Fish is a past Chair of the ABA TIPS Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability Committee and the immediate past President of the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network. He was selected by his peers as Birmingham Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar for Workers’ Compensation” in 2005 and 2006, “Best of the Bar” in 2021 and “Top 40 under 40” in 2009. He was selected as one of LexisNexis’ “Workers’ Compensation Notable People for 2010” and was only one of two defense attorneys selected in the nation. In 2012, 2013, and 2016, Fish was selected by his peers as one of Birmingham Magazine’s “Top Attorneys” in the field of workers’ compensation. Fish was the fourth Alabama lawyer to ever be inducted into the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.

Judge Claude E. Hundley, III graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1984. He represented plaintiffs in Workers’ Compensation claims through his own practice in Guntersville, Alabama, and later companies and businesses at a defense firm in Huntsville, Alabama. He has been handling Workers’ Compensation claims through his appointment to the District Court bench in 2011, and in 2018, his appointment to the Circuit Court bench.

Mr. Nomberg has been a member of the Alabama State Bar since 2002. David primarily represents injured workers throughout Alabama in on the job accidents and workers’ compensation cases. David has earned an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell’s peer-review rating in civil practice, personal injury, and workers’ compensation. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer (2013-2022) for workers’ compensation. David serves as Secretary for the Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group.

WILLIAM E. PIPKIN, JR.

Bill is a partner in the Mobile, Alabama office of Austill, Lewis, Pipkin & Maddox, P.C.  He has a general civil practice, focusing on the defense of workers’ compensation, personal injury, and general liability matters.  Admitted to practice in Alabama and Florida, he is an experienced trial attorney in both state and federal courts throughout Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.  He is a member of the Alabama State Bar and served as Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Section from 2006-2007.  He is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been regularly selected for inclusion in “Best Lawyers” and “Super Lawyers”.  His other memberships include, the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute (Construction Law, Trucking Law and Workers’ Compensation Committees), National Retail & Restaurant Defense Association (NRRDA), and the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) (Instructor, Claims College; Workers’ Compensation Advisory Board).  He earned the Certified Litigation Management Professional certification through CLM.  He served as Chair for the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Defense Research Institute from 2009 – 2011 and is a frequent speaker at professional education seminars on workers’ compensation, medical, and ethics topics.  He is Co-Chair of the National Workers’ Compensation Review Program for the WCI Conference.  Bill is an Eagle Scout and member of the Executive Committee for his local Council.  He is a founding member of the Faith Based Claims Association and is instrumental in organizing prayer breakfasts at claims events.  He is a Fellow to the American College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.

I am an Administrative Law Judge for the State of Arizona and have worked in this capacity in Tucson Arizona since 1999. Prior to moving to Arizona, I worked as a defense lawyer in workers’ compensation in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

R. TODD LUNDMARK has been a member of the State Bar of Arizona since 1981. He received his B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Arizona in 1978, and his J.D. in 1981 from Arizona State University College of Law. Certified by the Arizona Bar as a workers’ compensation specialist since 1991, he is a co-editor and co-author of the Arizona Workers’ Compensation Handbook (State Bar of Arizona, 1992). He is also a Fellow of the American College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.

Since graduating Law School, Jason has represented the residents of Northwest Arkansas in hundreds of depositions and bench trials. He has tried numerous cases to jury in Arkansas Circuit Courts and Federal Courts and have successfully reversed trial court rulings at the Arkansas Supreme Court and the Arkansas Court of Appeals.

Jason has a passion fighting for justice and fairness for Arkansans who have been injured at no fault of their own. Additionally, he has worked long hours attempting to educate legislators on the negative effect proposed workers’ compensation bills would have on injured workers and have testified multiple times to legislative committees in an attempt to keep a level playing field.

Mr. Zuerker’s practice is focused primarily on advising and defending insurance carriers and self-insured employers in workers’ compensation cases.

Admitted to practice in 1974, Barry Harris Hinden has been protecting the rights and dignity and helping restore the self esteem of Injured Workers for 46 years. Currently he is Vice President of WILG (Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group), Past President of CAAA
(California Applicants’ Attorneys Association). He has authored over 75 books or publications and has conducted more than 100 seminars & podcasts teaching the principles of practicing Workers Compensation. He has been a Super Lawyer and Top Attorney for the last 12 years and a Fellow in The College since 2015. He was an Adjunct Professor at Southwestern University, an Arbitrator and a Certified Judge Pro-Tem. As the founding and managing partner of Hinden & Breslavsky, his passion is helping restore the dignity and self esteem to those who’s occupations and lives have been altered due to an industrial injury.

John Parente is currently “Of Counsel” in the San Francisco office of Laughlin, Falbo, Levy and Moresi. Previously John was the founding partner of Parente & Christopher, a defense practice in San Rafael, California. He is a Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation having practiced workers’ compensation law for 43 years. He is a Judge Pro Temp at the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board since 1983 and serves as an Arbitrator and Mediator. John has extensive experience in representing self-insured employers, carriers and uninsured employers on regular workers’ compensation claims as well as 132a and Serious and Willful defense. John has served as a lecturer to the California Self-Insurers Association, California Continuing Education of the Bar, the California Lawyers Association Workers’ Compensation Section and the American Bar Association Tort and Workers’ Compensation Section.

Barry Pearlman, who founded Pearlman, Brown & Wax, LLP with a loan from his parents, started the firm as a sole practitioner on June 1st, 1984, specializing in employment litigation and workers’ compensation.

In addition to maintaining a full case load, he is the managing partner of the firm. Barry specializes in the litigation of complicated employment law and workers’ compensation defense matters, representing employers, insurance carriers and third party administrators. Barry also manages the firm’s “sport teams” unit, defending NFL, NHL and other teams for claims made in California. He is also recognized as an expert on coverage issues involving employment litigation and workers’ compensation coverage. He is exclusive counsel on LC132a discrimination claims and Serious and Willful Misconduct claims for a multinational employer. He is an experienced litigator with numerous successes before the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board and the Appellate and Superior Courts of the State of California.

As a respected member of the Employment Law and Workers’ Compensation communities, Barry is a frequent lecturer, speaker and instructor on current trends in procedure, law and strategy. His comprehensive approach in preventing claims has made him a popular speaker nationally to employers and insurance carriers. In recognition of his contributions and achievements in the field, Barry has been the recipient of the Warren H. Hanna Life Time Achievement Award and the Most Influential People in California Workers’ Compensation Award. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been selected as a Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Magazine for multiple years.

Out of his commitment to the legal profession, Barry has served as an Arbitrator for the State Bar of California for over 10 years. He has served on the Governor’s Workers’ Compensation Community Task Force and the Administrative Director’s Committees on Permanent Disability and Medical Provider Networks. Barry is a certified provider for continuing education by the Division of Workers’ Compensation Medical Unit and the California Department of Insurance.

In 2020, Barry received the highest possible rating in both legal and ethical standards from Martindale Hubbell (AV Preeminent).

Leslie Tuxhorn has been as Workers’ Compensation attorney since 1991. She has appeared before most of the boards throughout California representing public entities, self-insured employers and insurers. Her experience includes managing a statewide law firm with 14 offices. She now is devoting all of her time to a caseload and enjoying working with her clients.

Alexander Wong is a partner at Jones Clifford and is a certified specialist in workers’ compensation. He has worked as both a defense and applicant’s attorney. He primarily represents public safety officers and firefighters. He has served as the Chair of the California State Bar Executive Committee on Workers’ Compensation and has been recognized as Applicant’s Attorney of the Year by both the State Bar and California Applicant’s Attorney’s Association.

Richard L. Aiken, Jr. is a partner at Strunk Dodge Aiken Zovas. He is a certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist. Attorney Aiken is the recipient of the Connecticut Bar Association 2022 Pomeranz-O’Brien Award. He is a past Chair of the Connecticut Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section and serves on the Legal Advisory Committee. Attorney Aiken is included in Best Lawyers in America and is designated as a New England/Connecticut Super Lawyer.

Donna Civitello is a partner at Carter and Civitello in Woodbridge, Connecticut. She concentrates her practice on workers’ compensation. She graduated from Yale University in 1978 and from the University of Connecticut School of Law in1986.

She is an author of Westlaw’s Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Law, and authored Injured on the Job, a handbook for injured workers and union representatives.

She is a Fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and serves on the Chairman’s Legal Advisory Committee to the Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission. She has been Editor-in-Chief of the Compensation Quarterly, a magazine for Connecticut workers’ compensation practitioners, and is currently a member of its Editorial Board. She is appointed to the Connecticut Legislature’s task force on undue delay in Workers’ Compensation.

She is a former member of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Workers’ Compensation Certification and now serves on its Examining Committee. She has been an adjunct professor of law at the University of Connecticut School of Law , where she taught a workers’ compensation course.

