DRI Faculty List

Product Liability Conference

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV | February 8 - 10, 2017


Joshua H. Abramson
Porzio Bromberg & Newman PC

Joshua H. Abramson is counsel with Porzio Bromberg & Newman PC in New York, New York, and is a member of the firm's Litigation Practice Group. He concentrates his practice in complex commercial litigation, products liability defense, and mass torts, and regularly counsels clients on business related matters. He is a member of DRI and serves on the Steering Committee of DRI's Product Liability Committee. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Manufacturers' Risk Prevention SLG.


Spencer S. Adams
Associate General Counsel
Hyster-Yale Group Inc.

Spencer S. Adams Biography requested.


Anthony V. Agudelo
Partner
Sugarman Rogers Barshak & Cohen PC

Anthony V. Agudelo is a partner at Sugarman Rogers Barshak & Cohen PC in Boston where he co-chairs the firm's General Liability/Medical Malpractice Practice Group. Tony's practice encompasses complex cases in product liability, toxic torts including asbestos defense, mass torts, medical malpractice, premises liability, personal injury, liquor liability, and business disputes. He has represented manufacturers, distributors and retailers in product liability claims involving a variety of products, and he handles matters throughout New England.


Roland J. Amundsen
Kring & Chung Attorneys LLP

Roland J. Amundsen has well over two decades of experience as a civil litigation lawyer, including numerous complex trials, arbitrations, mediations and appeals. He has successfully resolved claims involving intellectual property, unfair business practices, construction, real property, insurance, employment and personal injury. He has represented a variety of litigants including large and small businesses, developers, contractors, HOA's, property owners, architects and engineers, insurance agents and brokers, real estate agents, brokers, and individuals. Mr. Amundsen has a record of success and takes pride in resolving disputes in a manner most beneficial to the client. He has presented MCLE seminars to other lawyers and has served as a section chair of the Orange County Bar Association and on the executive committee of the real estate section of the Orange County Bar Association. He also served for three years on the board of the Orange County Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society. Mr. Amundsen attended both Brigham Young University and California State University at Long Beach where he received his Bachelor's Degree. Mr. Amundsen earned his Juris Doctor Degree from Western State University College of Law. Mr. Amundsen has practiced law as an Associate and Partner in private practice and as In-House Counsel for an insurance company. He joined the Irvine office of Kring & Chung as an Associate Attorney in 2008.


Brannon J. Arnold
Partner
Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial LLC

Brannon J. Arnold's practice focuses on civil litigation with an emphasis on product liability, catastrophic injury, and premises liability. She has represented a broad range of product manufacturers and distributors in cases involving serious injury and wrongful death across the country. Brannon's clients include manufacturers of farm and agricultural equipment, transportation related equipment, pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices among numerous others. Admitted to practice in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, she represents clients nationwide.


Sean Beckstrom
Chief Product Safety Counsel
Newell Brands Inc.

Sean Beckstrom is Chief Product Safety Counsel at Newell Brands Inc. He is responsible for legal support for safety, compliance, regulatory and recall actions for all Newell Brands worldwide, including the Graco, Sunbeam, Coleman, and Rubbermaid brands. Mr. Beckstrom graduated, magna cum laude, from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and was admitted to the Ohio State Bar in 1995. He holds an economics degree from Ohio University. Mr. Beckstrom is also a regular speaker and commentator at business seminars and conferences on recall and product safety issues. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and four children.


Denise Brinker Bense
Cozen O'Connor

Denise Brinker Bense, a partner at Cozen O'Connor in Philadelphia and New York City, has 30 years of litigation experience focusing on products liability litigation, including life-science matters for medical device and tissue processing companies and hospitals. She represents these clients as national and local counsel in mass tort, class action, multidistrict, and individual litigation. Her responsibilities include oversight and management of teams of in-house lawyers, paralegals, and local counsel firms nationwide.


J. Randolph (Randy) Bibb, Jr.
Lewis Thomason

J. Randolph (Randy) Bibb, Jr. is a shareholder in Lewis Thomason's Nashville office. Mr. Bibb has more than 30 years experience defending products liability and toxic tort claims and lawsuits across the United States. He has served as lead trial counsel representing product manufacturers in more than 100 jury trials in state and federal courtrooms from New York to California and from Florida to Washington State. Today, much of his practice is devoted to defending motor vehicle manufacturers in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits alleging unintended acceleration; inadvertent vehicle movement; defective passive and active restraint systems and numerous other defect theories.


Christopher J. Bonanti, M.Eng.
Engineering Systems Inc

Christopher J. Bonanti, M.Eng. is a Senior Managing Consultant for Engineering Systems Inc. (ESI) with a background in Environmental Science and Public Policy and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management-Northwestern University. Mr. Bonanti has over 20 years of experience leading and managing regulatory, legislative, and infrastructure projects for all modes of transportation including rail, motor vehicle, and aviation. He specializes in active and passive safety, safety regulations (automotive, aviation, occupational and health, and railroad), building alliances/partnerships, risk assessment (chemical and regulatory), regulations and strategy (environmental, federal, and hazardous materials/waste), fire, explosion and ordnance, government relations, regulatory compliance and strategy, rulemaking process, system safety and engineering, transportation accident investigation, and transportation policy.


Christopher S. Branton
Shareholder
Hill Ward Henderson

Christopher S. Branton is a shareholder at Hill Ward Henderson in Tampa where he is a member of the Product Liability Practice Group. Chris represents various manufacturers, distributors, dealers and retailers in product liability cases throughout the State of Florida. His cases have involved a variety of products, including automobiles, heavy trucks, power tools, automobile components, and other consumer goods. In addition to his products work, Chris' practice includes abuse litigation for youth serving organizations and criminal defense.


Daniel M. Braude
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP

Daniel M. Braude, co-chair of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP's e-Discovery team, centers his practice on complex litigation involving product liability and commercial disputes, with an emphasis on related electronic discovery and document preservation issues. Focused on the information lifecycle, Dan addresses the challenges associated with changing technology, cloud computing, and related data privacy and information security issues. In addition, Dan is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and he serves as an Adjunct Professor at Pace University School of Law where he teaches a course on e-Discovery.


John P. Buckley
Dir of Litigation Services
Western National Insurance Group

John P. Buckley is a 1983 graduate of Carleton College and a 1990 cum laude graduate of William Mitchell College of Law. He is admitted to practice in the Minnesota and Wisconsin bar, U.S. District Court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. He practiced for five years with Bassford, Lockhart, Truesdell and Briggs, focusing on insurance agent E & O defense and insurance coverage work. In 1995, he joined Western National Insurance Group as Claims Counsel and is now Assistant Vice President of Claims. In 2010, he completed his CPCU. His work involves advising the company in all areas of insurance matters, including underwriting, claims, and insurance coverage issues. He has represented Western National in legislative initiatives and is active in the Insurance Federation of Minnesota, Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association and DRI.


David M. Cades, Ph.D.
Managing Scientist
Exponent

David M. Cades, Ph.D. specializes in human factors investigations of vehicle operator behavior, including perception response time, visual perception, nighttime visibility, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and distractions. Dr. Cades has expertise in the testing and analysis of how interruptions and distractions affect performance. He has investigated the negative effects of distractions in environments. He has applied this knowledge to see how distractions can cause errors that lead to accidents. Recently, Dr. Cades has performed on-road evaluation of ADAS including auto-braking, collision mitigation and warning, blind spot indication, and lane departure warning.


R. Matthew Cairns
Gallagher Callahan & Gartrell PC

R. Matthew Cairns was the 2011 President of DRI. For over thirty years, he has practiced across Northern New England in the areas of Products Liability, Construction, Fire, Insurance and Commercial Litigation. Matt has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the fields of Labor & Employment Litigation, Municipal Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation and Construction Litigation, for which Best Lawyers® further recognized him as "Lawyer of the Year" 2015, Concord, New Hampshire, in Construction Litigation. Matt is the only New Hampshire lawyer listed in the International Who's Who of Business Lawyers under Product Liability Defense since 2014. Matt is also a frequent presenter for the FDCC and IADC as well as DRI.


Kathleen Ingram Carrington
Butler Snow LLP

Kathleen Ingram Carrington is an attorney in Butler Snow LLP's Ridgeland, MS office and focuses her practice on product liability litigation and appellate and written advocacy matters. She represents clients in a variety of matters across the southeastern United States. In the last year, she has tried two separate cases to verdict, one in state court and the other in federal court, both cases resulting in defense verdicts for Kat's clients. She received her J.D. from the University of Mississippi and B.A. from Louisiana State University. Before joining Butler Snow, Kat served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Rhesa H. Barksdale for the U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit.


Steven F. Casey
Partner
Jones Walker LLP

Steven F. Casey is a partner Jones Walker LLP in its Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group and enjoys a diverse practice with extensive experience in pharmaceutical, toxic tort, electrical contact, environmental, and aviation cases. Steve works out of his firm's Alabama offices—Birmingham and Mobile. He is a recent past president of the Birmingham Bar Association and, in addition to his DRI involvement, is an active member of the FDCC.


Edward (Ed) B. Chansky
Shareholder
Greenberg Traurig LLP

Edward (Ed) B. Chansky focuses his practice in the areas of intellectual property (particularly development, selection, protection and licensing of trademarks worldwide) and advertising, sales promotion, and trade-regulation law, including charitable promotions, cause-related marketing, sweepstakes, contests, gift cards, eCommerce, substantiation of advertising claims, social gaming, social media, and all aspects of unfair or deceptive trade practices in a wide variety of industries. A trusted advisor to many national companies, Ed is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences on advertising and promotion law topics, including sweepstakes, premium production, coupon and rebate offers, charitable promotions, social gaming, and social media, and has helped shape state legislation affecting sales promotion matters. He also works with clients on a wide range of contract and licensing matters, including agency-client agreements in the advertising and sales promotion industries, software and website development, privacy policies and terms of use, and other matters affecting intellectual property, marketing and electronic commerce. For many years, he worked as a part-time musician (trombone) playing everything from grand opera to rhythm and blues.


