DRI Faculty List
Life, Health, Disability, and ERISA Seminar Seminar
Sheraton New Orleans | New Orleans, LA | April 29 - May 1, 2020
Kelly Frye Barnett Senior Counsel
The Hartford
Kelly Frye Barnett is Senior Counsel in Hartford's Group Benefits Litigation Group. Kelly earned her J.D. from the University Of Connecticut School Of Law and practiced as a Litigation Associate at Robinson & Cole LLP prior to joining the Hartford in 2019. |
Michael H. Bernstein Partner
Robinson & Cole LLP
Michael H. Bernstein is a partner in the New York office of Robinson & Cole LLP. Mr. Bernstein is chair of the firm's Managed Care and Employee Benefits Practice Group and practices in the areas of ERISA and non-ERISA life, health, and disability benefits litigation, managed care litigation, and related insurance coverage issues. He counsels employee benefit plan administrators and fiduciaries concerning ERISA, employee benefits, and health care issues and has successfully defended life, health, and disability claims brought against plan administrators, employers, and managed care organizations. After obtaining his B.A., cum laude, at the State University of New York at Albany, Mr. Bernstein earned his J D. at Pace University School of Law. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, , and a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the International Association of Defense Counsel, the American Health Lawyers Association, and the Defense Research Institute. Mr. Bernstein is a prolific writer on topics concerning ERISA, employee benefits, and legal issues facing the health care industry. He is also frequently called upon to be a speaker or panelist at legal and health care industry events. |
Elizabeth J. (Lisa) Bondurant Partner
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Elizabeth J. (Lisa) Bondurant, is a partner in Womble Bond Dickinson's Business Litigation Practice Group. Her practice is concentrated in insurance litigation and ERISA. Lisa is co-head of the Insurance Sector for the firm. For over thirty years, she has been lead counsel on a variety of cases involving complex insurance issues, coverage disputes, ERISA, life, health, disability, and accidental death benefits, and broker, producer and agent disputes. She has published extensively on insurance issues and been a frequent speaker at seminars. Lisa is active in professional organizations and community affairs. She is a former chair of the Life, Health, and Disability Committee of the Defense Research Institute and the Life Insurance Committee of the Tort and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association (TIPS). Lisa is also a member of the Association of Life Insurance Counsel and the International Association of Defense Counsel, and a past chair of its Insurance and Reinsurance Committee. |
Kenton J. (Kent) Coppage Fox Rothschild LLP
Kenton J. (Kent) Coppage, is counsel in the Atlanta office of Fox Rothschild LLP. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia, from which he received his B.A. degree in 1987 and his J.D. degree in 1990. Mr. Coppage's practice has been concentrated in life, health, and disability insurance litigation and employee benefits litigation. In addition to active representation of clients, he frequently speaks and publishes articles on ERISA and insurance topics. He is an active member of the Life, Health and Disability Committee of DRI, the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section of the ABA, and the Law Committee of the International Claim Association. |
Melissa M. Cowan Burke Williams & Sorensen LLP
Melissa M. Cowan is an equity partner with Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP. She represents and advises insurers, third-party administrators, employee benefit plans, and employers in first-party insurance matters. For over 25 years, she has actively litigated disability, accident, life, health/indemnity, long-term care, and ERISA cases from inception through appeal. Her results – including jury verdicts for fraud and punitive damages against insureds – have contributed to the development of insurance law within California and the Ninth Circuit. She also defends clients in class actions, complex commercial litigation, and public law matters. Melissa is passionate about writing, training, and speaking. She strives for new ways to keep insurance issues practical and thought-provoking. Her special interests include fraud, "bad faith", ERISA, litigation tactics, legal trends, and claims practices. |
Kristen S. Cross Partner
Sirote & Permutt PC