Donna has been listed annually in Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, since 1995 to the present, has been named a member of The Outstanding Lawyers of America, is named in The Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, and is a New England Super Lawyer. She has been AV rated by Martindale Hubbell for many years. She is a recipient of the 2006 ConnectiCOSH Irving Selikoff award. In 2016, Donna was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Connecticut Law Tribune.

Donna is married to her law partner Bob Carter.

Retired Chair of Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Presently a Partner in firm engaged primarily in mediating Worker compensation cases.

Of Counsel to Morrissey Morrissey & Rydzik

Anthony Frabizzio, is a partner with the law firm of Heckler & Frabizzio and concentrates his practice on the defense of workers’ compensation matters for carriers and self-insured employers. He graduated from Salesianum High School, obtained his B.A. degree from the University of Delaware and his J.D. degree from Dickinson School of Law. Mr. Frabizzio is a past Chair of the Delaware State Bar Association’s Section on Workers’ Compensation and is presently serving on the Workers’ Compensation Oversight Panel, Data Collection Sub-Committee, and Fee Schedule Sub-Committee. He previously served on the Governor’s Workers’ Compensation Task Force and is a member of the Defense Counsel of Delaware, Delaware State, and American Bar Associations. He has received the Community Service Award from the Delaware Bar Association. Anthony is a past Deputy Attorney General and has lectured on workers’ compensation for seminars sponsored by the Delaware State Bar Association, the Industrial Accident Board.

Stephen (Steve) Barbas graduated in 1979, in the top 10% of his class, and was a published member of the Loyola Law Review from Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans Louisiana. He has been licensed to practice Law in his home state of Florida since 1979. He is a Fellow in the College of Workers Compensation Lawyers since 2011, and has been Board Certified in Workers Compensation since 1994 to the present date. His practice initially consisted of representing Employer/Carriers , but evolved into doing both claimant and defense work, primarily because of him being bilingual in Spanish and English. He was the Senior Partner of the law firm which was started in 1982, until January 1, 2019 when he semi-retired and sold his ownership interest in the firm to his partners.

Terrence D. Delehanty is General Counsel of NCCI Holdings, Inc. His expertise is workers’ compensation, corporate, antitrust, and intellectual property. He’s a member of the Florida Bar and Michigan Bar. B.A. from Michigan State University, J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, and L.L.M. from Boston University School of Law.

Jeffrey I. Jacobs, a Board-Certified Workers’ Compensation Lawyer, is a Florida Judge of Compensation Claims. He previously practiced workers’ compensation law. Judge Jacobs served as Chair of The Florida Bar Workers’ Compensation Section, President of the Richard A. Sicking Inn of Court, and as a chair and a member of numerous other state and local bar committees. He is a member of the Florida Workers’ Compensation Hall of Fame.

David W. Langham is Florida Deputy Chief Judge of Compensation Claims, a position he has held since 2006. His legal experience includes workers’ compensation, employment litigation, and medical malpractice. He has delivered in excess of 1,300 professional lectures, published over 40 articles in professional publications, and has published over 1,200 substantive blog posts regarding the law, technology, and professionalism. David is a student, a teacher, a critic, a coach and a leader. He lives in Pensacola, Florida with his wife Pamela Langham, Esq.

HONORABLE JOHN J. LAZZARA was a Florida Judge of Compensation Claims (JCC) for 28 years until retirement in May 2018. He served as President of the Florida Conference of JCCs (1997-99); The Florida Bar’s Workers’ Compensation Rules Committee (Chair) (1994-95); Appellate Court Rules Committee (2001-07), and Standing Committee on Professionalism (2007-13).

He was nominated twice for appointment to the First District Court of Appeal and appointed Interim Deputy Chief Judge (2005-06). In 2008, he co-founded and was Inaugural President of the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary (NAWCJ) and on its Board of Directors until 2018. In 2009, he was inducted Fellow of ABA-founded College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, sat on its Board of Governors (2011-16), and inducted Charter Member of the Florida Workers’ Compensation Institute’s Hall of Fame in 2012.

Judge Lazzara teaches Workers’ Compensation Law at Florida State University College of Law as adjunct professor and is a frequent speaker on a variety of workers’ compensation topics. He received his B.A. (’65) and J.D. (’67) degrees from the University of Florida, and is a certified circuit civil mediator available for private mediation, consulting, and speaking engagements on workers’ compensation matters.

Mr. Longo is a partner in the Orlando office. A native Floridian, Mr. Longo has spent his legal career representing Florida’s injured, specializing in the representation of law enforcement and fire fighters. Mr. Longo received his BA from the University of Alabama and JD from St. Thomas University School of Law.

William H. Rogner was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 14, 1965. “Bill” was a 1987 honors graduate of the Warrington School of Business Administration at the University of Florida. He went on to the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law where he graduated, again with honors, in 1990. While at the University of Florida, Mr. Rogner was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity, Florida Blue Key, and the Justice Campbell Thornal National Moot Court Board. After graduation Mr. Rogner practiced briefly with another firm before founding Hurley & Rogner, P.A. in 1992. The firm, now known as HR, Law, P.A., has grown to include six offices and nearly 100 employees. Mr. Rogner became a Florida Bar Board Certified Workers’ Compensation lawyer in 1996. Three years later he achieved Florida Bar Board Certification as an Appellate Lawyer. He continues to represent employers, carriers, and servicing agents in an active trial practice. In addition, he has handled nearly 500 appeals addressing myriad legal issues before the District Courts of Appeal, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Florida. Mr. Rogner is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is annually recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics. He was Chairman of the Florida Bar’s Workers’ Compensation Section of the Florida Bar from 2014- 2015 and he was inducted into the Workers’ Compensation Institute’s Hall of Fame in 2018. Mr. Rogner resides with his wife, Carmen, in Orlando. His daughter Sofia is an HR Law associate. His son Nicolas managed to avoid the practice of law. Mr. Rogner is an avid traveler, golfer, and sailor.

Board certified; American Inns of Court (workers compensation Chapter (founding President)

Richard S. Thompson is Vice President, Claims-Legal, for Zenith’s Florida operation and has managed the Claims-Legal department in Florida since 2004. He is Board Certified by The Florida Bar as a specialist in Workers'
Compensation law; AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell; and has practiced workers’ compensation law statewide for 25 years, including over nine years of service as a Judge of Compensation Claims in Orlando.  Over his
career, he has tried hundreds of cases as an attorney and has presided over more than 1,500 trials as a judge. Mr. Thompson served as president of the Florida Conference of Judges of Compensation Claims and is a past Chair of the Florida Bar’s Workers’ Compensation Section.

In 2011, he was elected as a Fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, a national organization recognizing the most accomplished workers’ compensation lawyers in the country. He is a frequent lecturer and author on the topic of Florida Workers’ Compensation law and has testified before and at the request of the Florida Legislature regarding workers’ compensation issues.

Education JD, Florida State University College of Law, (1988)
BS (Business), Clemson University, (1985)

Memberships
Florida Conference of Judges of Compensation Claims (1995-2004, President 1999-2001)
Workers’ Compensation Section of the Florida Bar (Executive Council Member 2004 to present, Chair 2010-2011)
Fellow, College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers (2011 to present)
Florida Insurance Council (Board of Directors 2005 to present, Executive Committee 2010-2014)

Mark A. Touby is a Board-Certified Workers’ Compensation attorney and the managing partner of Touby, Chait & Sicking, PL in Miami, Florida. Mr. Touby was the lead Trial Counsel and Appellate Co-Counsel in the 2016 landmark case Castellanos v. Next Door Company. He was inducted into the Florida Workers’ Compensation Institute Hall of Fame in 2019. In 2020, he became a fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. Mr. Touby is the recipient of the 2021 Justice Anstead Award for The Florida Bar Board Certified Lawyer of the Year.

Mr. Touby currently serves as Chair of Florida Bar Workers’ Compensation Section. He is the immediate past Chair of the Florida Bar’s Workers’ Compensation Board Certification Committee. In 2017, Mr. Touby became a member of the panel counsel for the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). He is a Past-President of the Florida Workers’ Advocates.

Dawn received her Bachelor’s degree from Washington & Jefferson College in 1992 and her Juris Doctorate degree from D.C. Law in 1995. She is a member of The Florida Bar, the U.S. District Court for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States. Dawn concentrates her practice in the defense of workers’ compensation, and labor and employment matters. Dawn is the Managing Partner of the Miami/Fort Lauderdale Office of Eraclides, Gelman, Hall, Indek, Goodman Waters & Traverso.

Dawn is a Past Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section of The Florida Bar, a member of the Executive Council of the Workers’ Compensation Section of The Florida Bar and is Continuing Legal Education Chair for the Workers’ Compensation Section of The Florida Bar. Dawn has been named as a Fellow in the prestigious National College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. She is a member of the Broward County, Dade County and Monroe County Bar Associations.