Erwin Chemerinsky
Dean of School of Law
University of California Irvine School of Law

Erwin Chemerinsky is the founding dean and distinguished professor of law at the University of California Irvine School of Law, with a joint appointment in Political Science. His areas of expertise are constitutional law, federal practice, civil rights and civil liberties, and appellate litigation. He is the author of seven books, most recently, The Conservative Assault on the Constitution (October 2010, Simon & Schuster) and nearly 200 articles in top law reviews. He frequently argues cases before the nation's highest courts, and also serves as a commentator on legal issues for national and local media.


Patrick P. Clyder
Swanson Martin & Bell LLP

Patrick P. Clyder is a partner in Swanson Martin & Bell LLP's Chicago office where he serves as chair of the firm's product liability practice group. Patrick regularly counsels product manufacturers in complex personal injury and business disputes. He has experience in all stages of litigation, including trial. He has also successfully resolved matters through dispositive motion, settlement, mediation and arbitration. He has defended numerous products including construction equipment, power tools, fire sprinkler systems, aircraft, ladders, and transformers. While he spends the majority of his time in the Circuit Court of Cook County, one of most difficult jurisdictions for defendants in the United States, he has actively defended product liability matters in multiple state and federal courts outside of Illinois under pro hac vice admission. His knowledge of Cook County and its surrounding counties makes him a capable local counsel for out-of-state attorneys. Patrick also has extensive experience representing businesses in disputes stemming from incidents on their premises. Outside the office Patrick is an avid hockey fan, and he still plays and coaches. He also enjoys running and has completed the Berlin, Milwaukee and multiple Chicago marathons. He lives in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood with his family, and he regularly volunteers for Cabrini Green Legal Aid as a criminal records and criminal defense client intake volunteer.


James S. Cohen, P.E.
Thornton Tomasetti

James S. Cohen, P.E., has over thirty-five years' experience in forensic engineering, failure investigation, mitigation, emergency response, repair and rehabilitation. As a Senior Vice President at Thornton Tomasetti, he has responsibility for client contact, administration and management of forensic engineering, engineering investigation, and expert requests for all technical disciplines in addition to his own project work. He has provided expert testimony in numerous collapse and other engineering litigation projects involving fire, wind, flood, demolition, construction and design for residential, commercial and industrial buildings. He has also appeared as an expert on construction failures for MSNBC.


Sandra L. Corbett, QC
Field Law

Sandra L. Corbett, QC, is a Partner in the Edmonton, AB, Canada office of Field Law. She practices in the area of civil and commercial litigation, and in particular, product liability and insurance defence litigation. Sandra provides advice to American attorneys and manufacturers requiring cross border litigation assistance, and is familiar with the Canadian regulatory regime and is positioned to provide assistance to international companies on the same. She is a past DRI Board member (2008 to 2011), a past SLDO President (2008 to 2009), and is a member of the ADTA, FDCC and IADC. She is currently the Chair of the International Legal Issues SLG for DRI's Product Liability Committee.


Jessica Kozlov Davis
Senior Professional Responsibility Attorney
Pepper Hamilton LLP

Jessica Kozlov Davis is a Senior Professional Responsibility Attorney at Pepper Hamilton LLP, where she handles professional responsibility and ethics-related matters, and serves as a resource to the firm's Professional Responsibility Committee. She is a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association Professional Guidance Committee which provides advice to attorneys on ethics issues. Ms. Davis has been a presenter for a number of continuing legal education programs on ethics sponsored by the Philadelphia Bar Association and other CLE providers.


Cynthia M. Day, M.D.
Biodynamic Research Corp.

Cynthia M. Day, M.D., has a degree in Medicine, is Board Certified in Diagnostic Radiology, and is Fellowship trained in Emergency Radiology. Dr. Day spent several years as faculty at Harvard Medical School while performing her duties as staff radiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Her role at Biodynamic Research Corporation (BRC) includes independent consulting assignments where evaluation of radiologic imaging studies is the primary focus as well as interpreting radiologic imaging studies in support of BRC's injury causation and biomechanical analysis practice. Her assessment of such studies includes, but is not limited to, interpreting radiology exams, reporting pertinent findings, and producing 3D images that aid in the visualization and understanding of complex injuries by non-medically trained personnel.


Rosangela Delgado Barreto
Partner
Veirano Advogados

Rosangela Delgado Barreto focuses her practice in the area of complex litigation that includes product liability, commercial contractual, general civil and regulatory litigation. She has significant expertise in the consumer products, automotive, transportation, publishing, marine, and hotel industries, counseling several top tier Brazilian and international corporations. Working daily with leading United States-based law firms as local counsel for these firms in Brazil, Ms. Delgado Barreto is adept at anticipating and managing in-house counsel and consulting attorneys' needs and expectations. Her early professional experience includes working as an international visiting attorney in the banking practice at a top United States-based law firm.


Kristen Elizabeth Dennison
Sr Counsel Litigation
CNH Industrial America LLC

Kristen Elizabeth Dennison joined CNH Industrial America LLC as senior litigation counsel in November, 2011. She is part of a group of attorneys responsible for managing all product liability litigation filed against CNH in North America, including personal injury, product performance, and asbestos litigation. In her role, she also consults with internal clients on commercial matters. Prior to joining CNH, Ms. Dennison was in private practice, where she handled complex product liability litigation and oversaw her firm's appellate practice.


R. Dennis Donoghue
Donoghue & Associates Inc.

R. Dennis Donoghue is the principal of Donoghue & Associates Inc., a Chicago-based trial consulting firm. In his 28 years in trial consulting, he has worked on more than 1,000 cases throughout the United States. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and has advanced degrees from The London School of Economics and the University of Chicago.


Theodore Dorenkamp III
Bowman and Brooke LLP

Theodore Dorenkamp III is a litigator and trial attorney at Bowman and Brooke LLP who defends manufacturers, their products and their people in complex product liability and personal injury matters around the country. He defends some of the world's most well-known manufacturers against claims involving product defect, negligence, warranty, recalls and commercial practices, and has tried several cases to jury verdict. Over the years he has defended an expansive range of regulated and non-regulated products in federal and state courts, including multidistrict litigation and class actions, and has advised numerous companies on product liability risk mitigation. Ted regularly presents on the latest trends and developments in product liability litigation, focusing in recent years on unmanned aircraft systems.


Jay Evans
Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP

Jay Evans regularly counsels clients on complex matters - insurance, contracts, real estate, trade secrets/restrictive covenants, antitrust, and other business disputes. His work includes serving as counsel for companies, particularly automotive and heavy equipment manufacturers, facing litigation burdens in products liability and toxic torts. Jay represents companies in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and across the United States. Jay handles all aspects of preparing for trial and beyond: pleadings, depositions, Frye/Daubert challenges, trial itself, and appeals.


Sandra Giannone Ezell
Managing Partner
Bowman and Brooke LLP

Sandra Giannone Ezell is an undeniable force in the courtroom defending product liability and mass tort litigation, often as national trial counsel. For more than 25 years, she has handled high-exposure wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases for a broad range of product manufacturers. Her ability to connect with a jury and tell her client's story in a compelling fashion has earned her national recognition as "the number-one trial lawyer in Richmond" by Chambers USA. (2016)


Richard Fama
Cozen O'Connor

Richard Fama is a Member of Cozen O'Connor's New York office, Vice Chair of the firm's General Litigation Department, Member of the firm's Food and Beverage Industry team and editor of its blog, the Food Recall Monitor. Richard represents food and beverage and consumer product manufacturers in complex commercial and class action litigation across the country, including false labeling claims. He is regularly called upon to represent manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and ingredient suppliers in claims arising out of product contamination and recalls, and advises clients on issues such as crisis management and regulatory compliance, including "Made in the USA" labeling and Proposition 65 issues.


Harris Neal Feldman
Partner
Parker McCay

Harris Neal Feldman is Chairman of the Commercial Litigation Department at Parker McCay in New Jersey. His practice focuses on the management of all phases of civil litigation in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on commercial/business litigation and defense of product liability and employment matters. He regularly counsels businesses on pre-litigation issues geared toward cost-effective resolution and litigation avoidance. He has authored numerous articles on litigation topics and is a frequent presenter at regional and national legal conferences. Harris currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Building Products SLG of the Product Liability Committee.


Matthew D. Flesher
Assistant General Counsel
Textron Aviation Inc.

Matthew D. Flesher is Assistant General Counsel of Textron Aviation Inc., home of the iconic Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft brands. Matt is responsible for a wide variety of legal matters including litigation/claims, compliance and advisory roles. This includes management of world-wide claims and litigation involving Cessna and Beechcraft propeller aircraft fleet, the largest in the aviation industry. Additionally, Matt is the primary legal advisor to TAI on human resources-related matters, and is a member of TAI's Intellectual Property Review Team.


Clinton (Clint) F. Fletcher
Partner
Nall & Miller LLP

Clinton (Clint) F. Fletcher is a partner at Nall & Miller LLP in Atlanta, Georgia. Clint's practice predominantly focuses on defending corporate clients in products liability and other personal injury matters. He has been a member of DRI since 2004, serving in variety of roles on the Products Liability and Young Lawyers Steering Committees. Clint is the Chair of the Recreational Products Specialized Litigation Group.