Kristen S. Cross is a shareholder with Sirote & Permutt, PC in Birmingham, Alabama. She has 20 years of general litigation experience with a focus on defending insurance companies in the area of life, health, disability and ERISA litigation. Her work for insurers has included not only benefits litigation, but also defensive litigation where insureds claim fraud in the marketing and sale of insurance products. Kris also represents insurance brokers and IMOs in various types of disputes. Additionally, she is a member of Sirote's appellate practice group and handles appeals in both state and federal courts. |
Michael P. Cunningham Funk & Bolton PA
Michael P. Cunningham is a principal at Funk & Bolton, P.A. in Baltimore. For more than fifteen years, Mr. Cunningham has represented insurers, plan administrators, and managed care organizations in federal and state courts, as well as in regulatory proceedings, arbitration, and mediation. He has defended a broad range of matters involving ERISA, life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, managed care programs, provider contracts, stop loss insurance, annuities, bad faith, and other contract, tort, and statutory claims. Mr. Cunningham is a member of DRI's Life, Health and Disability Committee and is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia. |
Sarah L. Cylkowski Bodman PLC
Sarah L. Cylkowski litigates complex matters in state and federal courts, with a focus on health care, class actions, e-discovery and antitrust cases. She has experience counseling clients through large-scale discovery, including multidistrict litigation discovery. Ms. Cylkowski helps clients navigate the preservation, collection and production of data while minimizing disruptions to their day-to-day business operations. In this role, she works efficiently with employees, experts, co-counsel and opposing counsel to streamline discovery and avoid unnecessary costs. Ms. Cylkowski received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and her B.A. from the University of Michigan. |
Byrne J. Decker Partner
Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC
Byrne J. Decker is the managing shareholder in the Portland, Maine office of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. Mr. Decker has a nation-wide practice that specializes in the defense of employee benefits/ERISA litigation. He has defended benefits cases in federal courts in every federal judicial circuit. Mr. Decker is the Chair of DRI's Life, Health and Disability Committee. |
Sarah J. Delaney Goldberg Segalla LLP
Sarah J. Delaney is a partner in Goldberg Segalla LLP's Global Insurance Services Practice. Her coverage experience is diverse, including life, health, and disability; bad faith; rescission; and fraud. Sarah is an active member of DRI's Life, Health, and Disability Committee, and is currently the vice-chair for the 2019 LHD seminar, as well as a frequent publication contributor. She is one of the editors of the DRI treatise, The Law of Life Insurance: Key Issues in Each State and the forthcoming "Insurance Policy Rescission," a joint project between DRI's Insurance Law and Life, Health and Disability Committees. Sarah is the Program Chair for the 2020 Life, Health, Disability, and ERISA Seminar. |
Elizabeth G. Doolin Member
Chittenden Murday & Novotny LLC
Elizabeth G. Doolin is an equity member of Chittenden, Murday & Novotny LLC. She has 27 years of experience representing insurance and financial services industry clients nationwide in ERISA litigation, life insurance litigation, insurance coverage disputes, healthcare contract litigation, insurance tax litigation, commercial disputes, securities fraud and RICO claims, employment discrimination matters, and regulatory issues. Elizabeth has significant trial and appellate experience, and is a frequent author and speaker on insurance and litigation issues. She has also been recognized as one of the Top 10 Women Civil Appellate Lawyers in Illinois by the Leading Lawyers Network. She is a member of DRI's Life, Health and Disability, Data Management and Security, and Women in the Law Committees. Elizabeth is the second vice program chair for the 2020 Life Health Disability and ERISA Claims Seminar. |
Daniel W. Gerber Partner
Gerber Ciano Kelly Brady LLP
Daniel W. Gerber is a founding partner of Gerber Ciano Kelly Brady LLP. Mr. Gerber chairs the firm's Insurance Solutions Practice Group. He maintains an international practice in complex insurance coverage and reinsurance matters. He has served as an expert witness in insurance disputes all over the United States. In addition, he advises insurance and reinsurance companies on regulatory risks and compliance. Among his many leadership roles, Mr. Gerber is a former member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI) Board of Directors and is a current member of the Law Institute for DRI. |
Atoyia Scott Harris Associate