Dawn is certified by The Florida Department of Financial Services as an instructor in Workers’ Compensation, and has lectured on multiple occasions at numerous conferences including The Florida Bar’s Workers’ Compensation Forum, The Florida Workers’ Compensation Institute (FWCI), The Risk Management Society (RIMS), PRIMA (Public Risk Management Association) and International Association of Rehabilitations Professionals (IARP) on various topics including ethics, and the administration and defense of workers’ compensation claims.

Dawn was previously the Vice-Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Rules Committee. Dawn is a Trustee with the Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund, and former Chair of the South Florida Chapter. Dawn is a founding member and Master at The Richard A. Sicking American Inn of Court. In 2017, Dawn was the first woman to have received the Frierson-Colling Professionalism Award.

Ann has practiced almost exclusively representing employers and insurers in workers’ compensation matters since 1981. Ann was President of the Boards of both Kids’ Chance of Georgia and Kids’ Chance of America. Ann chaired the Executive Committee of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the State Bar of Georgia, was editor of the Section newsletter, was vice-chair of the Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability Committee of TIPS, was the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Service Award by the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Georgia Bar and the 2018 Justice Benham Community Service Award from the State Bar of Georgia. Ann, also, serves on the Boards of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America.

Judith Ashe Blackwell is a 1984 graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law. She began her practice representing Employers and served as an Administrative Law Judge with the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation for six years. She currently works with Hasner Law representing injured workers throughout Georgia. She is a member of the Georgia Injured Workers’ Advocates and an avid volunteer for Kids’ Chance of Georgia.

Robert Bourne, a University of Georgia graduate,  earned his law degree at Georgia State University. While in law school, he worked for Governor Joe Frank Harris. He also worked as legal counsel for the Judiciary Committee of the Georgia House of Representatives. He has represented injured workers for 35 years and devoted much of his career lobbying for injured workers at the state legislature and executive branch of government.

Ms. Clarke began her workers’ compensation practice in 1983. She served on Governor Barnes Workers’ Compensation Advisory Commission, serves as a member of the SBWC Advisory Council and has served as a worker’s compensation Special Assistant Attorney General. She has also served as Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Georgia Bar. Ms. Clarke co-founded Mediated Dispute Resolutions in 2008 and has mediated hundreds of disputed worker’s compensation claims.

Mr. Eddings is past Section Chairman of the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Section, past recipient of “Plaintiff ’s Attorney of the Year” award, appointed by former Governors Harris and Miller serving on worker’s compensation study committees, member of the State Board’s “Advisory Council” Rules Committee, a founding member of the “Workers’ Compensation Claimant’s Association.” Mr. Eddings is a graduate of the University of Alabama and the Cumberland School of Law, Samford University.

John Ferguson, Jr., partner, Drew, Eckl & Farnham, workers’ compensation defense; B.A. with distinction 1973 University of Virginia; J.D. University of Georgia 1976; research editor Georgia Law Review; Chairman, Workers’ Compensation Section 1989; Chairman’s Advisory Council 1990-2012; Super Lawyer 2004-2012; Best Lawyers in America; co-author Workers’ Compensation Desk Manual. Married, three children, three grandchildren.

Marquette University 1971; Emory University School of Law 1976; Savell & Williams 1976 – present. Chairman GA SBWC Advisory Council Rules & Mediation Committee 1996 – present; Former Chair State Bar of GA WC Section and Atlanta Bar WC Section. Defense attorney.

We represent injured workers all over the State of Georgia.

Julie John has been practicing law for over 30 years and concentrates her efforts in the defense of Workers’ Compensation claims for employers, insurers, self-insurers, and self-insured funds throughout Georgia. She serves clients in many industries and has particular experience in city and county government, transportation and carriers, healthcare providers, manufacturing, small entrepreneurial organizations as well as charitable groups.
She has taken and defended hundreds of depositions including those of expert witnesses, injured workers, and employer witnesses. During her career, she has also handled hundreds of hearings and mediations throughout Georgia. She is a Certified Mediator and frequent speaker and author in the area of Workers’ Compensation law and mediation including topics on the defenses to workers’ compensation claims, limiting workers’ compensation claims, return to work issues, legislative and Board Rule changes, statutory employer issues, best practices for hearings and mediations, and handling catastrophic claims. Julie has served on the Rules And Mediation Committee of the Chairman’s Advisory Council of the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation since 2003 and is currently the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the State Bar of Georgia.
Between her tenures at Drew Eckl & Farnham, Julie worked at the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation from 1996-2002. During that time she was a Mediator and Public Information Officer from 1996-1998; an Administrative Law Judge from 1998-2002; and served as the Executive Director from 2000-2002. She was also on the Medical Committee of the Chairman’s Advisory Council from 2000-2003. Julie re-joined the firm in 2002 as a Partner and has been acknowledged as a Georgia Super Lawyer every year since 2004. She has also received an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale Hubbell for her high ethical standards and professionalism. She has served on the Board of Directors for Drew Eckl & Farnham since 2014 and served as the Chair of the Board in 2016 and 2017. Julie is also a member of the Defense Research Institute and GDLA. In 2017, she was elected into the National College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. In 2018, she was selected by her peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America© 25th edition in the field of Workers’ Compensation in Atlanta.
EDUCATION
Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, J.D., 1987, cum laude
University of Tennessee, B.S., 1984, highest honors

Mr. Leonard is the managing partner of the Atlanta, GA office of Cipriani & Werner, and defends workers’ compensation matters in Georgia. He is a member of the Georgia State Bar and admitted before all state courts in Georgia. Mr. Leonard is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been included in Georgia “Best Lawyers” and “Super Lawyers” since 2007.

Ralph has been practicing workers’ compensation for over 40 years, primarily representing injured workers. He handles cases under Georgia WC. He handles cases nationwide for Longshoremen, Non-Appropriated Fund workers and those under the Defense Base Act. He has argued at all levels of these cases and has spoken for many years on topics covering the workers he represents. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer in Georgia for over 15 years. He is on many advisory boards involving wc.

Current Director and Appellate Judge for Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation (SBWC). Recipient of 2019 National Judge Comp Laude Award from WorkCompCentral. Previous Chairman of the Georgia SBWC (8 yrs.) Past President of the Southern Assoc. of WC Administrators (SAWCA). Served on Board of Directors for the IAIABC. Served on Board of Directors for the National Assoc. of WC Judiciary (NAWCJ). Serves on the Advisory Board for the WCI. Serves as an Advisory Committee member for WCRI in Georgia. Serves on Georgia’s Statewide Opioid Task Force. Served on Georgia’s Kids’ Chance Board of Directors.

I am a graduate of Northwestern University and Mercer University Law School. I have been practicing workers compensation law in Savannah, Georgia since 1986. I opened my firm in 1999 and since then my practice has consisted primarily of representing injured workers in both Georgia and Longshore claims. I also represent claimants in Social Security Disability claims.

Mr. Price has been practicing in the field of workers’ compensation since 1978 and during that time has earned many distinctions including the 2012 Distinguished Service and Professionalism Award by the Workers’ Compensation Section of the State Bar of Georgia and he received the first Kid’s Chance Volunteer of the Year Award.

Bryan Ramos is the founder of Ramos & Law, a litigation firm in Atlanta dedicated to Georgia’s working class. He is a fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, and is a registered neutral with the Georgia Commission of Dispute Resolution. Mr. Ramos serves on the Georgia Advisory to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, as well the Boards of Asians Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta; Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, and the North Georgia Low Income Tax Clinic.

Mr. Ramos is also the current Secretary for the National Filipino American Lawyers Association, and serves as the General Counsel to the National Federation of Filipino American Associations. He is also a Regional Director for the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project.

He graduated from Florida State University and earned his Juris Doctorate and Certificate in Advanced Legal Drafting at Mercer University.

Honorable Sharon Hurt Reeves is the Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge of the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Before her appointment in 2017, she spent more than twenty years in private practice specializing in workers’ compensation and general litigation. She is a Board Member of the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary (NAWCJ). She is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the University of Georgia School of Law.

Ms. Sadow received her B.A. Magna Cum Laude in History and French from Tufts Univ. in 1978 and her J.D. from Emory Univ. School of Law in 1981. She founded Susan J. Sadow, P.C., now known as Sadow & Froy, in 1992. Ms. Sadow concentrates her practice on representing workers with serious or Catastrophic injuries. She has the distinction of settling a number of seven-figure cases. She was awarded a listing in The Best Lawyers in America from 2003 – 2023. She was also named a Georgia Super Lawyer from 2005 – 2023. Ms. Sadow proudly served as Chair of the Atlanta Bar Workers’ Comp. Section and on the Board of Directors of both the Atlanta Bar Association and Kids’ Chance. She was appointed to the State Board Chairman’s Advisory Council Public Education Committee and proudly served in that capacity for 15 years. Ms. Sadow frequently lectures on workers’ compensation topics. She is a Registered Neutral with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution and serves as a workers’ compensation mediator for JordanADR throughout the State of Georgia

Represent employers and insurance companies in Florida and Georgia in the defense of workers compensation and legislative matters. Have served as the second President of the College as well as a member of the Board of Governors. Was a member of the Charter Class of the College following induction in 2007.