Katelyn J. Flynn
Deere & Co.

Katelyn J. Flynn is eDiscovery Counsel at Deere & Co. with expertise in the preservation, collection, search, review, and production of electronically stored information ("ESI"). She provides counsel and support in the areas of product liability, employment and labor relations, environmental regulation, trade regulation, commercial/contract, and intellectual property. Ms. Flynn is a member of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) drafting team for the Sedona Conference ® Working Group on Electronic Document Retention and Production (WG1). She contributed to the Working Group on International Electronic Information Management, Discovery and Disclosure (WG6) Practical In-House Approaches for Cross-Border Discovery and Data Protection publication.


Michael T. Flynn
Senior Counsel
Joy Global Inc.

Michael T. Flynn has devoted his entire legal career to the defense of product manufacturers and distributors, mostly from the Wisconsin area. In 2004, Mr. Flynn left private practice at the Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren law firm in Milwaukee, where he focused primarily on product liability litigation, to become in-house litigation counsel to CNH America LLC in Racine, Wisconsin. In 2011, Mr. Flynn joined Joy Global Inc. (JGI) in Milwaukee, a manufacturer of P&H and Joy branded surface and underground mining equipment. Mr. Flynn's current practice consists primarily of managing product liability, warranty, fire, and general commercial litigation in all global markets where JGI conducts business.


J. Paul Frantz, Ph.D., C.P.S.M., CPE
Senior Consultant and Co-founder
Applied Safety+ Ergonomics

J. Paul Frantz, Ph.D., C.P.S.M., CPE, is a Senior Consultant and a founder of Applied Safety and Ergonomics, Inc. Since 1993 he has been affiliated with the University of Michigan where he teaches Safety Management to engineering students. His consulting and research activities involve warnings, human factors, and product safety. He has extensive experience investigating the role of human factors in accident causation. Dr. Frantz is the Vice-Chairman of ANSI Z535, a committee that develops national standards for warnings.


Timothy R. Freeman
Sedgwick LLP

Timothy R. Freeman is a member of Sedgwick LLP's Product Liability & Specialty Torts practice group who handles product liability matters for manufacturers of heavy equipment and consumer products, as well as personal injury matters. Mr. Freeman regularly counsels clients in high stakes, complex litigation from the moment a complaint is filed until the final appeal is resolved. Mr. Freeman also has extensive trial experience, including a recent matter where he was a crucial member of a trial team that achieved a defense verdict for a major client in a complex product liability lawsuit where the plaintiffs were seeking in excess of $100 million in damages.


Paul F. Gordon
Foland Wickens Eisfelder Roper & Hofer PC

Paul F. Gordon practices in civil litigation with an emphasis in products liability, trucking accidents, professional liability, construction defect, premises liability, commercial litigation, wrongful death, governmental liability, insurance coverage and bad faith, employment law, and general personal injury.


Jonathan E. Hall
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Jonathan E. Hall is an experienced trial lawyer who defends manufacturers, retailers, health care providers, and other companies in cases involving catastrophic injury, death, fire and mass torts. His products experience includes defending manufacturers and retailers of industrial equipment, durable medical equipment, children's toys, automobiles and trucking. He has tried close to 75 cases to jury verdict in state and federal courts across North Carolina.


Jennifer L. Hamilton
Deere & Co.

Jennifer L. Hamilton is Senior Counsel with Deere & Company, one of the oldest industrial companies in the United States. Jennifer works on eDiscovery issues for the Global Law Services Group. She pioneered the Electronic Discovery Practice Group at Deere, and leads the eDiscovery Response Team, which oversees the development and implementation of policies and procedures; trains the company on duties and best practices; advises on individual eDiscovery matters; and works with outside vendors to develop business cases for emerging technologies. Prior to her work with Deere, Jennifer practiced commercial litigation in Chicago and worked for Gateway Computers in South Dakota. She holds a business degree from the University of Texas and a J.D. from the University of Iowa.


Jeff G. Harmeyer
Harmeyer Law Group APC

Jeff G. Harmeyer has developed extensive litigation experience in commercial contract disputes, business litigation, products liability, and general civil litigation. Mr. Harmeyer has significant jury trial experience throughout California, and has argued many cases before the Fourth District Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court. Mr. Harmeyer is an expert on warranty law, products liability, premises liability, property disputes, insurance and indemnity. His practice continues to emphasize business related matters, construction contract disputes and products liability.


Jerry K. Hashimura
Department Manager, Legal Division
Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.

Jerry K. Hashimura is Department Manager of the Legal Division at American Suzuki Motor Corp. Jerry manages a team of lawyers, engineers, paralegals, and support staff to provide all aspects of legal services to a leading powersports distributor in the U.S. With more than 20 years of experience at Suzuki, Jerry's primary focus is managing the national defense strategy and individual case defense, with outside counsel, for personal injury lawsuits and claims brought against the company involving Suzuki automobiles, motorcycles, scooters, all-terrain vehicles, and outboard motors. Prior to joining Suzuki, Jerry spent 24 years as an active duty Army officer with the Judge Advocate General's Corps.


Jonathan Hodes
Miller Thomson LLP

Jonathan Hodes is a partner in the Vancouver, BC office of Miller Thomson LLP. His practice includes a wide variety of product liability claims arising out of such diverse products as gasoline, automatic doors, food products, sporting goods, electronics, furniture and construction materials. His practice also includes general liability and environmental litigation. He has appeared in the courts of several Canadian jurisdictions, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and has provided opinion evidence of Canadian product liability law in the Superior Court of Washington. Mr. Hodes is an SLDO Past President, a member of DRI International and currently the International Legal Issues SLG Marketing Liaison for DRI's Product Liability Committee.


Brian J. Hoffman
Kiewit Corp.

Brian J. Hoffman is Assistant General Counsel at Kiewit Corporation, one of North America's largest and most respected construction and engineering organizations. With its roots dating back to 1884, the employee-owned company operates through a network of offices and projects in the United States, Canada and Australia. Brian's responsibilities include investigating serious accidents, managing major tort litigation, handling insurance coverage issues and assisting other internal investigations.


Christopher Horkins
Associate
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Christopher Horkins is an associate in the Advocacy Group in the Toronto office of Cassels Brock and Blackwell LLP. Chris has a broad litigation practice including product liability and class actions defense. Chris' product liability practice involves defending manufacturers of automobile, aircraft and watercraft original equipment and components as well as medical devices and construction products. Chris regularly appears before the Ontario courts and has involvement in product liability matters in provinces across Canada. Chris also writes for and has acted as editor of Cassels Brock's Product Liability Newsletter.


Joseph W. Hovermill
Miles & Stockbridge PC

Joseph W. Hovermill is president of Miles & Stockbridge PC in Baltimore and a senior member of the firm's Products Liability Practice. He also is an active leader in its cross-disciplinary team focused on the representation of clients in manufacturing and distribution industries. Joe's practice focuses on the defense of product manufacturers in product liability, toxic tort and environmental litigation in the region and nationally. He supervises the management of mass torts, class actions, and other multi-party litigation nationally for several manufacturing clients, developing and implementing coordinated litigation strategies to resolve those matters favorably.


Justin D. Howard
Partner
McGuireWoods LLP

Justin D. Howard is a trial lawyer who defends companies in product liability cases and a wide range of other litigation matters, including labor and employment disputes and actions involving alleged breach of contract, business torts, professional malpractice, financial services fraud, and toxic torts. He has defended corporations and individuals at trial in a variety of matters. One of his trial victories was listed by CVN as No. 7 in the Top 10 Defense Verdicts of 2015.


Merton (Mert) A. Howard
Partner
Hanson Bridgett LLP

Merton (Mert) A. Howard chairs the Litigation Section at Hanson Bridgett LLP, in San Francisco, California. His practice covers all aspects of civil litigation and legal project management. He defends businesses in claims involving mass torts, toxic exposure, product liability, California's Proposition 65, unfair competition, and premises liability. Additionally, he assists clients with regulatory compliance, product labeling, and crisis management. Mert is the Vice Chair of the Children's Products Specialized Litigation.


Shelley G. Hurwitz
Holland & Knight LLP

Shelley G. Hurwitz is a partner in Holland & Knight LLP's Los Angeles office. Ms. Hurwitz has extensive experience defending product manufacturers against individual and class action claims for personal injuries, property damage and alleged violations of consumer protection statutes. She has represented defendants in numerous toxic exposure cases, and claims under California's Proposition 65. In addition to her product liability practice, Ms. Hurwitz has also defended consumer class actions alleging violation of privacy laws.


James (Jim) T. Irvin III
Partner
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

James (Jim) T. Irvin III is a partner practicing out of the Columbia office of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in the areas of product liability, class action defense, and complex business litigation. He also counsels clients on electronic discovery issues. Jim enjoys trial work, and has tried numerous cases to verdict in state and federal courts. Jim has represented manufacturers and suppliers in product-liability matters arising in a variety of contexts, including consumer class actions, business disputes arising out of product liability issues, and personal injury matters. Jim has been recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business – Recognized Practitioner, Nationwide Product Liability (2015). Jim received a BA in Economics and a BA in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1990 and graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1994, where he served as the Editor in Chief of the South Carolina Environmental Law Journal and was a member of the Order of Wig and Robe.