Proskauer Rose LLP
Atoyia Scott Harris practices Labor and Employment at Proskauer Rose and is a member of Proskauer's Employment Litigation & Counseling Group. Atoyia has advised and successfully defended matters on a wide variety of issues, provides employment-based training and conducts in-house investigations. She is an appointed member of the DRI Membership Committee and member of the DRI Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Atoyia received her Bachelor of Music in Industry Studies with emphasis in classical piano from Loyola University New Orleans and was member of Loyola's Women's Basketball Team. She received her Juris Doctorate and International Law Certification from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.Atoyia Scott Harris practices Labor and Employment at Proskauer Rose and is a member of Proskauer's Employment Litigation & Counseling Group. Atoyia has advised and successfully defended matters on a wide variety of issues, provides employment-based training and conducts in-house investigations. She is an appointed member of the DRI Membership Committee and member of the DRI Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Atoyia received her Bachelor of Music in Industry Studies with emphasis in classical piano from Loyola University New Orleans and was member of Loyola's Women's Basketball Team. She received her Juris Doctorate and International Law Certification from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. |
Anthony Ray Hinton
Anthony Ray Hinton survived for 30 years on Alabama's death row. His story is a decades-long journey to exoneration and freedom. With the assistance of the Equal Justice Initiative, Mr. Hinton was freed in 2015. Since his release, Mr. Hinton has traveled the world sharing his story. In 2018, Mr. Hinton published The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row, which was selected for Oprah's Book Club and is a New York Times bestseller. |
Kristina N. Holmstrom Partner
Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC
Kristina N. Holmstromhas a national practice representing large insurers with a heavy focus on the Southwest—both in trial court and on appeal. She serves as lead counsel in defending insurers and employers against claims for ERISA benefits, claims for breach of fiduciary duty, and state-law claims for bad faith and breach of contract for all types of insurance policies. She also assists insurers in pursuing claims for rescission and interpleader. This nationwide practice allows Ms. Holmstrom to provide valuable counseling to her clients on maintaining a consistent strategy regionally and nationally. |
Kristen E. Horne Unum Group
Kristen E. Horne is Assistant Vice President and Senior Counsel for Unum Group, in its Colonial Life office in Columbia, South Carolina. She provides legal support for the business operations of Unum Group, focusing her work on matters relating to broker and agent compensation and distribution channels. Prior to joining Unum Group in 2017, she practiced with Nelson Mullins defending life and disability insurers in bad faith and rescission matters and securities broker dealers in both industry and customer matters. She currently serves as president of the Richland County Bar Association. |
Margaret Elaine Jennings American General Life Ins Co
Margaret Elaine Jennings is Counsel in AIG's Corporate Litigation Group. She focuses on disputes arising out of AIG's life insurance, group and individual retirement, and asset management businesses. Much of her docket is concentrated on matters related to claims, agent/distribution issues, and securities litigation. Prior to joining AIG, Margaret was an associate at the firm of McDowell Hetherington LLP, where her practice focused on life, health, and disability insurance defense. Margaret graduated from the University of Iowa in 2008 and Loyola Law School in 2012. She also served as a law clerk for the Hon. Melinda Harmon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. |
Jeaneen J. Johnson Counsel
Semmes Bowen & Semmes PC
Jeaneen J. Johnson is Counsel to the law firm of Semmes, Bowen & Semmes in its Baltimore, Maryland office. She focuses her practice in general civil litigation, concentrating on life, health, and disability insurance defense and ERISA claims, disability/pension benefit claims, administrative claims before insurance regulators, insurance coverage, and general liability defense. Ms. Johnson has also represented clients in EEOC matters and employment law cases. She practices in the state and federal courts of Maryland and the District of Columbia and is also admitted to practice in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. She is an experienced mediator. She is a member of several national and state professional associations and is also a member of DRI's Center for Law and Public Policy – Judicial Task Force as well as the Diversity Subcommittee for DRI's Life, Health and Disability Committee |