Born in the New York metropolitan area, Alex Wallach grew up in the Washington, DC suburbs of greatly influenced by the coverage of the Watergate scandal in the Washington Post.
He graduated cum laude with a BA in Political Science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio in 1984. He is a 1987 graduate of the Emory University School of Law.
Alex has practiced the entirety of his career with the firm now known as GEORGE & WALLACH, LLLP and has concentrated his practice on representing applicants in Workers’ Compensation and Social Security cases. He has been named a Super Lawyer annually since 2008 and was inducted as a Fellow of the ABA’s College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in 2016.

Joe Amarilio is an Arbitrator with The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, appointed by Governor JB Pritzker and confirmed by the Illionis Senate. Previously, Joe was a partner at Elfenbaum Evers Amarilio & Zielinska, P.C., representing injured workers and their families. Joe’s commitment to Pro Bono services was acknowledged with an award for 20 years of distinguished service with The Center For Disability and Elder Law as a volunteer attorney and as a Board Member, as well as volunteer attorney with The Latino Union of Chicago and Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. Joe graduated from Northwestern University and UIC John Marshall Law School where he was the associate managing editor of The John Marshall Law Review. Joe is married and the proud father of three children, three granddaughters and a dog named Ziggy.

I have represented injured persons for 40 years.

Rosario Cibella has been practicing in the area of workers’ compensation defense in Illinois and Indiana for 39 years. He is currently the owner of Rosario Cibella & Associates LTD which employs five attorneys all practicing Workers Compensation defense. While in law school, he worked as a clerk for a firm handling workers’ compensation claims and has been practicing in that area since that time. The firm represents self insureds, insurance carriers and TPAs.

During his education process, he worked in the grocery industry, sales, and construction industry as a laborer in the summers gaining invaluable experience in the subtleties and day-to-day experiences of those employees and their employers. He has been able to translate that experience into formulating practical every day vigorous defenses to workers’ compensation claims.

He has been nominated as a LEADING LAWYER since 2009 and has received the Martindale-Hubble AV rating, which is the highest possible peer review rating in legal ability and ethical standards, since 1995.

Ron was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1983. Since that time he has practiced Workers Compensation, Social Security Disability and Personal Injury Law. He has successfully represented thousands of working people. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been recovered helping to support working families.

Ron has served as technical adviser to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives on Workers Compensation legislation. He has served on the Board of the Illinois Trial Lawyers and spoken at their seminars. Ron was elected to a Fellowship in the National College of Workers Compensation Lawyers. This College is an honor for those lawyers who have demonstrated a lifetime commitment to teaching and developing the law of Workers Compensation.

Mr. DeVriendt attended DePaul University and received his JD in 1976. He was admitted to Federal Court in March 1984. He practiced Workers’ Compensation, representing both Petitioners and Respondents. Mr. DeVriendt was appointed to Illinois Workers’ Compensation Arbitrator from 2004 to 2011 and to the Commission from 2011 to 2019. He is married to Judith DeVriendt, attorney and owner of DeVriendt & Associates in Joliet IL. They have four wonderful children.

Mr. Doerries has specialized in the field of workers’ compensation law over the past 37 years, representing clients in a variety of industries, including hospitals, municipalities,  staffing agencies, national restaurant chains, and manufacturers. He served as president of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Association in 2011, presents tutorials on workers’ compensation law to third-party administrators and insurance carriers, and is a contributing author for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (IICLE).

Joseph A. Garofalo is a dedicated husband, brother, partner, mentor, friend, trial lawyer, and writer.

He is a graduate of North Park College (magna cum laude, 1974) and DePaul University School of Law (1977). He was admitted to practice law in Illinois before the US District Court, Northern District of Illinois, in 1977 (subsequently including the Federal Trial Bar). He was admitted to practice before the US Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, in 1989. After working as an associate in a firm for seven years, in 1984 he co-founded his own law firm, now called Garofalo, Schreiber, Storm & Grant, Chartered.

Throughout his career, he concentrated his practice in the area of workers’ compensation and employers’ liability, defending employers and insurance companies. He has extensive litigation experience before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, the circuit court, the appellate court, and the Illinois Supreme Court. He has lectured on the topic of workers’ compensation defense before the Chicago Bar Association and a variety of business groups and has presented seminars for insurance professionals and self-insured professionals. He also served as an arbitrator in the Circuit Court of Cook County mandatory arbitration program (1990–present).

He is “AV Preeminent” as rated by Martindale-Hubbell, and his firm’s biography is presented in Best’s Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys. He has been selected as one of Illinois’s Leading Lawyers, where he is an advisory board member (2006–21) and one of Illinois’s Super Lawyers (2008–21). He was inducted into the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in 2011. Old Republic Construction Program Group named him as the 2014 Midwest Region’s Workers’ Compensation Attorney of the Year. In 2018 Leading Lawyers selected him as the 2nd Highest Ranked Illinois Workers’ Compensation Defense Attorney in Illinois. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association, and the Justinian Society of Lawyers.

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he lives with his wife, Toni, residing in Park Ridge, Illinois.

Richard K. Johnson dedicates his practice to assisting injured workers’ obtain benefits under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. He practices throughout the State of Illinois. Mr. Johnson’s law firm represents several prominent unions and he is especially adept at coordinating the benefits of the union contract with Workers’ Compensation benefits. He is AV rated by his peers, which reflects his deep understanding of the law and his high ethical standards. Mr. Johnson played an important role in developing the theory of repetitive trauma in Illinois. He has lectured throughout the US to lawyers in continuing education seminars. He is the Author of the Chapter, “Occupational Diseases Act” for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Notebook and Author of the Chapter, “DIsability Evaluation” for the IICLE Workers’ Compensation Handbook. Additional awards include being named to “Best Lawyers in America”, Illinois Super Lawyers and Leading Lawyers.

Since graduating law school in 1976, Mr. Marszalek has represented injured workers throughout the state of Illinois. Having been a union member and walked picket lines for several years before becoming a lawyer, Mr. Marszalek is very familiar with the problems associated with a workers’ compensation claim being fought by a “difficult” employer. He has prosecuted workers’ compensation cases for injured workers throughout the state of Illinois before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission on arbitration and review, before the Circuit Courts throughout Illinois, the Illinois Appellate Court, and even the Illinois Supreme Court.

Bar/Professional Association Involvement:

• Illinois Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association
• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
• Chicago Bar Association
• Workers’ Compensation Law Committee of the Chicago Bar Association
• Social Security Disability Law Committee of the Chicago Bar Association
• NOSSCR (National Organization Of Social Security Claimant’s Representatives)

My specialty is occupational disease defense.

I am in my 45th year of practice and my 15th as a sole practitioner representing claimants only in workers’ compensation claims. I am a Board member of WILG and a panel member on the NFLPA, MLS, and PHPA panels of attorneys. I was selected as a Leading Lawyer and enjoy an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Sonia Das Sturm defends employers before the Worker’s Compensation Board of Indiana. She has experience advising clients and litigating all disputes before the Board. She guides employers and insurance adjusters on compliance with the requirements of the Worker’s Compensation Act, mediates settlements, tries claims in formal hearings, makes argument to the Full Board, and handles all aspects of any appeals. She also has experience litigating worker’s compensation issues in civil courts, including the exclusive remedy defense, threshold questions (employee vs independent contractor, secondary liability), and coverage. She is a frequent author and speaker on worker’s compensation topics, and has served as the Chair of the Worker’s Compensation Section of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana. In 2017, she also began representing employers before the Workers Disability Compensation Agency in Michigan. Sonia joined the law firm of Inman & Fitzgibbons, Ltd. in 2015 and practices out of its Indianapolis, Indiana office.

Experienced litigator with dual-state licensure (IN, IL) and practice-area expertise spanning worker’s compensation, personal injury and general civil law. Passionately represents client interests, working to provide positive resolutions to complex legal matters. Proven success achieving favorable verdicts, awards and settlements.

Mr. Fanning limits his practice to Indiana Worker’s Compensation law. He authored the Worker’s Compensation Handbook published by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Layman’s Guide to Worker’s Compensation published by the Indiana Manufacturer’s Association. He is a frequent speaker regarding worker’s compensation issues and has authored numerous articles for business, medical and insurance groups as well as for the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum. Mr. Fanning was a resource panel Chairman for the Governor’s Task Force on Worker’s Compensation and Occupational Disease Law Reform, a founder of the Indiana Worker’s Compensation Defense Association, a past Chairman of the Worker’s Compensation Section of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana and a past Executive Director of the Indiana Self-Insurers Association.