Jill M. Irvin
Bumble Bee Foods

Jill M. Irvin joined Bumble Bee Foods in January 2006. Prior to joining Bumble Bee, she was a partner in the transactional group at O'Melveny & Myers in their New York and Century City offices. She has worked with Bumble Bee Foods since the acquisition of Bumble Bee from ConAgra in 2003. Jill received her undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Iowa, her law degree from the University of Michigan and her MBA from the University of Southern California.


Nilda M. Isidro
Partner
GOODWIN

Nilda M. Isidro is a partner in GOODWIN's Food and Supplement and Product Liability Groups. Her practice focuses on consumer products law in FDA-regulated industries. She has extensive experience in products liability law, including mass torts and MDLs. Ms. Isidro also provides strategic counseling to food and supplement businesses on a broad range of issues, including FDA and FTC regulatory compliance, risk management and litigation avoidance. Ms. Isidro is a 2015 New York Law Journal Rising Star.


Kathleen Anne Jackson
Associate Counsel
Cummins Inc.

Kathleen Anne Jackson is Associate Counsel for Global Litigation with Cummins Inc. She manages and oversees claims and litigation in North America, Asia and Africa. Kate also counsels all segments of the business regarding product safety, emissions and other regulatory issues. Before joining the Cummins Litigation Team as an attorney, Kate had nine years of combined paralegal experience in private practice and in-house at Cummins Inc. She graduated with high honors from the Michigan State University Honors College and graduated cum laude from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis, Indiana.


Travis Jackson
Kids II Inc.

Travis Jackson is Corporate Counsel for Kids II, Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of infant and toddler products. Kids II products are distributed globally under the company's Baby Einstein, Bright Starts, Ingenuity, Oball and licensed Disney Baby brands. Among other things, Travis routinely advises executive management on matters involving product safety and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Kids II, Travis was with the law firms of King & Spalding, LLP and Moore, Ingram, Johnson & Steele, LLP in the Atlanta area.


Thomas J. (TJ) Jarzyniecki, Jr.
Partner
Kightlinger & Gray LLP

Thomas J. (TJ) Jarzyniecki, Jr. is a partner at Kightlinger & Gray LLP in Indianapolis, where he chairs of the firm's Product Liability Practice Group. He devotes much of his practice to and therefore has extensive experience dealing with fire-related matters. He routinely handles large losses involving fires and explosions causing personal injuries, fatalities and property damage. He uses his 30-plus years of experience to spearhead pre-suit investigations, including evidence preservation, expert retention and early claim evaluation. His trial experience finds him handling cases relating to a wide range of products as well as defending fire suppression system installers and inspectors.


Mark W. Johnson
Sr Counsel
Newell Brands Inc.

Mark W. Johnson is Chief Segment & International Counsel for Newell Brands, Inc. Mark is the primary operations counsel for Newell's business segments, and directs the legal services provided to the company's international regions. Mark also manages the company's government affairs work. Prior to joining Newell, Mark was a commercial litigator at McGuire Woods in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mark earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and his undergraduate degree from Hampton University


Michael G. Jones
Partner
Martin Pringle Oliver Wallace & Bauer

Michael G. Jones is a partner at the law firm of Martin, Pringle, Oliver, Wallace & Bauer, and focuses his practice on aviation law, products liability, and commercial litigation. He represents aviation clients, including Beechcraft Corporation and its predecessors, and now Textron Aviation, Inc., in products liability actions and a variety of commercial litigation matters in federal and state courts throughout the United States. Mike is the DRI Products Liability Aviation Substantive Law Group Vice-Chair for 2015-2016 and also serves as the DRI State Representative for the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel.


Daniel J. Kain
Littleton Joyce Ughetta Park & Kelly LLP

Daniel J. Kain is an attorney in the Philadelphia area office of Littleton Joyce Ughetta Park & Kelly LLP. His practice focusses on product liability, general liability, class action and commercial litigation. As a law student, Dan wrote an article for the Rutgers Law Journal that predicted the general liability claims made in the NFL concussion litigation. Dan now serves as national counsel for clients within the sporting good and residential product industries. He also works with clients in a number of other industries such as transportation, construction, energy, cosmetics and insurance. Dan is a member of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute and Sports and Fitness Industry Association. He serves as the Young Lawyer Liaison Chair to DRI's Product Liability Committee.


Jonathan Karas
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.

Jonathan Karas is corporate counsel for Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co., the largest metals service center company in North America. He has a broad-based practice including mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, SEC compliance, human resources and employment issues, corporate governance and compliance. Prior to joining Reliance, he was a corporate attorney with Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft in New York. At Cadwalader, he counseled clients in complex transactional matters, including leveraged finance, securities, public and private mergers and acquisitions, and joint venture


Mark D. Katz
Partner
Coronado Katz LLC

Mark D. Katz, a founding member of Coronado Katz LLC, defends product manufacturers and distributors in product liability cases involving catastrophic damages, serious injuries and death. His practice also includes defending public entities in employment and general litigation. His experience spans 30 years of trials and appeals in state and federal courts in Kansas and Missouri. He is an active DRI member in the Product Liability Committee and the Fire Science and Litigation SLG, and he is the President of the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, as well as a member of the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers.


Glenn S. Kerner
Head of the Litigation Department
GOODWIN

Glenn S. Kerner, is the Head of the Litigation Department in GOODWIN's New York office. He has extensive experience in products liability law, particularly with respect to complex mass torts and multidistrict litigation (MDL). Mr. Kerner is experienced in matters involving medical devices and pharmaceuticals, food and dietary supplements and consumer products. Mr. Kerner has played a major role in some of the most hotly-contested and high-profile mass torts and MDLs in the past 20 years. He has acted as lead trial counsel in cases across multiple industries and jurisdictions. Mr. Kerner also provides strategic counseling to clients on litigation avoidance and risk management in various industries. He advises clients on labeling and warnings issues, including regulatory compliance.


Scott Kirkpatrick
Coca-Cola Refreshments CA

Scott Kirkpatrick is General Counsel, Vice President & Corporate Secretary of Coca-Cola Ltd., The Minute Maid Company and Coca-Cola Refreshments (Canada). Named in 2015 as one of Canada's Leading Lawyers Under 40 by Lexpert, Mr. Kirkpatrick moved to Coca-Cola in 2011 after practicing in the Toronto office of one of Canada's large full-service firms. He is frequently asked to speak on legal topics which include strategic in-house legal structures, selection and management of external counsel, managing risk and litigation matters, or building healthy compliance relationships with business partners. In private practice, Mr. Kirkpatrick focused on banking class actions, commercial litigation, broker-dealer liability, competition law and anti-money laundering compliance. In his current role, he sits on the executive team for all three entities and leads a Canadian team dealing with a broad range of legal issues including environmental risk, trademark compliance, marketing reviews, litigation, contract management, competition law, procurement, employment matters and corporate governance for over 350 recognizable beverages in Canada.


Emily M. Knott
Sr Attorney
Deere & Co.

Emily M. Knott is a Senior Attorney for Deere & Co. in the litigation group. She manages product liability litigation in North America and Australia/New Zealand and provides product safety/liability focused training and counseling. Prior to joining Deere, Emily was in private practice in Chicago, focusing on construction litigation.


Andrea Studley Knowles
Partner
Sugarman Rogers Barshak & Cohen PC

Andrea Studley Knowles is a partner at Sugarman Rogers Barshak & Cohen PC in Boston where she co-chairs the firm's Product Liability Practice Group. Andrea represents insured and self-insured manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in complex product liability cases involving catastrophic injuries or significant property damage. Her cases have involved a variety of products, including power tools, automobile components, electrical equipment, lawn and garden equipment, and other consumer goods. In addition to her products work, Andrea's practice includes employment law and commercial litigation.


John (Jack) J. Laffey
Founding Partner
Laffey Leitner & Goode LLC

John (Jack) J. Laffey has an extensive Product Liability and Commercial Transportation Catastrophic Injury practice that regularly takes him to courts in Wisconsin and across the nation. In his 30 years of practice, Jack has been proud to represent clients in litigation in more than 25 states. He has had more than two dozen jury verdicts since he started practicing law in 1985. Jack has had the unique experience of having been a winning plaintiff's attorney during that time (1989-1995); this provides Jack with a very interesting and productive insight into the thought processes and motivations of his clients' adversaries. Jack's Product Liability experience ranges from industrial machinery (conveyors and overhead cranes) to consumer products (furnaces and smoke detectors) to toxic torts (asbestos, silica and mold) to pharmaceuticals (diet drugs), to outline a few. Jack has been asked to handle and resolve some of his clients' most problematic and dangerous cases in some of the most challenging venues in this country, oftentimes after the discovery has been completed. These engagements have been particularly rewarding personally because of the faith and trust his clients have placed in him. Jack takes that trust very seriously. His Catastrophic practice always presents very "interesting" problems to solve and it centers upon Wrongful Death, Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury matters. Jack's specialties include: Catastrophic Case oversight and resolution, Trial and Appellate work as well as an extensive mediation practice on behalf of corporate litigants.


Jeannine L. Lee
Partner
Stinson Leonard Street LLP

Jeannine L. Lee co-chairs Stinson Leonard Street's Product Liability Group. She defends products ranging from gas valves to alarm systems to pharmaceuticals, in actions ranging from single catastrophic incidents to national class actions and MDL proceedings. Jeannine has tried and won product cases and obtained dismissals on dispositive motions across the United States.


C. Dewayne Lonas
Moran Reeves Conn

C. Dewayne Lonas' product liability practice is focused on the vigorous defense of designers and manufacturers of outdoor power equipment, including construction, agricultural, landscaping and industrial equipment. Mr. Lonas also serves as national coordinating counsel for a major designer of food processing equipment. As a part of his product practice, Mr. Lonas routinely provides risk management for his clients, which includes the drafting of product literature and warnings.


