kathryn S. (Kate) Whitlock with Hawkins Parnell & Young has over 30 years' experience in a wide variety of litigation, including professional liability and grievances, products liability, premises liability, and commercial cases. Whitlock is active in all aspects of litigation, from pre-suit negotiation through appeal. She appears in all Georgia state and federal courts, as well as courts in several other states. She has tried over 50 cases. She speaks and writes on numerous subjects, including professional malpractice, legal ethics, trial practice, products liability, and premises liability. |
Thomas G. Wilkinson, Jr. Member
Cozen O'Connor
Thomas G. Wilkinson, Jr. is a member of Cozen O'Connor in its Philadelphia office, where he concentrates his practice in business and commercial litigation in federal and state courts. He is a leader of the firm's Legal Profession practice group. He is a past President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) and Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), also serving in various other capacities. He currently serves as Chair of the Bylaws Committee and Co-Chair of the Civility in the Profession Committee. He is the co-editor of the Pennsylvania Ethics Handbook. He has served as a Lecturer in Law on professional responsibility at Villanova Law School, and has written and lectured extensively on various civil litigation and professional responsibility topics. |