ROGER B. FINDERSON

Roger Finderson has practiced law in Indiana since October of 1993.  His firm, Finderson Law LLC, is working to open a new office in St. Augustine, Florida.  Mr. Finderson is a plaintiff’s lawyer, focusing his practice on Personal Injury, Workers Compensation, Social Security Disability and Adoptions.  He is admitted to practice in Indiana and Florida.  He earned his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Brandeis University in 1990, where he played varsity basketball, and his law degree from Indiana University, Bloomington in 1993.  Happily married, he and his wife Terra have three children, Delaney, Zaira and D’Artagnan.

Roger is a member of the American Association for Justice, Worker’s Injury Law & Advocacy Group currently serving as its Treasurer, College Of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, Florida Justice Association, Indiana State Bar Association and the Florida Bar.

Roger has presented at multiple CLE seminars for the American Association For Justice, the Worker’s Injury Law & Advocacy Group, the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, Indiana Continuing Legal Education Foundation and Allen County Bar Association on topics such as Ethics of Social Media Advertising, the Paperless Office, the Top 10 tips for Opening Your New Firm, Workers’ Comp in a GIG Economy, and Work Comp Case Selection.

Daniel G. Foote, born in 1969 in Rockford, Illinois, has practiced law for over twenty-five years. A National Merit Scholar, he completed undergraduate work with the Honors Division at Indiana
University, earning a B.A. in Political Science, a Certificate in Latin American Studies, and a minor in Spanish. He graduated as a member of the Mortar Board Senior Honor Society. In 1993, Dan enrolled as a part-time evening student at the Indiana University School of Law, earning his J.D. and passing the Indiana bar examination in 1997.

In 1997, Dan began his legal career at the Indianapolis firm of Locke Reynolds, LLP, where he focused his practice on worker’s compensation and occupational disease cases, civil litigation, and appeals.

In 2005, Governor Mitch Daniels appointed Dan to the Worker’s Compensation Board of Indiana, where he serves as an Administrative Law Judge. He hears work injury and occupational disease cases in the northeastern region of Indiana and, with his fellow Board members, hears administrative appeals.

Since his appointment to the Board in 2005, Dan has maintained a private practice devoted to
civil litigation, appellate matters, and alternative dispute resolution. He has tried numerous
civil cases, appeared in over fifty appellate matters, and argued before the Indiana Court of
Appeals and the Indiana Supreme Court.

In 2016, Dan completed mediation training and became a Registered Civil Mediator. He enjoys public speaking and is a frequent lecturer on Indiana law. In 2020 and 2021, Dan presented a series of training courses to newly-hired Administrative Law Judges. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at the I.U. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis, where he teaches Federal Administrative Law.

Over the years, Dan has served in a wide variety of civic roles. He was accredited as an observer of transitional elections in Nicaragua (1990) and El Salvador (1994). In the late 1990s, Dan produced and hosted a weekly public radio program dedicated to international music. From 2012 and 2018, Dan used his Spanish skills as a volunteer with Operation Walk Midwest, a not-for-profit group of orthopedic surgeons providing joint replacement surgeries to patients in Nicaragua and Guatemala. Dan is also a member of the Indiana Council on World Affairs.

Chair, Worker’s Compensation Board of Indiana

Representation of injured Workers, Mediation and Adjunct Professor Valparaiso University School of Law.

Mike is an active member in workers’ compensation specific organizations, including the Indiana Workers’ Compensation Institute and the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana, workers’ compensation section. He has taken an active leadership role in the DTCI work comp section by serving as President on two separate occasions, writing articles and doing seminars and presentations to various Workers Compensation groups and clients. He regularly attends DTCI work comp section meetings and functions, and interacts with other lawyers in the State that defend workers’ compensation claims. As a registered civil mediator, Mike enjoys working with both the plaintiff and defense bars, in resolving complicated disputes. Additionally, he regularly works with the Workers’ Compensation Board members and representatives, as they development new policies and procedures, and implement modernization of the handling of claims at the Workers’ Compensation Board.

Mr Maudlin graduated from the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis cum laude in 1995. He associated with a large Firm in Indianapolis where he represented employers in worker’s compensation matters for 7 years. In 2003, he moved to New Harmony, Indiana, a small town, where he now represents employees. He also served as Town Attorney for New Harmony for 10 years. He is licensed to practice in Indiana and Illinois.

Sharon Murphy has represented a wide range of employers throughout the state of Indiana in defense of workers’ compensation claims at all levels of litigation. She represented primarily small governmental units, schools, fire and police departments. She was an original founding member of the College (inducted in 2007) and served as its President from 2011-2013. She has been a leader in the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section for many years.  Sharon retired from the practice of law in April of 2022.

Craig Van Schouwen graduated from the DePaul College of Law in 1991. He was admitted to the Indiana bar that same year. He concentrates his practice on plaintiffs’ Workers’ Compensation law. He takes pride in helping people get the medical treatment and benefits they need. He serves on the board of directors of Kids’ Chance, a national organization committed to scholarship funding for children with a parent who has been injured in catastrophic workplace accidents. He lives and works in Valparaiso Indiana.

Diana Wann has practiced law since 1990, primarily in the defense of worker’s compensation claims in Indiana. She is counsel with Jackson Kelly, PLLC, the charter Indiana member of National Worker’s Compensation Defense Network for which she served as board member and president, a fellow in the College of Worker’s Compensation Lawyers, Chair of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana, former co-chair of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Worker’s Compensation Committee, and a founding member of Kids Chance of Indiana.

She is a graduate of Indiana University McKinney School of Law and has a B.S. from Indiana University – Purdue University.

Steve Spencer obtained his JD with distinction from the University of Iowa in 1980. Steve Spencer is a problem solver and finds great pleasure in being an attorney when he is able to assist clients in reaching a prompt and fair resolution of their disputes. He focuses his time and energy on workers’ compensation matters. Steve has practiced law solely in the area of workers’ compensation for over thirty years.

Washburn Law 1971; University if Kansas 1968. Past chair Kansas City Metro Bar Workers committee and past chair of the Missouri Bar Workers compensation committee. Contributor to Mo Bar workers compensation desk book. Frequent speaker to bar and business groups regarding workers compensation and related issues.

Eric Lanham has been representing employers and insurance carriers in defending workers’ compensation claims since 1993. His experience encompasses all areas of workers’ compensation practice, and he works with clients to identify and implement ways to reduce the number and severity of workers’ compensation claims. His expertise is in handling complex workers’ compensation claims, defining the limits of workers’ compensation and employer’s liability policies, and protecting his clients’ subrogation interests.

Mr. Lanham is a shareholder with the firm. He has served as the firm’s President and CEO and has been its managing partner. Mr. Lanham is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell and is admitted to practice law in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. He has served on numerous boards and committees.

Chris McCurdy is a shareholder and Workers’ Compensation Department head at Wallace Saunders, a medium-sized law firm headquartered in Overland Park, KS, with offices in Kansas and Missouri. Chris is a 1995 Washburn University Law School graduate. Chris has focused his practice upon representation of employers, insurance carriers and self-insureds in workers compensation matters.

After graduating from Law School from the University of Kansas School of Law and being admitted to the bar, I pursued a general civil and criminal trial practice, including both prosecution and defense of workers’ compensation claims, for approximately eleven years before moving to a new community and serving as a prosecutor. After four years as a prosecutor, I joined the Kansas Department of Human Resources (now, Kansas Department of Labor).

I have been serving the agency as an Administrative Law Judge since 1995. I joined the faculty of the National Judicial College in 2009, and became a Fellow in 2016. I am a past President of the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary.

Cliff Stubbs focuses his practice on representing self-insured employers, third-party administrators, and insurance carriers in the defense of workers’ compensation claims in Kansas and Missouri. This includes public and private employers, school districts, manufacturers, restaurant chains, retail employers, distribution companies, medical and pharmaceutical companies, security providers, hotel chains, service providers, and others.

Mr. Stubbs handles complex matters involving medical causation, permanent total disability, work disability, Medicare Set-Aside, medical bill liens, and social security disability offset issues. He is responsible for the largest single fraud fine ever against a claimant in a Kansas-litigated workers’ compensation case.

Mr. Stubbs has chaired the American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability Law General Committee. He has served on the Executive Counsel and Board of Governors for the Wyandotte County Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association, the American Bar Association-YLD, and the American Bar Association-TIPS.

Bill Townsley practices workers’ compensation law at Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch in Wichita, Kansas primarily representing employers and insurance carriers. He is a past-president of the Wichita Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association Litigation and Insurance sections, and the Wesley Brown Inn of Court. He is listed in Kansas/Missouri Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.