Edna Sybil Kersting Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
Edna Sybil Kersting is a Partner in the Chicago office of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, LLP and co-vice chair of the firm's Life, Health, Disability and ERISA practice group. She represents life, health and disability plans and their insurers in ERISA and bad faith and punitive damages litigation matters throughout the United States in both state and federal courts. She further counsels and represents insurers in matters involving claims and coverage issues. Edna has published numerous articles on topics of interest in the Life, Health, Disability and ERISA practice area. In addition, she has been a speaker at various insurance industry events. She is one of the vice chairs of the Life Insurance law Committee of the ABA Tips Section and active in DRI's Life, Health, Disability and ERISA Committee. |
D. Larry Kristinik, III Partner
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
D. Larry Kristinik, III is a partner with the law firm of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP in Columbia, South Carolina where he serves as the Chair of the firm's insurance industry practice group. Mr. Kristinik's practice focuses on the defense of life, health, and disability insurers in matters involving alleged bad faith denials, total disability claims, rescissions based on misrepresentations, ERISA, AD&D, agent misconduct, interpleaders, and regulatory matters before the Department of Insurance. He also defends broker dealers and investment advisors in claims brought by securities investors. Mr. Kristinik was the Program Chair of the 2018 DRI Life Health Disability & ERISA Seminar in Boston and currently serves as the Chair of the Strategic Planning Subcommittee of the DRI Life Health Disability and ERISA Committee. |
Brooks R. Magratten Partner
Pierce Atwood LLP
Brooks R. Magratten is a partner in Pierce Atwood's Providence and Boston offices. He is a past chair of the DRI Life, Health & Disability Insurance Committee and a past chair of ABA-TIPS' Health & Disability Insurance Committee. He has served on DRI's Board of Directors and Law Institute. He is the Editor of the ABA's ERISA Survey of Federal Circuits, now in its eighth edition. Mr. Magratten's practice focuses on the defense of life, health and disability insurance related litigation in the northeastern United States. He is a frequent author and lecturer on ERISA topics. |
Jamie L. Moore Partner
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Jamie L. Moore is a partner at the Bradley firm. Her practice is focused on insurance litigation and class actions nationwide. She also advises her clients on best business practices, regulatory matters, and ways to avoid future litigation. Jamie particularly enjoys partnering with her clients to fully understand their objectives and to meet them efficiently and cost-effectively. She is listed in Best Lawyers in America and the Mid-South Super Lawyers. Jamie's family includes six former street dogs and a rescue horse. Jamie is the Life Health Disability/ERISA Claims 2020 Program Vice Chair |
Jodie L. Ousley D'Arcambal Ousley & Cuyler Burk LLP
Jodie L. Ousleywith D'Arcambal Ousley Cuyler Burk, has a background in fraud investigation and has represented companies in actions against providers, insureds, and plan members regarding fraudulent claims for life, health and disability benefits. She specializes in litigation involving life insurance rescission, disability benefits, STOLI issues, mistaken or overpaid benefits, and interpleaders throughout the country. She attended Oxford University and Southern Methodist University School of Law, where she graduated cum laude in 1997. She received a B.A. degree in 1992 from the University of Texas. |
Michael L. Parker AVP & Special Counsel
Unum Group
Michael L. Parker is an AVP and Special Counsel at Unum in Portland, Maine. His practice is primarily partnering with outside counsel throughout the country defending disability and life insurance litigation, and providing counsel to company personnel, particularly on all matters ERISA. He has 35 years of litigation, mediation, and negotiation experience, gained through work as a psychologist, federal district court law clerk, private practitioner, legal director for the Maine ACLU, member of the governor's pardon board, and in-house counsel. |
Nimesh Patel Unum Group
