DRI Faculty List
2021 Litigation Skills Seminar
Caesars Palace | Las Vegas | July 28 - 30, 2021
Jennifer Arledge Sgro & Roger
Jennifer Arledge began her legal career at a small law firm in her home state of Ohio where she represented clients in a variety of situations including bankruptcy, real estate, estate planning, and small business matters, to name a few. She also spent time as an Ohio Public Defender and operated her own practice serving the needs of the people of her small community. In 2002, Jennifer relocated to Las Vegas where she has focused on personal injury litigation, with an emphasis on product liability and catastrophic injuries. |
Ashlyn Robinson Banks Trenam Law
Ashlyn Robinson Banks is an associate in Trenam's Litigation and Dispute Resolution and Bankruptcy & Creditor's Rights Groups. Ashlyn served as a Summer Associate at the firm while in law school. She also served as a Summer Intern for the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida under the supervision of the Honorable Anthony E. Porcelli and for the 10th Judicial Circuit under the supervision of the Honorable J. Kevin Abdoney. |
Patrick M. Causey Trenam Law
Patrick M. Causey is civil trial lawyer at Trenam Law. He represents clients in commercial matters including non-competition and confidentiality agreements, breach of contract, class actions, fraud, commercial torts, and trade secrets litigation. Patrick also dedicates a significant portion of his practice to defending lawyers in legal malpractice cases. Additionally, Patrick's experience includes assisting clients obtain and protect intellectual property rights in Federal Court and in front of the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office, with a particular emphasis on trademarks. Patrick is the Program Chair for the 2021 DRI Litigation Skills Seminar. |
Bert Dizon Gallagher Bassett Services
Bert Dizon is currently a Senior Client Services Manager with Gallagher Bassett who oversees client account relationship management for Arch Insurance under the Construction Defect (Western Region), Private Equity and National Account relationships for all policy types including Worker Compensation, Commercial Auto/Trucking and General Liability. He has been in the industry since 2001 and has had various roles in, carrier and TPA claims operations, brokerage and business development. In these roles he's managed several different aspects of business, including claims handling, operational excellence, technology, data analytics, and legal and vendor relations. In addition to these roles he has traveled the county mediating claims in California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. In 2016 he represented the carrier for over 300 mediations with a 95% success rate and averaged a 30% total incurred reduction in his efforts. He is an inaugural recipient of the Rising Insurance Star Executive (RISE) Award, an Insurance Nexus Claims Innovative Leader of the Year finalist in 2018 for his contributions to his organization and the industry at large and a finalist for the CLM Claims Professional of the Year 2021. He currently serves as Vice President on the Orange County CLM Chapter and the Combined Claims Conference Board of Directors. He is also an active speaker in the industry having been panelist at several different conferences on various topics including but not limited to Construction Defect, Technology, Managing Millennials, Bad Faith and Mediation. |
Stacy L. Douglas Partner
Everett Dorey LLP
Stacy L. Douglas is a partner and director of Diversity & Inclusion with Everett Dorey LLP. Ms. Douglas has extensive experience working in a variety of areas, successfully defending transportation companies, major retailers and hotels brands, homeowner's associations, individuals, automobile dealerships and public entities in personal injury, product liability, employment, toxic tort, trucking/transportation, and real property disputes. Ms. Douglas was the recipient of the 2019 DRI Albert H. Parnell Outstanding Seminar Chair Award. She is currently Vice-Chair of DRI's Diversity & Inclusion Committee and serves as the Annual Meeting Chair for DRI's 2021 Annual Meeting. |
Brandon W. Ehrie Lewis Wagner LLP
Brandon W. Ehrie is a partner at Lewis Wagner, LLP in Indianapolis where he concentrates his practice defending a variety of civil litigation matters; including wrongful death, catastrophic personal injury, premises liability, product liability and various insurance defense cases. Brandon also specializes in dram shop litigation representing restaurants, bars & taverns and hotels & hospitality clients in liquor liability actions. He also has substantial experience representing Indiana governmental entities and municipalities as well as Hoosier farmers in the defense of lawsuits. |
David M. Goodman Partner
Gerber Ciano Kelly Brady LLP