Areas of Concentration

• Workers’ Compensation
• Governmental Affairs

Education

• University of Kentucky, B.A. (Journalism), 1978
• Salmon P. Chase College of Law, J.D.,1982 

Admitted to Practice

• Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1982
• United States District Court, Eastern District, 1984

Associations

• Kentucky Bar Association,  Workers’ Compensation Section, President (1994-1995);
• Northern Kentucky Bar Association; Kentucky Bar Foundation, Charter Life Fellow  

Faculty Appointment

• Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Adjunct Professor (Ky. Workers’ Compensation Law), 1986-1996

Memberships/Achievements 

• Martindale-Hubbell, AV Preeminent Rated
• 50 Most Influential People Nationally, Workers’ Compensation, 2014 (SEAK)
• College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Fellow, Inaugural Class, 2007 
• The Best Lawyers in America, 2003-2023          
• U.S. News– Best Law Firms, H. Douglas Jones, 2016-2022
• LexisNexis Workers’ Compensation Law Center, “Workers’ Compensation Notable People, 2009”
• National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN.com), Charter Member, 2006-present; Board of Directors, 2007-2010
• Kentucky “Super Lawyers,” 2008-2024
• Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; Leadership Kentucky Graduate, 1993
• Global 100 – Workers’ Compensation Attorney of the Year, Kentucky 2015-2019
• Corporate USA Today – Workers’ Compensation Attorney   of the Year, Kentucky 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019
• America Registry – Top Attorneys, Kentucky 2015, 2017
• Lawyer International, Legal 100, Workers’ Compensation Attorney of the Year, Kentucky, 2017, 2019, 2021
• Best Lawyers in America – Kentucky 2021

Publications 

• Co-Author, “Legal Causation,” Workers’ Compensation in Kentucky, Chair, Planning Committee, Third Edition, University of Kentucky Press, 2002
• Co-Author, Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Handbook, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Third Edition 2008; Second Edition 2002; First Edition 1999
• Co-Author, “House Bill 1, Kentucky’s New Workers’ Compensation Act: A Comparison of Injury Disability Determinations Under the Old and New Acts,” Northern Kentucky Law Review, 1997
• Co-Author, “Legal Causation,” Workers’ Compensation in Kentucky, Chair, Planning Committee, Second Edition, University of Kentucky Press, 1996
• Co-Author, “Cumulative Trauma Disorders: A Repetitive Strain on the Workers’ Compensation System,” Northern Kentucky Law Review, 1993
• Co-Author, “Legal Causation,” Workers’ Compensation in Kentucky, Member, Planning Committee, First Edition, University of Kentucky Press,1991
• Author, “Preparation and Presentation of the Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Defense Case,” Kentucky Bench and Bar, 1986
• Kentucky Editor, Workers’ Compensation Monthly, 1990-2005

Presentations

• Speaker, SEAK National Workers’ Compensation Conference, Hyannis, Ma.: 33rd  Annual, 2013; 30th Annual, 2010; 27th Annual, 2007; 25th Annual, 2005; 24th Annual, 2004; 20th Annual, 2000
• Speaker, National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network  (NWCDN) Seminars: Nashville, TN, 2015; Chicago, Il., 2014, 2010; Overland Park, Ka., 2009;  Denver, Co., 2007; Atlanta, Ga., 2006;  Covington, Ky., 2005
• Moderator/Speaker, Annual Workers’ Compensation Adjusters’ Training Workshops, Louisville, Ky.: 2008; 2009; 2010
• Speaker, “A Little DNA: Are Privacy and Discrimination Issues Raised?,” American Bar Association Seminar, Chicago, Il., March, 2008
• Speaker, AMA Guides Sixth Edition, American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians (AADEP) Seminar, Louisville, Ky., February, 2008
• Speaker, “Staying Out of Court,” American Academy of Disability   Evaluating Physicians (AADEP) Seminar, Louisville, Ky., November, 2007
• Speaker, Kentucky Administrative Law Judge Training Seminar, Frankfort, Ky., September, 2006
• Moderator/Speaker, Biennial Workers’ Compensation Institutes, University of  Kentucky, 1986-2017; Planning Committee Chair, 1992-2017
• Moderator/Speaker, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Workers’ Compensation Annual Seminars, 1987-present

Civic Activities

• Shoulder-To-Shoulder, Inc. (inner-city relief), President/CEO, 2006-2010
• Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Member 1983-2004; Board of Directors, 1997-2000
• Kentucky Baptist Convention, Executive Board Member, 1995-1998
• Kentucky Independent College Fund, Board of Trustees, 1987-1989
• Baptist Convalescent Center, Board of Directors; 1993-1999, Executive Committee, 1997-1999
• Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky, Board of Directors, 1994-1997

Alan G. Brackett is a Founding Member and the Managing Member of Mouledoux, Bland, Legrand & Brackett, LLC, representing employers and carriers in the defense of workers’ compensation claims, with particular focus on the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, Defense Base Act, and War Hazards Compensation Act. He obtained a B.A. in history from Tulane University in 1982 and his J.D. from the Tulane School of Law in 1984.

As supported by the many peer honors he has received, including CWCL, The Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers, Alan has developed a reputation as an extremely skilled litigation attorney, who maintains the highest standards of professionalism, qualities that have attributed to him being widely recognized as one of the top litigators in the industry.

He is a fellow of the Louisiana Bar Foundation, American Bar Foundation and Claims and Litigation Management Alliance. Alan has been a contributing author to The Longshore Textbook and has served as Chairman of the Advisory Board and Seminar Moderator for the Loyola University College of Law Annual Longshore Conference since 1998. He has lectured at numerous maritime, labor, and workers’ compensation law seminars around the country and abroad.

Alan currently serves as President of the Louisiana Bar Foundation, the primary funder of civil legal aid in the State of Louisiana.

He serves as Chancellor and the principal Verger for Christ Church Cathedral, and previously served two terms as Senior Warden. He serves as Treasurer and on the Executive Board of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and previously served two terms as President of the Disciplinary Board. He is a past chair of the Board of Trustees of St. Martin’s Episcopal School.

Shannon Bruno Bishop is a District Judge of the Louisiana Office of Workers’ Compensation.  As District Judge, Judge Bishop conducts judicial hearings and trials by presiding over workers’ compensation claims and rendering final judgments that are appealable to the state appellate courts.

Judge Bishop is a native of New Orleans who graduated from Tulane University with a B.A. in Sociology and The University of Mississippi School of Law with a J.D.  She is admitted in all state and federal courts in Mississippi and Louisiana.  She began her legal career representing plaintiffs in personal injury, medical malpractice, employment discrimination, and workers’ compensation cases in Mississippi.  She later returned to Louisiana where she worked as an insurance defense attorney prior to joining the Office of Workers’ Compensation as a staff attorney and mediator.  After serving as a mediator for nine years, she was appointed District Judge, but she also served as Chief Judge for two years during her tenure.

Judge Bishop has served as a panelist for various seminars with the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary (NAWCJ), Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators (SAWCA), American Society of Workers’ Compensation Professionals (AMCOMP), International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC), and the Louisiana State Bar Association.   She is a fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and serves as a Panel Advisor to the American Medical Association AMA Guides® Editorial Panel.  Judge Bishop is President of the NAWCJ and she serves on the SAWCA Steering Committee, and the IAIABC Board of Directors.

Joe’s extensive experience representing both employers and insurance companies for the last 38 years has equipped him with the industry knowledge, personal communication tools, patience, and strategy to be an effective mediator. His defense practice of predominantly workers’ compensation cases naturally led to mediation with the Prism Group, which he joined in 2022 as the 4th member of our mediation team. Outside of his work life, Joe is a member of the very active Dawnbusters Kiwanis Club in Metairie, Lector at St. Clement of Rome Church, self-employed bourbon and scotch taster on weekends, and a very involved “Papa Joe” to his four grandchildren.

Christopher M. Landry graduated from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 1989. He became a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association in 1989 as well. He has represented insurance companies and self-insureds in the defense of longshore claims, state workers’ compensation claims and general casualty claims since that time. He has also defended numerous insurance companies and product manufacturers as a result of personal injury claims. He has been a speaker and moderator at many seminars over the years on varying subjects, including seminars in Louisiana Workers’ Compensation law, United States Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation law and general casualty issues. He is currently admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Louisiana, all Louisiana District Courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and all United States District Courts in Louisiana. He also regularly appears before the United States Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, and Office of Administrative Law Judges. He is currently a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, and the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance. He is also a Fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.

Workers’ Compensation Judge

Elizabeth Connellan Smith practices in the areas of workers’ compensation, labor, and employment law counseling and litigation. Her articles on workers’ compensation law have appeared in various local and national publications and she regularly lectures on employment law topics. Beth’s practice includes representing clients with diverse employment-related concerns, including in proceedings pending before the Maine Human Rights Commission, the Maine Unemployment Commission, the Maine Workers’ Compensation Board, and the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Beth was graduated cum laude from Bowdoin College in 1987 and was graduated in 1992 from the University of Maine School of Law.

Beth is the Maine member of the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network and is Board Secretary of that organization. Beth is currently Chair of the ABA Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Section’s Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability Committee and she is a Fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.