Nimesh Patel is an Assistant Vice President & Legal Counsel with Unum Group. He is a member of Business Operations Law (BusOps), a division of the Unum Law Department, specializing in insurance and employee benefits law, including the ERISA, tax and commercial laws applicable to employer-sponsored welfare benefit plans and worksite insurance offerings. BusOps brings sophisticated technical knowledge to Unum's marketing, product development, customer service, sales, and underwriting organizations in an effort to find solutions for our customers and the intermediaries who work on their behalf. Through the efforts of this team, Unum has been on the leading edge of newly emerging legal risks and trends. Prior to joining Unum, Nimesh was in private practice where he advised his clients on all aspects of the design, implementation and administration of employee benefit plans, executive compensation plans and the related funding vehicles. Nimesh also provided advice on various employee benefit issues arising in corporate acquisitions, divestitures and reorganizations. |
Gerardo (Gerry) Puig General Counsel
Transamerica
Gerardo (Gerry) Puig has been with Transamerica since November 2000 and serves as assistant General Counsel for Litigation. He has been a member of the Litigation Team since its establishment in 2015. Throughout his tenure with the company, Gerry has managed litigation involving Transamerica policies nationwide. He also represents the company at administrative hearings and trials in Maryland. In addition to supporting various operations functions, Gerry provides advice and support to the claims departments regarding claims processing and potential claim denials. He also reviews the company's responses to Department of Insurance complaints and to other high-level complaints. |
Kimberly J. Ruppel Dickinson Wright PLLC
Kimberly J. Ruppel is a member of Dickinson Wright, PLLC. She has over 20 years' experience as a commercial litigator who specializes in life, health, disability and ERISA litigation. She represents insurers, plans and healthcare providers in matters related to insurance claims, coverage and fiduciary disputes, healthcare litigation and compliance, governmental investigations, and class actions in state and Federal courts. She is a member of the DRI Life, Health, Disability and ERISA committee. |
Daniel K. Ryan Partner
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
Daniel K. Ryan has a diverse commercial litigation practice. He is recognized and distinguished for his strategic ability to successfully and aggressively resolve business disputes, particularly in matters tried in federal courts and through arbitration. His technical background includes a unique combination of capabilities in class action lawsuits, health care litigation, employee benefits litigation, consumer fraud, bad faith, biometric privacy acts, corporate disputes, employment discrimination, IT software implementation disputes, securities fraud, and corporate dissolutions. Dan's business litigation practice is nationally focused, with his cases venued throughout the countryDan has tried numerous cases, both jury and non-jury. His practice also entails a substantial number of matters involving alternative dispute resolution, both mediation and arbitration. Dan devotes a significant part of his practice to managed care disputes and employee benefits litigation, both ERISA and non-ERISA. He has represented employee benefit plans and fiduciaries in court litigation and arbitration, including trials and appeals. Dan's employee benefits litigation experience in this area includes the defense of health, life and disability claims, annuity, suitability, and related disputes, long term care coverage disputes, provider disputes, breach of fiduciary duty claims, fraudulent billing, and reporting and disclosure claims. Dan also possesses a substantial capability in the area of "special remedies." He has obtained injunctive relief in business disputes involving hospitals, health care plans, limited liability companies, and corporate dissolutions. Dan concentrates a significant amount of his practice in the areas of non-competition agreements. |
Peter T. Sailor Sr. Counsel
Cigna Corporation
Peter T. Sailor is Managing General Counsel of Cigna's Group Insurance Division. Prior to joining Cigna in 2017, he was an attorney/Assistant Vice President in Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company's Claims Department. He has a JD and a Certificate in Employee Benefits Law from Temple University, and a BS in Management from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. He is a group insurance nerd with experience in litigation, appeals, regulatory compliance, claims, product development, operations and policies and procedures. He lives in Ocean City, New Jersey with his wife and three sons. He likes ERISA and long walks on the beach. |