Lindsay Lorimer
Partner
McMillan LLP

Lindsay Lorimer is a partner in the Advocacy and Litigation department at McMillan LLP in Toronto, Ontario. Her practice is focused on product liability litigation and class actions. She has successfully represented clients in complex proceedings involving a variety of products including pharmaceutical products, consumer products, food products, building products, and children's products. Lindsay has extensive experience in serious personal injury claims and has appeared as counsel before all levels of court in Ontario. Lindsay has been counsel in several class proceedings, national and international, relating to product liability, including the Canadian diet drug litigation and Baycol and Prepulsid class actions. Lindsay also regularly advises leading companies on regulatory issues and on risk assessment and management, including advising clients regarding their obligations under the Canada Consumer Product and Safety Act. Ms. Lorimer is the Chair of the Children's Products SLG.


LaKeisha C. Marsh
Akerman LLP

LaKeisha C. Marsh is a partner in Akerman LLP's Government Affairs & Public Policy Group and leads the Higher Education Policy & Regulation Practice. Her work is done primarily in higher education where she counsels colleges and universities throughout the United States on a full range of topics, including federal and state regulatory compliance, accreditation, state licensure, institutional governance, collegiate sports and NCAA compliance-related matters. LaKeisha offers a breadth of knowledge on NCAA and NAIA compliance-related matters. With extensive experience with NCAA governing rules, regulations, and procedures, Ms. Marsh provides college and university clients with representation through every aspect of the NCAA major and secondary infractions process and NCAA-related litigation. She assists with compliance program reviews and audits to ensure that a college or university has an effective and robust compliance structure that fulfills its obligations as a NCAA or NAIA member institution. She provides rules education and training programs for compliance coordinators, university counsel, coaches, student-athletes, faculty athletic representatives, and academic support personnel.


Jose Luis Martin
Senior Counsel
Chevron Corp.

Jose Luis Martin is Managing Counsel for Enterprise Litigation at Chevron Corp. Since 2012, Mr. Martin has managed the company's long standing Ecuador dispute, including the Bilateral Investment Treaty arbitration against the Republic of Ecuador, the Federal racketeering and fraud trial against those who procured a baseless multi-billion dollar judgment against Chevron, the defense of the related recognition and enforcement actions in Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Ecuador, and a variety of related proceedings across the globe. Mr. Martin joined Chevron in 2010 as Senior Counsel, where he managed a variety of litigation matters in the Upstream and Gas Group. Prior to joining Chevron, he was a partner in the intellectual property group at Squire Sanders & Dempsey LLP in Palo Alto.


Amy Mass
Vice President & Counsel
The Hanover Insurance Group

Amy Mass currently serves as Vice President & Counsel for the Hanover Insurance Group in the Office of General Counsel in Howell, Michigan. She is responsible for property and casualty legal support, government affairs, and regulatory matters for the Midwest region.


Conor A. McLaughlin
Associate
Thompson Hine LLP

Conor A. McLaughlin, an attorney at Thompson Hine LLP, focuses his practice on the defense of companies in lawsuits related to product liability, injuries to persons and property, consumer-related claims, and putative class actions. Before entering private practice, Conor clerked for the Honorable Alice M. Batchelder, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He is a member of the DRI Class Action Conference steering committee.


Michael E. McWilliams
Butler Snow LLP

Michael E. McWilliams serves as Practice Group Leader for Butler Snow's Product Liability group. He has represented numerous clients in a variety of product liability and commercial litigation matters in over 30 states and tried cases to verdict in multiple states. His work has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® and Mid-South Super Lawyers® and he holds memberships in the Product Liability Council Advisory Council and International Association of Defense Counsel.


Carol P. Michel
Partner
Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial LLC

Carol P. Michel has over twenty years of experience in the representation of clients throughout the United States in high stakes litigation, bringing a wealth of experience to the defense of her clients both in state and federal courts. Ms. Michel is admitted to practice in Colorado, Georgia, Mississippi and Nevada, as well as, the United States District Court for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, the United States District Court for the District of Nevada and the United States Ninth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals. She has represented clients in thirteen states throughout the country in a variety of types of claims. Her trial practice encompasses a broad spectrum of tort litigation including: product liability, aviation, intentional torts by employees/agents, premises liability, professional liability, long-term care liability and medical malpractice. Ms. Michel is a member of the Product Liability Advisory Council, International Aviation Womens Association, International Association of Defense Counsel, DRI, as well as other organizations and associations. She is a frequent speaker on litigation related matters.


Gretchen N. Miller
Shareholder
Greenberg Traurig LLP

Gretchen N. Miller is a Shareholder in the Litigation Practice of Greenberg Traurig's Chicago office. She concentrates her practice in product liability and toxic tort litigation in state and federal courts. As trial counsel, Gretchen has tried cases on behalf of manufacturers of consumer, industrial and automotive products. As national counsel, Gretchen oversees litigation nationwide and counsels clients on risk management strategies and compliance with regulatory authorities, including the CPSC, NHTSA and EPA. Gretchen is the Program Chair for the DRI Product Liability Conference, is a member of IADC and is recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer.


H. Lockwood (Chip) Miller III
Partner
Goldberg Segalla LLP

H. Lockwood (Chip) Miller III, has broad litigation experience across a number of substantive areas, with a deep focus on the defense of product liability and toxic tort claims in single-plaintiff cases and large, consolidated mass actions. He has litigated multiple matters involving a host of different prescription and over-the-counter medications, vaccines, and surgical devices, and has also defended a wide array of other product liability and toxic tort claims, including with respect to asbestos, cosmetics and personal care products, lead paint, chemicals and chemical compounds, benzene, household and consumer products, butane-fueled lighters, material handling equipment, airline service equipment, alarm and signaling systems, industrial products, and playground equipment.


Julie Morel
Manager Litigation
Bombardier Recreational Products

Julie Morel is Senior Legal Counsel at Bombardier Recreational Products Inc., a position she has held since 2010. Ms. Morel previously worked at various law firms, including Gowlings, where she acquired extensive experience as a litigator. Her practice has focused on civil and commercial litigation, advertising law, class action and insurance and professional liability. She was called to the Quebec Bar in 2001.


Douglas R. Morr, M.S., P.E.
S-E-A Ltd.

Douglas R. Morr, M.S., P.E., received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (specializing in Biomechanics) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University. After gaining automotive engineering experience at an international manufacturer and over five years of research, design, and testing experience as a biomechanical engineer at a measurement device company, Mr. Morr brought his education and experience to S-E-A in 2000. Since arriving at S-E-A, he has performed hundreds of accident investigations and reconstruction analyses, biomechanical analyses relative to injury mechanisms and injury causation, and mechanical engineering analyses of failure events. Mr. Morr also has experience and training in the use of MADYMO, both in research and real-world human kinematic and kinetic analysis; HVE for vehicle accident and kinematic simulation analysis; and engineering support for animation. Capitalizing on his design and testing background, Mr. Morr leads research and case-specific testing programs at S-E-A, utilizing instrumented Anthropometric Test Devices (ATDs), vehicle-to-vehicle crash tests, and human volunteer testing. In his career, Mr. Morr has continuously worked with colleagues on other biomechanical, mechanical, and investigative research projects, culminating in over 20 peer-reviewed publications and two book chapters. A registered Professional Engineer in 18 states, he is an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), including the Accident Investigation and Reconstruction Practices Committee (AIRP); the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM); the International Traffic Medicine Association (ITMA); the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); and the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA). This combination of experience, education, and training has maintained Mr. Morr's status as an expert in his respective fields, with over eight years of testimony experience in criminal and civil courts nationwide.


Ryan Mrazik
Perkins Coie LLP

Ryan Mrazik is a litigator at Perkins Coie LLP and a member of the firm's Privacy & Security practice and Internet and Social Media industry groups. He litigates for and counsels primarily communications service providers, but also any type of company, on legal issues related to data privacy and security. He provides product counseling, litigates individual and class actions, and helps respond to regulatory inquiries on these issues.


Beth Schneider Naylor
Frost Brown Todd LLC

Beth Schneider Naylor is a Member at Frost Brown Todd in Cincinnati where she provides national litigation management and preventive product safety counseling to U.S. and foreign manufacturers and distributors in diverse industry sectors. Beth's practice includes: Advising clients on proactive and tactical defense of claims and litigation dockets based on both long-term and short-term business objectives; actively participating in the defense of lawsuits at discovery, motion, trial and appellate phases; drafting, interpreting and implementing risk allocation and indemnity clauses in all types of distribution chain agreements; designing, evaluating and auditing product literature, warnings, instructions and internal quality assurance; document retention, risk management and claims processes for compliance with standards and overall effectiveness; representation in Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) matters from database monitoring to implementation of recalls; and participation in standards-making processes (ANSI and ISO) as an industry trade association representative.


Amy E. Neff
Associate General Counsel
Evenflo Company Inc.

Amy E. Neff is Associate General Counsel at Evenflo Company, Inc., a juvenile products manufacturer located in Miamisburg, Ohio. Prior to joining the legal team at Evenflo in 2007, Amy was in private practice as a litigator in Nashville, Tennessee, with Riley, Warnock & Jacobson, PLC, a boutique firm with a client focus in the music and healthcare industries. At Evenflo, one of Amy's roles is to collaborate with consumer services and marketing on Evenflo's social media presence.