Jonathan Beiser has been practicing law for 31 years, concentrating on Defense Base Act, Longshore & Harbor Workers Compensation and Maryland Workers Compensation

Michael H. Daney, a founding partner of Erlandson, Vernon & Daney, LLC, is AV rated and defends workers’ compensation claims in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Mr. Daney is a board member and treasurer of the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Educational Association and has been a moderator for programs the past 4 years.

Graduated Law School in 1960, University of Baltimore, received the degree of Juris Doctor. Admitted to practice in State of Maryland 1960 followed by attendance in Officer Candidate School in Newport , Rhode Island. 5 years active service 16 years reserve and retired as a Naval Commander. 1965 entered into private practice and have continued to date representing victims of industrial accidents, motor torts and medical malpractice . Has lectured on trial tactics, advocacy and workers compensation. Past President of Maryland Trial Lawyers Assoc., Member of WILG, AAJ, and State and City Bar Associations.

Ms. Harrison is a senior field counsel with the Liberty Mutual Group and concentrates her practice in representing the interests of employers and insurers. She is a board member and past president of the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Educational Association and past co-chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section for Maryland Defense Counsel. Ms. Harrison lectures regularly in the Section’s annual “Hot Tips in Workers’ Compensation” program as well as other venues.

Heather Kraus is a principal attorney with Semmes, Bowen & Semmes. She represents employers and insurers in the defense of Maryland workers’ compensation claims as well as claims filed under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. She earned her BA from the University of Maryland and JD from Georgetown University.

Jim Lanier is an attorney member of Warnken, LLC. His practice focuses on representing individuals who sustain work-related injuries and other personal injury actions. He has advocated for his clients at all levels of the Maryland federal and state judicial systems. Mr. Lanier is 2021 inductee to the College of Workers’ Compensation Attorneys. He is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) and is the 2021-2022 President of the Negligence, Insurance and Workers’ Compensation Section (“NIWC”). Jim is a member of the Maryland Association for Justice (MAJ) and is a member of the Legislative Committee and a past Co-Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section. Mr. Lanier has written legal articles on various topics, mostly involving Maryland workers’ compensation law. He has organized and/or spoke at workers’ compensation seminars for the MSBA’s NIWC Section, the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Education Association (MWCEA), and the MAJ.

Founding partner at Agnelli Law Offices, PC in Worcester, Mass. Representing injured workers for over 40 years. Member of CWCL since 2011. Author of book, “The Board – A History of the First Century of the Mass. Industrial Accident Board and Workers’ Compensation Act” (2011). Long-time chair (since 1996) of the workers’ compensation update programs for Mass. Continuing Legal Education. Graduate of Suffolk Univ. Law School (1980).

Joseph J. Durant joined TKCK as Counsel in 2007. Joe received a B.A. degree in History & Political Science cum laude from Boston College in 1977 and earned his Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1980. He is a graduate of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy Teacher Training Program at Harvard University and repeatedly served on the faculty of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company’s Advanced Advocacy, Workers’ Compensation, SIU, and Subrogation training seminars. He has lectured in evidence and criminal law at Boston State College and the University of Massachusetts Boston. He has served on the faculty of the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Workers Compensation “Day with the Experts” seminar for the last 5 years.

Attorney Durant was a Partner at Kaufman & Durant since 1992, where he was the Senior Trial Attorney for a major insurer handling both Workers Compensation and Liability Litigation. Atty. Durant has tried both jury and jury waived cases in the District and Superior Court Departments and has argued successfully at the Appeals Court. He has also been Designated Counsel for several Large National Insureds and Self Insurers and has tried hundreds of Workers’ Compensation cases. Mr. Durant has been an elected member of the Board of Selectman in his home town for over twenty seven years.

Joe has many years of experience as SIU counsel, in which he successfully recouped losses incurred in insurance fraud cases, and also participated in the criminal prosecution of the perpetrators.

Terry enjoyed the practice of law concentrating in workers’ compensation for over 35 years. He is now retired from this practice, now residing in Stonington CT working on legislative reform in the area of ERISA law and assisting in ERISA based appeals for claimants.

Alan Pierce has been representing injured workers and their families for over 35 years.

He is past president of WILG (Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group) and The Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. He served nine years on the Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council. He has chaired the ABA’s TTIPS Workers’ Compensation Section and is also a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance where he serves on their membership committee. For several years he was on the editorial board of the Journal of Workers’ Compensation where his column From The Courts appeared quarterly. Currently, he is the Executive Editor of Workers’ First Watch for WILG and is the host of Workers Comp Matters, a podcast that can be heard on the Legal Talk Network (www.legaltalknetwork.com). In 2007 he was among the first class of Fellows inducted into the College.

Mr. Pierce is a graduate of Vassar College and Suffolk University Law School. He concentrates his practice in representing injured workers before the Department of Industrial Accidents. Mr. Pierce is admitted to practice before courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group, American Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice. He has lectured on workers’ compensation law at numerous CLE seminars and to various union and advocacy groups. He has drafted workers’ compensation related legislation some of which has become law and some of which is pending at the Massachusetts State House. Mr. Pierce formerly served in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office’s Fair Labor and Business Practices Division. Mr. Pierce co-hosts “Workers Comp Matters”, an internet radio program. He was appointed to the Arlington Human Rights Commission, was elected twice to the Arlington School Committee from 2010-2016 and currently serves as a Town Meeting Member.

25 years’ experience. Statewide concentration in Massachusetts worker’s compensation litigation defense. My practice encompasses all forms of worker’s compensation defense to include claims brought against insurers, employers and by third party litigations for medical reimbursement. Second Injury Fund analysis. Training provided within the United States for insurers and employers on a companywide and individual basis. 2018 Fellow College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers; Since 2014 Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent™ Rated annually. Co-counsel Wright’s Case, 486 MA 98 (2020) (medical marijuana) with Leonard Y. Nason (also a Fellow and lead counsel); Baker’s Case 55 Mass.App. 628 (2002) (statute of limitations). Published several articles, seminar materials and book chapter. Active committee member in multiple bar associations and frequent lecturer. Advisory member Kid’s Chance of Massachusetts, BNI.

Emily A. Spieler is the Edwin W. Hadley Professor of Law at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, where she also served as Dean from 2002 to 2012. Prior to her academic career, she served as the commissioner of West Virginia’s Workers’ Compensation Fund (an exclusive state fund), as West Virginia’s first deputy attorney general for civil rights, as a member of the state’s Human Rights Commission, and as a member of the Public Employees’ Insurance Agency Finance Board. She has also served as chair of the Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of Labor; as a member of President Obama’s Transition Team for the U.S. Department of Labor; as chair of the Workers’ Advocacy Advisory Committee, a federal advisory committee appointed to advise the U.S. Department of Energy on the implementation of the Energy Employees’ Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act; and as a member of several other national committees focusing on workplace health and safety and workers’ compensation. Her law practice, before joining the faculty at West Virginia University College of Law, concentrated on the legal problems of workers, particularly injured workers. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, the Pound Institute for Civil Justice, the Collegium Ramazzini and the American College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers; an elected member of the National Academic of Social Insurance; and a member of the Bar in Massachusetts and West Virginia. She received her AB degree from Harvard University (Cambridge, MA) and her JD from Yale Law School (New Haven, CT).

• Managing Partner of Tentindo, Kendall, Canniff & Keefe, LLP since 2000

• Co-Chair of the Litigation Group at Peabody & Arnold from 1995-2000

• 35 years of experience representing employers and insurers defending workers’ compensation and employment discrimination claims

• Member of the Judicial Nominating Committee of the Department of Industrial Accidents appointed by Governor Deval Patrick

• Member of the Board of Directors of SIGAM (Self Insurance Group Association of Massachusetts)

• Named Massachusetts Super Lawyer by Boston Magazine for Workers’ Compensation

• Frequent lecturer and author of articles on Workers’ Compensation and Disability Law

• Adjunct Professor of Workers’ Compensation at New England School of Law in Boston

• Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell

• Fellow of The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

• Member of the DRI Workers’ Compensation Committee

• Admitted to the Massachusetts Bar 1978 and the US District Court District of Massachusetts and US Supreme Court

• Lecturer Lorman Educational Services

Michael Brenton has a long and successful history of defending workers’ compensation cases throughout Michigan. He has earned a reputation for efficient, professional, and principled legal counsel, and is committed to providing excellent service in advising and representing businesses, insurance carriers, third-party administrators, self-insured funds, and self-insured employers in hearing venues throughout the state of Michigan. He has represented the State of Michigan as a Special Assistant Attorney General since 1994.

Michael Brenton serves as a committee member on the Health and Human Resources Committee of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. His passion for the Michigan wine industry was recognized in 2014 when he was appointed by Governor Snyder to be one of the two public representatives on the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council. For several years, he was also the wine columnist for Lansing City Pulse Magazine and is a partner in a Leelanau Peninsula winery.

He earned a B.A. with High Honors from Michigan State University, and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School.