Mark E. Schmidtke Shareholder
Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC
Mark E. Schmidtke is a shareholder in Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., an international employment/labor/employee benefit law firm. In a career that has spanned nearly 40 years, he has represented employee benefit plan sponsors, insurers, administrators, and fiduciaries in litigation matters in every state in the U.S. He is a frequent speaker at national seminars, has authored numerous books and articles on employee benefit topics, is a Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, and is a former chair of the U.S. Department of Labor Advisory Council on Welfare and Pension Employee Benefit Plans. |
Amanda G. Schreiber Cigna Corporation
Amanda G. Schreiber is Associate Senior Counsel with responsibility for complex litigation, including commercial healthcare and behavioral health litigation at Cigna (CI), a Fortune 100 global health service company. She has experience handling matters in state and federal courts, as well as arbitration proceedings across the country with an emphasis on ERISA and MHPAEA. Prior to going in-house, Ms. Schreiber worked for an Am Law 200 firm representing leading insurers, managed care organizations, and healthcare providers in all aspects of healthcare pre litigation and litigation. |
John T. Seybert Assistant General Counsel
Dearborn National Life Insurance Company
John T. Seybert, serves as Senior Associate General Counsel to Dearborn Life Insurance Company, where he has served for over three years. In that role, he advises and counsels the company on claim administration, contracting and regulatory issues and manages litigation. Prior to joining Dearborn, he defended clients with respect to life, health and disability claims. He has more than twenty years of litigation experience, handling benefits litigation, class action complaints and contracting issues affecting the insurance industry. John is a graduate of Lehigh University and St. John's University School of Law. |
John A. Sharp Assurity Life Insurance Company
John A. Sharp serves as Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary for Assurity Life Insurance Company, which is focused on the nationwide offering of life, health, and disability income coverage to middle income Americans, both at home and in the workplace. Mr. Sharp oversees all legal operations for Assurity and its subsidiaries and regularly works with outside counsel across the country. Before joining Assurity, Mr. Sharp was in private practice with a firm based in Omaha, Nebraska. He is a graduate of Creighton University School of Law. |
Ernest P. Smith, CPA/ABV/CFF, CVA, CFE Nawrocki Smith LLP
Ernest P. Smith, CPA/ABV/CFF, CVA, CFE, is a is a Senior Partner at Nawrocki Smith LLP. Mr. Smith specializes in investigative and forensic accounting services for the public and private sector in the litigation area with over 25 years of experience. On numerous occasions he has been qualified as an expert witness in New York State Supreme, other State jurisdictions and Federal District Courts. He is also an expert in the area of internal controls and taxation. Mr. Smith teaches and lectures on a wide range of forensic, valuation and accounting/tax related issues. He is an Adjunct Professor of Accounting at Hofstra University teaching the first ever offered course in Fraud Examination and Forensic Accounting. Presently, he is an Adjunct Professor at the State University of New York at Old Westbury teaching Business Valuation, Financial Statement Fraud and other related courses in their Masters in Forensic Accounting program. |
Joan (Joni) Walsh Sobocinski Attorney
Cigna Corporation
Joan (Joni) Walsh Sobocinski manages litigation throughout the United States. Her focus is ERISA and Non-ERISA litigation arising out of Cigna's life and disability products. Joni has extensive legal experience within Cigna's legal department and created the Legal Operations function. She received the prestigious Cigna "Champion" award. Her work was also recognized by the legal industry - winning the Legal Department of the Year Award for the success of the Outside Counsel Program. Joni has participated in panel discussions related to litigation, diversity, and women's initiatives. |
E. Ford Stephens Partner
Christian & Barton LLP