H. Michael O'Brien
Partner
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP

H. Michael O'Brien is co-chair of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP's Product Liability practice and leads the firm's Internet of Things (IoT) aspects of its Information Governance practice. With more than 30 years of experience in product liability defense, Michael focuses on representing U.S. and Asia-based manufacturers and distributors as national counsel in litigation, pre-suit investigations and class actions. He also advises clients on reporting obligations to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and counsels them on voluntary recall issues.


John A. Olah
Partner
Beard Winter LLP

John A. Olah specializes in complex tort litigation ranging from cases involving product liability, a wide variety of sports injuries and the liability of hotels, resorts and bars. He is involved in private international law cases as well as business litigation cases. Mr. Olah is the author of "The Art and Science of Advocacy", a two volume loose leaf textbook for lawyers on trial tactics and trial procedures.


Jodi Dyan Oley
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC

Jodi Dyan Oley has a diverse practice in civil litigation, with a particular emphasis on product liability litigation. Jodi's practice includes representation of national automobile, motorcycle and medium/heavy duty truck and tractor manufacturers. She is also experienced in litigation of toxic tort, mass tort, construction and personal injury matters. Jodi is skilled in Federal Employers' Liability Act litigation, as well as other railroad and transportation actions. Jodi has been appointed as national discovery counsel for an international automotive manufacturer and acts as regional trial counsel for a national motorcycle manufacturer.


Zach Olsen
Infinite Global

Zach Olsen is the San Francisco-based president of Infinite Global, an international PR and crisis communications firm. He leads strategic media and PR campaigns, high-stakes litigation PR efforts, and is well known for assessing and responding to crises that threaten his clients' reputations and brands. Zach writes and speaks frequently on crisis communications issues before a range of professional services-focused audiences that include: law firms, financial services institutions, healthcare and insurance companies and C-suite executives in the U.S. and abroad.


Nicholas (Nick) C. Pappas
Member
Frost Brown Todd LLC

Nicholas (Nick) C. Pappas is a member of Frost Brown Todd LLC, where he concentrates his practice on the defense of construction, agricultural and mining equipment and automobiles. Nick represents clients in lawsuits in state and federal courts throughout the United States, and has tried cases to defense verdicts in Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, South Dakota and Wisconsin. He also successfully argued cases in front of the Indiana Court of Appeals, Indiana Supreme Court and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Nick chaired the DRI 2012 Product Liability Conference. He is a past chair of the ACMIE SLG, and he was the 2010 Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana Defense Lawyer of the Year. He is currently the vice-chair of DRI's Product Liability Committee.


Lisa Parliament
Partner
McMillan LLP

Lisa Parliament is a partner in McMillan LLP's Litigation and Competition/Regulatory Groups in Canada. Named in Who's Who Legal: Product Liability Defence and Best Lawyers in Canada® publications, Ms. Parliament's practice focuses on complex litigation and regulatory matters, including class action defense. She acts as national counsel for a number of leading companies, managing and coordinating their litigation and regulatory matters across Canada. She regularly advises companies on product regulatory compliance and proactive risk management. She has also assisted clients in successfully obtaining dismissal of high profile litigation, including class actions.


Michael Parrish
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP

Michael Parrish is a partner at Fasken Martineau in Vancouver, Canada. Michael has significant expertise and experience acting for manufacturers and their insurers in a wide variety of product liability, construction defect and tort claims. He specializes in complex accident, fire loss and failure mode scenarios, particularly multi-party, multi-action litigation relating to product design and manufacture. Michael also has substantial experience with commercial aspects of product liability, construction, insurance and tort litigation including coverage, contract, lease, warranty, indemnity and damages claims.


William Perdue
American Home Furnishings Alliance

William Perdue is the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the American Home Furnishings Alliance, a trade association that represents more than 200 home furnishings manufacturers and importers and approximately 150 suppliers to the home furnishings industry worldwide. Perdue has more than 20 years experience in the furniture industry dealing with air, water, and waste regulatory issues. His responsibilities at AHFA include oversight for all regulatory and technical standards impacting furniture manufacturers and importers.


Cheryl A. Possenti
Managing Partner
Goldberg Segalla

Cheryl A. Possenti is a founding partner of Goldberg Segalla LLP and has more than 30 years' experience in the defense of complex personal injury actions. With a practice that focuses on product liability matters and related litigation — and whose extensive experience includes defending high-profile, high-exposure class actions and professional malpractice claims — Cheryl helps clients navigate the regulatory terrain set forth by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and other agencies. A respected counselor to the makers of toys and other children's products, small appliance manufacturers, and many others, Cheryl assists clients in maintaining CPSC compliance, manages product safety litigation, helps coordinate effective product recalls — both limited and widespread — and advises on mandatory government reporting and the assessment of civil penalties. Over the course of the past 20 years, she has handled more than 150 issues involving the CPSC, and serves as counsel to two of the world's foremost toy and children's products manufacturers. Cheryl is a sought-after speaker and writer on product safety issues and is the past Chair and Panel Counsel Liaison of the Children's Products Specialized Litigation Group of DRI's Product Liability Committee. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Product Licensors Committed to Excellence (SPLiCE). Amongst her many other accolades and commendations, in 2014, Cheryl was named a Client Choice Awards winner by the International Law Office and Lexology. She holds the distinction of being the only lawyer in New York State — and one of just five in the United States and nine in the world — to be recognized in the product liability category. These unique awards are based solely on nominations and feedback by clients and in-house counsel.


E. Todd Presnell
Partner
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

E. Todd Presnell is a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. He represents major corporations, small businesses, governmental entities, tax-exempt organizations, and individuals in their litigation-related needs and has appeared in trial and appellate courts across the country.


Eric L. Probst
Porzio Bromberg & Newman PC

Eric L. Probst is principal at Porzio Bromberg & Newman PC and a member of the firm's Litigation Practice Group. He focuses his practice in the areas of product liability, complex commercial litigation, and construction defect defense in state and federal courts in New Jersey. Mr. Probst currently serves as outside General Counsel for Anthony & Sylvan Pools Corporation, an in-ground swimming pool installation company that installs swimming pools and related equipment in twelve states. Mr. Probst has authored many articles and lectured on issues related to litigating products liability, personal injury, e-discovery, consumer fraud and construction defect cases. Mr. Probst was awarded his Juris Doctor in 1994 from Seton Hall University School of Law, cum laude. He is admitted to both the New Jersey and New York Bars.


Jennifer Quinn-Barabanov
Partner
Steptoe & Johnson LLP

Jennifer Quinn-Barabanov leads the class action practice at Steptoe & Johnson LLP. A partner based in the Washington, DC office, she focuses on class actions, mass torts, and other complex disputes. She has successfully defended class actions involving consumer products and services, as well as chemical exposures. A recognized leader on the use of expert testimony in class action proceedings, Ms. Quinn-Barabanov served as the Program Vice Chair of DRI's Class Action Conference in July 2016.


John (Jay) R. Reid, Jr.
McDonald Toole Wiggins PA

John (Jay) R. Reid, Jr. has spent twenty years defending U.S. and foreign based companies in complex business, catastrophic personal injury and product liability cases in courts throughout Florida and the Southeastern United States. Jay represents clients in the automotive, trucking, medical device, consumer product, insurance and theme park industries. His expertise includes evaluating complicated fact patterns and evidence in the areas of automotive and mechanical engineering, accident reconstruction, vehicle dynamics, safety regulations and standards, biomechanics, medicine and injury causation. He has become familiar with the substantive, procedural and evidentiary requirements of multiple states through his regional litigation and trial practice.


Patrick H. Reilly
Faegre Baker Daniels LLP

Patrick H. Reilly concentrates his practice on complex litigation, with a primary focus on product liability and sports law matters. Patrick has represented national and international manufacturers of a variety of products in state and federal courts across the United States and Canada. He has particular experience coordinating and defending mass tort litigation. Patrick also has experience handling a variety of sports law matters, from litigating contract disputes to defending class action litigation.


Andrew M. Rink
Associate General Counsel
JELD-WEN Inc.

Andrew M. Rink is an Associate General Counsel at JELD-WEN Inc. in Charlotte, NC. He is responsible for overseeing global product, environmental, commercial and general liability litigation for JELD-WEN. Mr. Rink also acts as general counsel to JELD-WEN's North American operating divisions and advises senior management regarding warranties, product safety and compliance. Prior to joining JELD-WEN, Mr. Rink was a litigation partner at an Illinois law firm.


D. Christopher (Chris) Robinson
Frost Brown Todd LLC

D. Christopher (Chris) Robinson is a trial lawyer in Frost Brown Todd LLC's litigation department. Chris focuses his practice in mass torts, products liability, and general tort defense, but he also represents clients in a variety of commercial disputes involving contract interpretation and enforcement. In particular, Chris represents major agricultural equipment manufacturers on a national basis, providing legal advice and guidance in over thirty jurisdictions. He has a wide range of experience at both the trial and appellate levels and has numerous reported opinions.


Brian P. Roche
General Counsel
Riddell Inc.

Brian P. Roche is General Counsel at Riddell Inc. and provides advice and counsel on all Riddell and BRG Sports legal matters. An experienced trial lawyer, Brian has served as both a prosecutor and a partner in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw. He has defended numerous product liability and negligence cases, matters involving trade secrets and restrictive covenants, corporate espionage, unfair competition, complex commercial disputes, patent litigation and other complex technology litigation. Brian earned a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in English from Marquette University, and his law degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology.