David M. Goodman has over 25 years of experience litigating cases throughout New York in both state and federal courts. His practice focuses on the defense of professional liability, motor vehicle and transportation, premises, products liability, labor law, construction defect and general liability claims.David has represented doctors, health care providers, attorneys and other professionals in the defense of medical malpractice claims and in licensure and disciplinary proceedings. He also serves as a faculty member at many Continuing Legal Education seminars. |
Michael A. Gross Managing Partner
CogentEdge LLC
Michael A. Gross is an AV® Rated Attorney who has litigated high profile cases for 38 years. Michael is the Managing Director of CogentEdge, a group of attorneys who are trained to prepare witnesses in a highly structured, disciplined way to testify at deposition and trial. As a result clients are able to develop the tools and emotional strength they need to testify clearly, confidently and truthfully. CogentEdge has a national practice and is regularly retained by defense counsel, insurance carriers and law firms. |
Jennifer Snyder Heis Partner
Ulmer & Berne LLP
Jennifer Snyder Heis is a partner at Ulmer & Berne and based in its Cincinnati office. She concentrates her practice in pharmaceutical and mass tort litigation, and represents clients both nationally, in multidistrict litigation and coordinated state proceedings, and locally. She is active with DRI's Drug and Medical Device Committee and serves as the 2021 Seminar Vice Program Chair and a member of the DRI Law Institute. |
John R.H. Henley UPC Insurance
John R.H. Henley is the Claims Attorney and Litigation Director with UPC Insurance. In this role John provides legal guidance to the organization, while also leading and exceptional team of claims professionals and legal partners in the handling of litigated and liability/casualty claims. |
Gary L. Howard Partner
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Gary L. Howard is licensed in 11 states and admitted in more than 30 federal courts. Howard has litigated cases ranging from class actions to interpleaders in state and federal courts nationwide. His experience allows him to strategically partner with clients to learn their businesses, people, and issues as a means of finding solutions to those clients' needs. His litigation practice includes: commercial, construction, pharmaceutical, insurance coverage, & fraud/bad faith. Howard is the program chair for 2021 DRI Diversity for Success Seminar & Expo. |
Kyle A. Lansberry Partner
Lewis Wagner LLP
Kyle A. Lansberry is a litigator and trial attorney with Lewis Wagner LLP in Indianapolis, focusing on personal injury, product liability and premises liability cases. He also represents insurance companies nationwide in environmental and agricultural insurance coverage matters. He is the Committee Chair of the Litigation Skills Committee. |
Pamela Newsom Lee Partner
Swift Currie McGhee & Hiers LLP
Pamela Newsom Lee is a partner in Swift Currie's litigation section, devoting her entire practice to litigation, including various tort liability litigation, insurance coverage disputes and the defense of insurance bad faith matters. She has experience in trial and appellate work and secured a victory at the Court of Appeals on a premises liability matter. Ms. Lee is the vice president of Georgia Defense Lawyers Association and received her J.D. from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. Pamela is the Program Vice Chair of the 2021 DRI Litigation Skills Seminar. |
Kathryn S. (Katy) Lehman Partner
King & Spalding LLP
Kathryn S. (Katy) Lehman is a trial lawyer at King & Spalding in Atlanta, where her trial practice focuses on product liability and mass torts. She has represented a wide range of companies in the tobacco, medical, construction, food service, and transportation industries. She brings a strategic focus to discovery and trial. Ms. Lehman has worked on more than two dozen trial teams that have tried cases to verdict in the last five years. |
Erik R. Matheney Partner
Shutts & Bowen LLP
Erik R. Matheney, is a partner in the Tampa office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where he practices in the areas of business and commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense and personal injury litigation. Erik has tried over 70 jury trials, and previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. |
W. Ray Persons King & Spalding LLP
W. Ray Persons is a senior litigation partner at King & Spalding. Ray has a national practice focused on product liability, mass tort, class action and complex litigation. He has served as lead counsel in more than 90 jury trials. Ray is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers and the Litigation Counsel of America. Ray received his undergraduate degree from Armstrong State College and his law degree from The Ohio State University. |
Nicholas A. Rauch Associate
Larson King LLP
Nicholas A. Rauch is a litigation attorney at Lind, Jensen, Sullivan & Peterson in Minneapolis Minnesota. Nick focuses his practice on professional liability, trucking liability, products liability, and wrongful death claims. He currently serves on both the Publications and Marketing sub-committees. |