E. Ford Stephens is aa partner at Christian & Barton LLP in Richamond, VA and a member and former Chair of DRI's Life, Health and Disability Committee, and is Vice Chair of DRI's Insurance Roundtable Steering Committee. He is a contributing author to several DRI and ABA publications, and is a frequent seminar speaker, on insurance. Mr. Stephens is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Virginia Law Foundation, and is listed in Best Lawyers in America (Insurance Law, Litigation-Insurance, 2015-2020) and Virginia Super Lawyers (Insurance Coverage, 2013-2019), he also a member of the DRI Board of Directors. |
Caitlin Piccarello Strauss Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP
Caitlin Piccarello Strauss is a partner with Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr and a leader of the Employee Benefits and ERISA Litigation team. Insurance companies rely on her to defend them in coverage disputes particularly involving claims for benefits under group employee benefits policies. Her experience includes defense of more than 100 group and individual life, health and disability cases (both ERISA and non-ERISA) for the country's leading insurers. Caitlin is co-editor of the Firm's monthly Friday Five communication, which keeps the industry apprised of developments in ERISA litigation. |
Scott M. Trager Partner
Funk & Bolton PA
Scott M. Trager has a practice covers a broad spectrum of general litigation matters in the state and federal courts of Maryland and the District of Columbia, as well as the Maryland Insurance Administration and Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings. He focuses his practice on the defense of life, health and disability insurance claims (ERISA and non-ERISA), as well as administrative claims before insurance regulators. He also has extensive experience with policy rescissions and interpleaders. He is Vice-Chair of DRI's Life, Health and Disability Committee, and previously served as Program Chair of the 2017 DRI Life, Health, Disability & ERISA Seminar. He was selected as a Maryland "Rising Star" by Baltimore Magazine and Maryland Super Lawyers in 2011 and 2012. Mr. Trager has achieved an A/V rating, the highest possible peer review rating for ethics and legal ability, from Martindale Hubbell. |
Marc S. Voses Goldberg Segalla LLP
Marc S. Voses is chair of the firm's Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Practice Group and a highly experienced litigator and advisor to domestic and international insurers, reinsurers, and insurance industry participants. He focuses his practice on handling complex coverage issues arising under insurance policies, including cybersecurity and data privacy, technology and media, professional and management liability, environmental, and commercial general liability. He has represented insurance industry clients in regulatory investigations before the U.S. Attorney's Office, Department of Homeland Security, Securities and Exchange Commission, and various state and district offices of the Attorney General. Marc's litigation experience includes representation in trial and appeals in state and federal courts throughout the United States, as well as in domestic and international meditations and arbitrations. He also assists insurers in drafting insurance policies involving computer system and security failures, electronic fraud, cryptocurrencies, digital assets, business interruption, contingent business interruption, and driverless technology, and assists private clients with contracts involving the rendering of technology services. |
Julie F. Wall Chittenden Murday & Novotny LLC
Julie F. Wall is a member of Chittenden, Murday & Novotny LLC in Chicago. She has nearly 20 years of experience representing clients in ERISA litigation, life and disability insurance litigation, insurance coverage disputes, healthcare litigation, commercial disputes, and regulatory matters. She regularly writes and speaks on litigation issues, in particular those impacting life, health, and disability insurers. Julie is an active member of DRI's Life, Health & Disability Committee, as the Committee's Annual Meeting Chair and Philanthropic Activities Liaison. |
Ricardo A. Woods Partner
Burr & Forman LLP
Ricardo A. Woodsis a trial lawyer and shareholder in Burr & Forman, LLP's Mobile office. He is a creative problem solver who provides his clients with innovative and cost effective solutions and strategies. Ricardo has first-chair jury trial experience, as well as extensive pre-trial litigation experience. He has successfully defended matters, which included allegations of wrongful death, paralysis, severe bodily injuries, and catastrophic property loss. Ricardo serves as the Chief Legal Counsel and City Attorney for the City of Mobile. In his capacity as City Attorney, Ricardo manages the City's outside counsel, serves as chief legal adviser to the executive branch of the local government, and he serves as the executive director of the City of Mobile's internal legal department. |