Mark A. Rowe
General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer
Techtronic Industries Power Equipment

Mark A. Rowe serves as General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer for Techtronic Industries Power Equipment. and its North American subsidiaries. Techtronic Industries Power Equipment is a subsidiary of Hong Kong based Techtronic Industries Co., Ltd. and is a leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of power tools, outdoor power equipment and related accessories in the home improvement, repair and construction industries. TTI distributes products under a variety of world renowned brands including but not limited to Ryobi®, Homelite®, Ridgid®, Stok® and Hart®.


Anthony Michael Ruffolo
Honda Canada Inc.

Anthony Michael Ruffolo is Manager, Legal Affairs & Counsel at Honda Canada Inc. He is responsible for management of the legal team supporting both Honda's sales organization and captive finance business in Canada. Anthony's practice includes management of products' litigation, including class actions, regulatory advice relating to recalls and product campaigns, and advertising review. Prior to joining Honda, Anthony was an associate lawyer at a national law firm in Toronto.


Abby L. Sacunas
Cozen O'Connor

Abby L. Sacunas, a member of Cozen O'Connor's Commercial Litigation department, skillfully assists manufacturers in a variety of industries, including the life safety, pharmaceutical, medical device and telecommunications industries, assess, prevent and manage product liability and business risks. As outside general and national trial counsel for certain clients, Abby has experience litigating in state and federal forums throughout the United States where she has obtained everything from early dismissals and resolutions to trial verdicts for her clients.


Anthony (Tony) Sammons
Partner
Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Anthony (Tony) Sammons is a Partner in the Litigation Department. Tony concentrates his practice in the areas of product liability, complex litigation, insurance coverage, and appellate advocacy. His product liability practice in recent years has involved significant fire and explosion litigation, ranging from consumer products to gas pipeline and mine explosions. Tony also has extensive experience in product liability cases involving industrial machinery, motor and recreational vehicles, and other products. He additionally has significant experience in commercial litigation, insurance coverage, and bad faith litigation. He is a national counsel for a Fortune 500 company, having handled claims and litigation for the company in more than fifteen states. In addition to litigation experience at the trial level, Tony has appellate experience at the federal and state level that includes the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and oral arguments before the Kentucky Supreme Court and Tennessee Court of Appeals.


Kyle D. Sandefur
Ford Motor Co.

Kyle D. Sandefur joined the Product Litigation Group in Ford Motor Co.'s Office of the General Counsel after graduating from Michigan State University Law School. Kyle is responsible for managing product litigation and discovery matters. He manages outside counsel and represents the Company at mediations across the nation.


William R. Seale
Bush Brothers & Co.

William R. Seale is Vice President General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at Bush Brothers & Company in Knoxville, Tennessee. Bill received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering with High Honors from the University of Tennessee and his law degree from the University of Tennessee. After graduating from Law School, Bill served as a Judge Advocate in the United States Marine Corps from 1977 to 1981 and a Special Assistant U. S. Attorney from 1979 to 1981. After receiving an Honorable Discharge from the Marines, Bill entered private practice with the firm now known as Wimberly Lawson Wright Daves & Jones, PLLC, in 1982. He was the Managing Member of the firm from 2000 to 2004 and practiced in the areas of labor and employment, with a particular emphasis on NLRB defense work, union avoidance, collective bargaining, contract administration, Equal Employment Opportunity, employee relations, wage and hour, affirmative action, ERISA workers' compensation, occupational safety, and arbitration law. He has served as an Editor of the Tennessee Bar Association, Labor Law Section Newsletter, and is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Sections of the Tennessee Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is currently on the Board of Directors of Young Life and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Bill is a member of the University of Tennessee Letterman's Club. He has been selected for Best Lawyers in America.


W. Jeffrey Sefton
Senior Litigation Counsel
Cintas Corporation

W. Jeffrey Sefton Biography requested.


E. Paige Sensenbrenner
Managing Partner
Adams and Reese LLP

E. Paige Sensenbrenner serves as the Senior Partner-in-Charge of the New Orleans office of Adams and Reese LLP. His litigation practice has involved class actions and mass torts, drugs and devices, toxic torts and Attorney General actions. He currently serves as trial counsel for a major energy company in cases alleging damages due to radiation exposure. He is a fellow in the International Society of Barristers and a member of DRI, the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel and Lawyers for Civil Justice.


Samuel L. Sharpless, PE, CFEI
Vice President
Rimkus Consulting Group Inc.

Samuel L. Sharpless, PE, CFEI, is Vice President of the Electrical Division at Rimkus Consulting Group Inc. where he oversees a team of electrical experts analyzing failures in a wide-range of electrical and electronic equipment. He is a 1987 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator and is active in the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Transformers Committee. His professional career includes extensive practical experience in large-scale factory automation systems, circuit design, electronic troubleshooting and technical management.


Robert A. Shields
Partner
Wilson Turner Kosmo

Robert A. Shields is a partner at Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP and has been with the firm since 2000. His practice is focused on the representation of automobile, motorcycle, automotive component parts, and industrial equipment manufacturers who have been sued for damages in catastrophic injuries. In addition, Mr. Shields supervises his firm's representation of product manufacturers in a host of breach of warranty claims based on the Song-Beverly and Magnuson-Moss Warranty Acts, and consumer fraud statutes. Rob has defended numerous cases that have been dismissed on summary judgment motions, including claims of negligence, design defect, breach of warranty, breach of contract, fraud, and misrepresentation. Mr. Shields has been responsible for regional and statewide defense programs concerning consumer litigation, manufacture, design and warning defect claims. He has consulted with manufacturers in the development of policies for product litigation management, product warranties, and compliance issues. He has managed and defended complex toxic tort cases, including chemical exposures. He has significant experience implementing strategies for clients involved in national litigation, managing statewide, regional and national caseloads, managing discovery, and conducting expert depositions. He has successfully mediated well over a hundred cases to creative and successful conclusion. He has successfully analyzed and prepared cases at the pleading stage to promote early resolution, mediation and dismissal based on lack of merit. Since 2000, he has taken approximately 2,000 cases to resolution.


Mark D. Shifton
Partner
Seiger Gfeller Laurie LLP

Mark D. Shifton is a Partner in the Princeton, New Jersey and New York City offices of Seiger Gfeller Laurie LLP. Mark focuses his practice in the areas of complex civil and commercial litigation in the state and federal courts in New Jersey and New York, and has extensive experience representing clients in catastrophic property loss and injury claims and litigation. Mark also routinely represents owners, design professionals, and contractors in construction disputes, and advises clients regarding various issues pertaining to green building and sustainable development. He currently serves as the Chair of the Building Products SLG of the Product Liability Committee, and is the Immediate Past Chair of the Products Liability Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association.


Sean W. Shirley
Balch & Bingham LLP

Sean W. Shirley is a Partner in Balch & Bingham LLP's Birmingham office. As a member of the firm's Litigation section, Mr. Shirley's practice concentrates on casualty litigation, including toxic and environmental torts, product liability, personal injury and wrongful death. Mr. Shirley has represented a wide-range of clients, including Fortune 500 chemical companies, a child restraint system manufacturer, public utility companies, public housing authorities, and a manufacturer of industrial and residential wood products.


Catherine B. Slavin
Partner
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP

Catherine B. Slavin is a partner in the Philadelphia office of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP and a member of the Insurance and Commercial Litigation groups. Ms. Slavin focuses her practice on aviation litigation defense, representing aircraft and aircraft component manufacturers, aircraft operators, maintenance facilities, and aviation insurers in product liability, commercial litigation, and coverage matters. Ms. Slavin has handled a wide variety of general aviation and airline cases in state and federal courts nationwide, at both the trial court and appellate levels. She has argued appeals in aviation cases before the Second, Third, Fifth, and Tenth Circuits, the Delaware Supreme Court, and the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.


Shayon T. Smith
Director of Litigation
The Hershey Co.

Shayon T. Smith is Director of Litigation at The Hershey Company headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. She is responsible for Hershey's global litigation strategies as well as dispute and litigation management. Shayon joined Hershey in 2015 from the Baltimore office of Goodell DeVries where she was a partner. Her practice focused on the representation of pharmaceutical and medical device companies facing products liability litigation in both state and federal jurisdictions. She previously served as in-house counsel with Steelcase Inc., managing disputes, claims and litigation matters both domestically and abroad. Shayon holds an undergraduate degree from Notre Dame of Maryland University, and a law degree from the University of Maryland.


David P. Stankovich
Werner Co.

David P. Stankovich is Vice-President and Senior Counsel at Werner Co., the nation's leading manufacturer of ladders and climbing equipment, where he manages a department of Claims Administrators and Engineers who, with the help of outside counsel, defend Werner Co. from various types of product liability and similar claims. He is a key decision maker on whether to take cases to trial. David is a graduate of University of Dayton, Ohio and has been with Werner Co for 22 years. Prior to Werner, David was in private practice in Pennsylvania doing insurance defense work.


Michael J. Sullivan
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP

Michael J. Sullivan is Managing Partner in the Atlanta office of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP, a 530+ attorney full-service business law firm. Michael is a mass tort and complex commercial litigation attorney with 30+ years of experience representing clients in bet-the-company litigation. He serves as trusted advisor to senior level executives on risk management, cost control and litigation management issues. Michael is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and DRI.


Anne M. Talcott
Shareholder
Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt PC

Anne M. Talcott is a shareholder at Schwabe Willamson & Wyatt PC in Portland, OR. She has defended businesses in complex cases for almost twenty years, focusing primarily on pharmaceutical, medical device and other product liability litigation. She represents her clients throughout the Northwest frequently serving as regional counsel and has tried cases across Oregon and Washington. Anne is a past Chair of the Oregon State Bar Product Liability Section and currently serves as Chair of DRI's Product Liability Committee.


