DRI Faculty List
2021 Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Virtual Seminar
June 17, 2021
Barbara Barron MehaffyWeber PC
Barbara Barron is a nationally distinguished, award-winning civil trial lawyer and Shareholder at MehaffyWeber. In both the Texas Silica and Asbestos MDL, she is the defense liaison counsel. She coordinates nationally the defense of a number of clients in toxic tort cases and has defended thousands of disaster-related claims. Barbara graduated magna cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center and summa cum laude from Baylor University. She is licensed in Texas, California, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. |
Kimberly Leue Bick Bick Law LLP
Kimberly Leue Bick is the founding and co-managing partner of Bick Law LLP, a woman-owned firm. Kimberly practices exclusively environmental law, representing a diverse array of industries in litigation, enforcement, and corporate transactional work involving environmental issues. She provides environmental counseling to corporations pertaining to regulations and business operations, corporate transactions, sale of commercial properties, products manufacturing and sale, and waste management. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Kimberly was an environmental engineer working in the aerospace industry. Kimberly is the Program Chair for the 2021 DRI Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Seminar. Kimberly is also the VP of the DRI TTEL Committee. |
Tillman Breckenridge Partner
Breckenridge PLLC
Tillman Breckenridge is a Partner at Stris & Maher, LLP. He is an experienced appellate lawyer who has represented companies, organizations, individuals, and foreign, state, and local governments before the United States Supreme Court, every federal court of appeals, and several state courts. Tillman's work has also led to numerous honors. He has been named to Savoy Magazine's Most Influential Black Lawyers in America, an honorary member of the Order of the Barristers, a Washington, D.C. SuperLawyer, and a member of Virginia's Legal Elite. He also became the youngest fellow ever—and first under 40— in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. |
Jennifer L. Dlugosz Partner
Husch Blackwell LLP
Jennifer L. Dlugosz is the Deputy Office Managing Partner of Husch Blackwell LLP's Virtual office, The Link. Based in Chicago, Jen defends product liability, toxic tort, and asbestos litigation claims. Jen takes a lead role in toxic tort cases, as well serves as national coordinating counsel for toxic tort claims across the country. Jen also serves as editor for the firm's Toxic Tort Monitor blog. Jen is the Vice-Chair of Programs for the DRI TTEL Committee. |
Professor Victor B. Flatt University of Houston Law Center
Professor Victor B. Flatt is the Dwight Olds Chair in Law and the Faculty Co-Director of the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources (EENR) Center. He was previously the inaugural O'Quinn Chair in Environmental Law at UHLC from 2002-2009. He also held the inaugural Taft Distinguished Professorship in Environmental Law at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill from 2008-2017. Professor Flatt is a recognized expert on environmental law, climate law, and energy law. |
Julie E. Goodman Principal
Gradient
Julie E. Goodman, Ph.D., DABT, FACE, ATS is an expert in toxicology and epidemiology, and their application to human health risk assessments. She focuses on substances in consumer products, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, as well as chemicals in the workplace and the environment. Dr. Goodman is board certified in toxicology, and a fellow of both the American College of Epidemiology and the Academy of Toxicological Sciences. She was also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, where she taught a class on meta-analysis for several years. Before joining Gradient, she was a Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Cancer Institute. |
William J. (Bill) Hubbard Partner
Thompson Hine LLP
William J. (Bill) Hubbard is a partner in Thompson Hine LLP's Product Liability and Construction practice groups. He focuses on mass tort and class action litigation and risk avoidance concerning commercial, consumer, and building products, and claims involving architects, engineers, and other construction professionals. He regularly appears in numerous cases throughout the United States and is a member of the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates and the Ohio Chemistry Technology Council. Bill is the Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee Chair. |
Melanie C. Lockett Partner
Lowe Stein Hoffman Allweiss & Hauver LLP
Melanie C. Lockett is a partner at Lowe, Stein, Hoffman, Allweiss & Hauver LLP, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She enjoys a diverse trial and appellate practice with an emphasis on insurance coverage and defense in the areas of commercial general liability, professional liability, extra-contractual liability, surplus lines, and bad faith. Melanie is a steering committee member for the DRI Insurance Law Committee, DRI Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and is member of the DRI Law Institute. Melanie is also the Program Chair for the 2021 DRI Insurance Coverage and Practice Symposium. |
Chris L'Orange The Korn Law Group
Chris L'Orange joined Korn Law Group after practicing for 38 years in large San Francisco law firms representing Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies on a variety of complex litigation matters. He has extensive trial and mediation experience and has handled state and federal cases in a variety of venues across the country. His litigation experience has taught him how to efficiently evaluate a case and select the most cost effective approach to resolving it. |
Kevin C. Mayer Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright
Kevin C. Mayer is a partner in Norton Rose Fulbright’s California offices, and an accomplished trial attorney representing clients in a wide variety of commercial undertakings, business and personal disputes, product liability, OSHA and mass tort actions. He counsels clients facing regulatory compliance and enforcement issues at the state and federal level, and has litigated and tried cases in multiple courts, as well as before government agencies and administrative bodies. Kevin’s trial record includes toxic tort, environmental, workplace health & safety, construction, and products liability litigation. He has particular experience addressing complex scientific, medical, and technical issues, and preparing and examining expert witnesses in both deposition and trial settings for personal injury, wrongful death, and regulatory litigation. Of particular note, he is one of the country's preeminent defense trial lawyers in the emerging water-borne pathogen and Legionnaire’s Disease litigation. He is a Senior Fellow in The Litigation Counsel of America, the Trial lawyers’ Honor Society. |
Roy Prather Beveridge & Diamond PC
Roy Prather is a Principal in the Baltimore office of Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., an environmental law firm. Roy represents companies and public sector entities in complex environmental and commercial litigation in federal and state courts throughout the United States. This encompasses litigation arising from environmental claims, toxic tort claims involving alleged environmental exposures, environmental issues in commercial transactions and construction, and indemnity disputes. He also assists clients in navigating administrative regulatory proceedings under federal and state environmental laws. |
Bina Reddy Principal
Beveridge & Diamond PC
Bina Reddy is a Principal in Beveridge & Diamond's Austin, Texas office. She has a nationwide practice representing clients in litigation involving federal and state environmental statutes, class actions, and toxic tort and product liability claims. A substantial portion of her practice is focused on litigation under federal environmental citizen suit provisions. Bina has particular expertise in drinking water issues and has defended multiple large cities in citizen suit and tort actions concerning lead. |
Annette Santamaria, PhD, MPH, DABT J.S. Held, LLC
Dr. Santamaria is a board-certified toxicologist with over thirty years of multidisciplinary consulting experience critically evaluating a broad range of toxicological, epidemiological, and clinical studies, conducting exposure and human health risk assessments, and communicating results to clients and governmental agencies. Dr. Santamaria has conducted safety assessments for a variety of consumer products and has evaluated their compliance with U.S., European, and Canadian consumer product regulations and/or California's Proposition 65 regulations. Dr. Santamaria has also provided consulting support in toxic tort cases and product liability cases. She has critically evaluated the human health risks associated with consumer, occupational,and/or environmental exposures to a wide variety of chemicals (e.g., manganese, benzene, talc, arsenic, asbestos, trichloroethylene, PCBs, flame retardants, solvents, phthalates). |
Professor Sossamon Partner
Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore LLC
Professor Sossamon, Assistant Professor, Loyola University College of Law, graduated first in the Civil Law Division at Loyola University School of Law and served on the Law Review and on the National Team of the Moot Court Program. During her time at Loyola, Professor Sossamon was also the recipient of the Dean's Award for the highest grade-point average in the first-year class as well as the J. Skelly Wright Award for Exceptional Oral Ability for placing first in the Loyola Intramural Moot Court competition. After graduation, Professor Sossamon served as a law clerk for the Honorable Ivan L.R. Lemelle of the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana. Professor Sossamon teaches in the areas of Obligations and Security Rights. Her scholarly interests include comparative analysis of civil and common law systems. |
Ed Trapolin Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore LLC
Ed Trapolin has an active trial and appellate practice in both Louisiana and Mississippi federal and state courts. He concentrates his practice in casualty, professional liability, insurance, and environmental and toxic tort. He has extensive deposition experience and has managed several cases for trial. He has defended numerous personal injury and property damage claims arising out of automobile, business premises, construction, environmental, and industrial accidents. Ed is a frequent presenter on legal malpractice and professional liability. |
Michael J. Truncale Judge
USDC, Eastern District of Texas
Michael J. Truncale, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 14, 2019. Prior to confirmation, Michael was a trial lawyer for thirty-four years. After trying his first lawsuit to verdict one week after he was licensed, he tried a broad range of cases in state and federal courts throughout Texas. Michael is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and Board Certified in Personal Injury Litigation by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He was also a certified mediator, having mediated over 2,000 cases, and was a Fellow in the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Michael earned a bachelor's degree in Economics from Lamar University with high honors, a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Texas, and a law degree from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. He later served on the Alumni Advisory Council of the law school. |
Len van Zyl, Ph.D. Geneticist CEO
ArrayXpress Inc
Len van Zyl, Ph.D. is with ArrayXpress Inc., a genomics services company providing turn-key solutions for Systems Biology applications, including causation in toxicant exposure cases. ArrayXpress has served several dozen Fortune 100 companies including pharmaceuticals, agriculture and energy leaders. Len and his team have 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. He has been recognized as a Top 50 Entrepreneurs Award winner for his impact on the scientific and business community. |
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. |
Mark G. Zellmer Partner
Husch Blackwell LLP
Mark G. Zellmer is a Partner in the St. Louis, Missouri, office of Husch Blackwell LLP. Zellmer speaks and writes extensively on asbestos litigation on subjects which include medical causation, particularly the role of genetics and low dose exposures in mesothelioma. Zellmer has been defending toxic tort cases, particularly relating to asbestos, for more than 40 years. He has acted as national counsel for various clients in asbestos litigation and engaged in an active litigation practice in state and federal courts from coast to coast. |