Ewing E. (Eddie) Sikes III Partner
Royston Rayzor Vickery & Williams LLP
Ewing E. (Eddie) Sikes III is a Partner with Royston Rayzor, Vickery & Williams. He is 1992 graduate of the University of North Texas and a 1995 graduate of the SMU School of Law. After graduating from law school, he served as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Filemon V. Vela, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division before joining Royston Rayzor. Eddie is an AV rated attorney with a broad civil trial practice. He is based out of South Texas but practices all over the state. He is an active member of the DRI and is a past Program Chair of the DRI Trial Tactics program. His publications include a chapter in the DRI Deposition Manual on deposing architects and engineers. |
Mark A. Solheim Partner
Larson King LLP
Mark A. Solheim is a partner with Larson King in St. Paul and serves on the firm's executive committee. His trial work focuses on litigation of product, professional, oil & gas and transportation liability matters. Mark has served in leadership positions for state and national defense organizations for many years. Mark served as the President of the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association, as Chair of the DRI Trial Tactics Committee, as Co-Chair of the MDLA Nursing Home & Assisted Living Committee, and as Chair of the USLAW Network (2008). In addition, Mark served on the Board of Directors for the Regions Hospital Foundation (2012-2014). |
Miranda Soto Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
Miranda Soto is Florida Bar Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and has tried approximately 50-70 cases to verdict. She specializes in high-stakes litigation and complex commercial cases on behalf of private equity, hedge funds, high-end insurance companies, law firms and other sophisticated businesses in cases involving commercial and business disputes, professional and legal malpractice claims, product liability, complex fraud matters, public policy matters, cases of first impression, high-stakes personal injury cases, franchisee/franchisor litigation, trust and estate litigation and premises liability at the state and federal levels. Miranda also handles tobacco, addiction and smoking-related injury litigation. Additionally, she has a strong reputation as a lawyers' lawyer and often serves as a consultant on legal and accounting malpractice claims. Understanding her clients' business is at the core of Miranda's solution-based approach. She knows that learning the ins and outs of her clients' business is crucial in order to provide the best legal advice possible. As legal issues often extend to the company as a whole, Miranda focuses on minimizing disruptions to the business that can and do arise from legal challenges. Her goal is to leverage all possible opportunities for a quick resolution. |
Kile T. Turner Norman Wood Kendrick & Turner
Kile T. Turner has tried over 80 cases in state and federal courts throughout Alabama. Over the last 25 years, he has tried nearly every type of case, from trucking to medical malpractice, from construction to coverage litigation. He has also successfully handled appeals to the Alabama Supreme Court. Mr. Turner is a graduate of the University of New Mexico, and Cumberland School of Law. Kile's wife, Sara, is also an attorney, and they are the proud parents of six children. |
Chris Turney Turney Law Group
Chris Turney, in creating Turney LG, pulled together trial attorneys who tackle technical engineering, scientific and medical issues involving products, premises and professionals. Although his trial experience has centered in large metropolitan venues, he also enjoys litigating cases in smaller counties, having handled litigation in nearly half of Missouri's judicial circuits. In addition to serving as local and lead counsel in Missouri, Chris is experienced in Kansas District and Appellate Courts, as well as federal District Courts and Courts of Appeals. Outside of work, Chris enjoys every minute with his wife and two children and leads Wings 4 Water, a nonprofit that turns chicken wings into clean water for our global neighbors. |
Marc E. Williams Managing Partner
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Marc E. Williams is the Office Managing Partner of the West Virginia office of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, where he serves as a Team Leader and as Co-hair of the firm's Consumer, Mechanical and Products Practice Group. His practice focuses on class actions, mass torts, products liability and commercial litigation. He has had primary responsibility for over 100 trials and appeals during his career. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has served as President of DRI, lawyers for Civil Justice and the National Foundation for Judicial Excellence. |
Ricardo A. Woods Partner
Burr & Forman LLP
Ricardo A. Woods is 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 toxic torts. Ricardo currently serves as the Chair of DRI's Diversity and Inclusion Committee. |