Jeffrey A. Travis, P.E., S.E.
Exponent

Jeffrey A. Travis, P.E., S.E., has over 25 years of experience in structural engineering, with expertise in structural analysis and design, construction technology, large-scale collapse investigations, structural dynamics and blast analysis, construction failure analysis, and crane operations and safety practices. A majority of his work focuses on cause and origin investigations of building damage, building envelope performance, repair, and rehabilitation of structures, construction defect analysis, and construction disputes.


Sara M. Turner
Shareholder
Baker Donelson

Sara M. Turner is a shareholder in the Birmingham, Alabama, office of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell and Berkowitz, PC. She serves as co-chair of Baker Donelson's Hospitality Industry Service Team. Sara's trial experience includes product liability, drug and medical device, hospitality, timeshare, complex commercial litigation, class action and franchise claims. She regularly serves as outside general counsel and coordinates her clients' defense of claims nationwide.


Anton R. Valukas
Chairman Of The Firm
Jenner & Block

Anton R. Valukas is a litigator and chairman of Jenner & Block. A former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Valukas represents Fortune 500 companies and public entities in conflicts of interest, ethics violations, internal investigations, government contracts, health care and class actions. He has defended companies ranging from manufacturers to air carriers in class actions and mass tort litigation involving product defects, consumer fraud, food contamination, mass accident, toxic exposure and environmental claims. In 2009, Mr. Valukas served as the court-appointed Examiner in the Lehman Brothers Holdings bankruptcy; the 2,200 page Examiner's Report was universally applauded for its clarity and usefulness in determining what brought about the demise of Lehman, an event many point to as triggering the economic crisis of 2008. Recently, Mr. Valukas led an internal investigation and produced an internal report to the board of directors of General Motors with regard to events leading up to certain recalls stemming from faulty ignition switches. In a 70-day period, his Jenner & Block team collected and searched more than 41 million documents and records and conducted more than 350 witness interviews. The team coordinated GM's response to several federal agencies and Congress, and Mr. Valukas testified before Senate and House committees on the report's findings. Mr. Valukas also represented GM in a related investigation by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, culminating in resolution of the matter through a deferred prosecution agreement. For his contributions to the legal profession and the community-at-large, Mr. Valukas has been recognized with numerous honors including being named a "Lifetime Achiever" by The American Lawyer and AmLaw's 2012 "Litigator of the Year" and 2011 "Newsmaker of the Year," one of The National Law Journal's "100 Most Influential Lawyers in America" and the National Association of Corporate Directors' "Most Influential People in the Boardroom," and the Chicago Lawyer "Person of the Year."


Leonel (Len) M. van Zyl, Ph.D.
CEO
ArrayXpress Inc.

Leonel (Len) M. van Zyl, Ph.D., is the CEO and CSO of ArrayXpress Inc., a Next Generation Genomics services company founded with the vision of using the latest Next Generation Sequencing technologies to provide turn-key solutions for Systems Biology applications. Dr. van Zyl specializes in the application of genetics and genomics technologies to toxic tort litigation. He is involved in toxic tort litigation projects as both a factual and expert witness, and has developed an in-depth understanding in the application of genetics and genomics technologies to elucidate the existence of effects of toxicants on DNA, RNA, and epigenetic markers. Dr. van Zyl has been recognized as a Top 50 Entrepreneurs Award winner for his impact on the scientific and business community.


Facundo Viel Temperley
Partner
Marval O'Farrell & Mairal


James (Jim) J. Walter

James (Jim) J. Walter most recently served as the Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility & Quality for Mattel Inc. Mr. Walter was former Chairman and a member of the Toy Industry Association (TIA) Safety Standards & Technical Committee (SSTC). In addition, Mr. Walter served as the convener of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) work group responsible for the ISO global toy standard, ISO 8124 (ISO/TC 181/WG 1). Mr Walter spearheaded Mattel's industry-leading efforts in establishing Mattel's Global Manufacturing Principles (GMP's). Mr. Walter then worked closely with the entire toy industry in establishing the International Council of Toy Industry's (ICTI) "CARE Program", a global set of social compliance standards. Mr. Walter served as Chairman of the US Technical Advisory Board (US TAB) to ICTI CARE, and subsequently as Chairman of the International Technical Advisory Board (Int'l TAB. Mr. Walter received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance, both from the State University of New York at Buffalo.


Martha Sue Warren
Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP

Martha Sue Warren has nearly 30 years of experience defending Fortune 100 companies in national complex product liability litigation. She has handled dockets involving hundreds of high-profile, complicated, multi-party cases, including class actions and personal injury product liability matters throughout the United States. She has extensive experience in managing large teams of attorneys and professional staff and coordinating with a nationwide network of local counsel firms. She has conducted and/or presented at numerous training sessions for in-house and outside counsel. Marty has a growing international practice and has served as international counsel advising international manufacturers in civil liability lawsuits arising out of the sale and use of their products, with a particular focus on Latin American. She also counsels international clients on litigation prevention strategies and legislative projects that impact or alter civil liability risks. She has worked with counsel in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela and Guatemala.


Charles (Randy) R. Watson, IAAI-CFI, CFEI, CVFI, CFII
Fire Investigator, Manager
S-E-A Ltd.

Charles (Randy) R. Watson, IAAI-CFI, CFEI, CVFI, CFII, is a Senior Fire Investigator and Regional Manager of the Atlanta, Georgia, office. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Carolina. Prior to joining S-E-A in 1992, he spent 15 years investigating fires and explosions for the fire service, law enforcement, and private sector. Mr. Watson began his affiliation with the National Fire Protection Association's Technical Committee on Fire Investigation in 1991 and continues to serve as a principal member. From 2002 through 2007 he served as the Committee Secretary. Since January of 2008, Mr. Watson has served as the committee chairman. This is the committee responsible for writing "NFPA 921 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations." Mr. Watson also serves on the NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Investigator Professional Qualifications. This committee is responsible for writing "NFPA 1033 Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigators." In addition to being a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator, Certified Fire Investigation Instructor, and Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator, he holds certifications as a Hazardous Materials Technician and Asbestos Hazard Evaluation Specialist. Throughout his career, Mr. Watson has qualified as an expert witness and provided testimony in numerous federal, state, and local jurisdictions. He is a licensed fire investigator in numerous states. He is a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA); the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International), serving on the E05 Committee-Fire Standards and the E30 Committee-Forensic Science; the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE); the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) and many state chapters; the National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI), serving on the Board of Directors; the Professional Fire and Fraud Investigators Association (PFFIA); and the National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators (NSPII).


Jaclyn Bryk Welch
Director, Senior Corporate Attorney
The JM Smucker Co.

Jaclyn Bryk Welch is Director, Senior Corporate Counsel - Litigation at The JM Smucker Co. based in Orrville, Ohio. Jaclyn graduated from John Carroll University in 2001 followed by the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University in 2004. Following law school, Jaclyn joined Flaherty Sensabaugh Bonasso PLLC in Charleston, West Virginia, where her practice focused on complex commercial litigation, insurance coverage, and appellate law. In 2010, Jaclyn joined Tucker Ellis LLP in Cleveland, Ohio, where her practice focused primarily on the defense of pharmaceutical companies in national product liability litigation. In 2010 and 2011, Jaclyn was selected as a Super Lawyers' Rising Star for Cleveland, Ohio. Jaclyn joined the Company as its in-house litigator in October 2011. Jaclyn's current practice entails managing the Company's litigation portfolio and claims including, but not limited to, class action litigation, California's Proposition 65 litigation, and commercial disputes.


Craig L. Winterman
Partner
Herzfeld & Rubin LLP

Craig L. Winterman has successfully defended cases against some of the most renowned plaintiffs' counsel in the United States. The majority of his trials have involved complex legal and factual issues ranging from jurisdiction to federal preemption. He has successfully tried product liability cases involving catastrophic injuries including severe burns, quadriplegia, paraplegia, brain injury and death to minors and adults. A number of his cases have been before the United States Supreme Court as well as state appellate courts. Mr. Winterman recently tried a case using 3D exhibits.


John R. Woodard, III
Coffey Senger & McDaniel

John R. Woodard, III is a partner in the Tulsa, Oklahoma firm of Coffey Senger & McDaniel. He has served as a Director and Secretary-Treasurer of DRI and has been President of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. He is also a prime member of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, a Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America and has been selected by his peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America and as one of Oklahoma's "Super Lawyers." Mr. Woodard has a varied defense practice with emphasis on products liability, transportation and personal injury litigation.


Bettina W. Yip
General Counsel
Pet Food Express


Glenn M. Zakaib
Partner
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Glenn M. Zakaib is a partner in the Advocacy Department and the Product Liability and Class Action Specialty Practice Groups at Cassels Brock. The main focus of his practice is on product liability (e.g., drug and medical devices, automotive and aviation products, and electrical equipment and home appliances), as well as class proceedings (e.g., product liability, life insurance and misrepresentation claims and Competition Act claims). He has been involved in numerous precedent-setting cases.


Dennis P. Ziemba
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC

Dennis P. Ziemba is a trial lawyer with a diverse civil practice, focusing on product liability litigation and other tort actions. He also represents product manufacturers in breach of warranty actions, and provides advice to clients in employment matters. Throughout his career, Mr. Ziemba has represented multiple manufacturers of automobiles, automotive component parts, consumer products, industrial equipment and motorcycles in civil litigation actions. He also serves as regional counsel for a national motorcycle manufacturer. Mr. Ziemba has extensive experience in successfully handling mediations, arbitrations and jury trials. He regularly appears in state and federal courts throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, as well as other courts around the country.