He is a past Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the State Bar of Michigan. He has also been selected for inclusion in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory Bar Register of Pre-Eminent Lawyers.

John Charters was raised in Bay City, Michigan. After graduating from high school he was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point. After serving his country in Vietnam, he graduated from the University of Detroit Law School in 1973 and has specialized in workers’ compensation law throughout his entire legal career. He serves as an Executive Board Member of the Michigan Association for Justice and speaks on workers’ compensation rights to union leaders and labor organizations throughout southeastern Michigan. In March, 2009 he was elected as a Fellow to the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and in June, 2014 he was inducted into the Michigan Workers’ Compensation Hall of Fame. As President of CTZS, he continues to practice law full time and remains dedicated to helping injured workers throughout the State of Michigan.

Handle a docket; Motions, Facilitations, Trials and Settlement Hearings

Mr. Hébert graduated from Michigan State University (1987) and from Thomas Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan (1990). He has practiced Workers’ Compensation litigation on behalf of employers and insurance carriers since 1992, joining the firm of Charfoos, Reiter, Peterson, Holmquist and Pilchak in 1994. In 2010, the firm became Charfoos Reiter Hébert. Mr. Hébert is the president and majority shareholder of the firm.

Mr. Lovernick joined Conklin Benham in February of 2008. He has over 30 years of legal experience and throughout that time has specialized in workers’ compensation. He also has considerable experience in insurance defense litigation including product liability defense litigation. Mr. Lovernick graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Michigan. He graduated from Detroit College of Law/Michigan State University Law School in 1979 with a J.D. degree. Mr. Lovernick has specialized in the field of Workers’ Disability Compensation law for over 30 years. He has represented a number of insurance companies as well as self-insured clients. He has also organized and appeared as a speaker at numerous workshops and seminars relating to workers’ compensation litigation and practice. In addition to his extensive experience in workers’ compensation matters, Mr. Lovernick has tried a number of civil litigation matters, with the most recent being an extensive jury trial on a products liability matter. Mr. Lovernick has also been a member of the State Bar of Michigan Attorney Discipline Board since 1989. He has served as a chairperson on the Wayne County panel for the past ten years.

David Kempston hails from Minnesota. A perennial Super Lawyer, he was named the 2017 Anoka County Lawyer of the Year. He has written two books, “That’s Why They Call it Practicing Law” (2017) and “Lessons Learned on the Run” (2020). He enjoys reading, running, fishing, and spending time with family.

Gary is a senior attorney in the Jackson office of Daniel Coker Horton & Bell and previously served as Chair of the firm’s Workers’ Compensation practice group for more than 13 years. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law, where he served on the editorial board of the Mississippi Law Journal. Gary has been involved in workers’ compensation practice for over 40 years and has served as a mediator in hundreds of cases over the past 20 years.

Gary is a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation, as well as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, and serves on the Board of the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Educational Association. He has also been recognized by Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers, and is AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Deneise Lott received her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Mississippi and served as an Administrative Judge with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission for thirty-four years until her retirement in June 2022. She is a past president of the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary and of the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators. She was chosen to be a member of the inaugural NAWCJ Adjudicator Hall of Fame in 2021 and was inducted into the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Hall of Fame in 2023. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and of the Mississippi Bar Foundation.  She has twice served as President of the Administrative Law and Workers’ Compensation Section of the Mississippi Bar. She currently serves on the Workers’ Compensation Section’s Kids’ Chance Mediation Board and is Vice-President of the Board of Directors for Kids’ Chance of Mississippi.   

Linda A. Thompson has been an administrative law judge at the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission since 1992. She earned B.A. and M.A. degrees from Vanderbilt University and J.D. degree from Mississippi College Law School, where she has taught as an adjunct professor. She has served as Commissioner of the Mississippi Bar, President of the Mississippi Women Lawyers Association, and President of the Hinds County Bar Association. Judge Thompson is a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation and the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. A frequent speaker at seminars, Judge Thompson coauthors the treatise Mississippi Workers’ Compensation, first published by Thomson Reuters in 2006, and the workers’ compensation chapter of the Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, first published in 2003, both updated every year.

Licensed in Missouri and Kansas. Past President, WILG. Former Judge and Chairman of Missouri Labor & Industrial Relations Commission. Member of NASI,, AAJ, and state TLAs. Represent Injured workers and their labor organizations. Panel Attorney for NFLPA and PHPA. CWCL inaugural class Fellow.

Admitted to Missouri Bar in 1995. 2016 Fellow of CWCL. Member of MO Bar, Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (served on Board of Governors), and WILG. President of WILG 2011-2012. Work comp attorney panel member of NFLPA and PHPA. Member of AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee. Frequent presenter on work comp topics

Jim Gallen is a member of Evans & Dixon which provides a broad range of legal services throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. He is located in the St. Louis, Missouri from which he defends workers’ compensation cases throughout Illinois, as he has since 1979. He was inducted into the College in 2010 and serves its the Board of Governors.

MICHAEL KORTE is a Fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. He is the author of Volume 29 of the Missouri Practice series of West Publishing Company, Workers’ Compensation Law and Practice, and its annual addendum, Volume 29A.

He has received the Workers’ Compensation Distinguished Lawyer Award of BAMSL and Kids’ Chance, the Outstanding Service Award for his service as a former president of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, and has been recognized by a nationwide workers’ compensation bar association as one of the top 100 workers’ compensation attorneys in America.

He previously reviewed science fiction for The St. Louis Post Dispatch, and once pitched a no-hitter in Lawyers’ League slow pitch softball.

Graduate of St. Louis University School of Law. Licensed in Missouri and in Illinois since 1980. In private practice for over 35 years, representing injured workers. Served as Chairman of the Missouri Labor & Industrial Relations Commission from 2013 to 2018. Now of counsel to the firm of Mandel & Mandel in St. Louis, Mo..

Stephen McManus is a managing shareholder at McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips’ St. Louis office. He represents employers, insurance carriers, and third party administrators in the defense of workers’ compensation claims. Mr. McManus has been practicing law in Missouri and Illinois for 28 years. He is a popular presenter at seminars and conferences.

Nancy has successfully represented injury clients in thousands of workers’ compensation, personal injury, social security disability, veteran’s disability and long-term disability claims. Her commitment to maximizing all resources and benefits for her clients is a top priority. She handles civil trial and appellate work. She has been successful in winning cases at trial and in the Missouri Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District and the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. She handles all variety of occupational disease cases such as carpal and cubital tunnel, asbestos/mesothelioma, silicosis, exposure to benzene, as well as back, neck, shoulder, elbow and hand, hip, knee, ankle, thoracic outlet, eye injuries, hearing loss.

Nancy has an A.V. Preeminent Peer Review Rating™ from Martindale-Hubbell® Law, the highest rating for legal ability and ethics. Nancy was nominated and inducted as a Fellow into the National Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Honors College for her distinguished career to the practice of Workers’ Compensation Law for her outstanding professional ability, leadership and service to her clients.

She was selected by her peers as a Super Lawyer 2016 to date.

Nancy has served leadership positions and as a member of many boards, legal, private business and nonprofit. Missouri Bar, Lawyers Assn of St. Louis, Women’s’ Lawyers Assn of Metropolitan St Louis, Foundation, Missouri Assn of Trial Advocates, National Organization of Social Security Representatives for the 8th Circuit, American Cancer Society Leadership Board, Visitation Academy, President of Kids Chance of Missouri and Founding Chair of Kids Chance of America are a few. She was also elected by the Lawyers in the Eastern District of Missouri to serve as a member of the Appellate Judicial Commission from January 2006 to December 2011. This commission is charged with nominating three candidates to the Governor of Missouri for judgeship on the Appellate and Supreme Courts of Missouri.

Bar Admissions:
Missouri
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
Court of Appeals of Veterans Claims

Professional Associations & Memberships:
Missouri Bar Association (Board of Governors 2009 to 2016, Committee on Veterans Issues Co-Chair, Committee to review Tort Related Legislation Chairperson, Workers Compensation Committee (1987-1990), Co-Chair Mini Law School for the Public (2009-2016)
Lawyers Assn of St. Louis (Board and President 1993-1994)
Missouri Assn of Trial Advocates (Board of Governors 1998-2001)
National Association of Veteran’s Advocates ( NOVA)
National Assn of Social Security Claimant’s Representatives ( NOSSCR) (Board – 2015 to 2017 – 8th Circuit Representative)
Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG)
College of Workers Compensation Lawyers (Inducted 2010)

Professional Authorships:
Missouri Bar Workers Compensation CLE Practice Books:
– 2013 & 2019 Chapter 11 Systems and Procedures of Counsel for the Employee
– 1991 Supplement to Chapter 2: The Employer and Employee Relationship
Workers’ Litigation Injury Group (WILG): “Why injured Workers Seek Legal Representation” (January 2009)
Bar Assn of Metro St. Louis (BAMSL) Journal: “The Effect of the Medicare Secondary Payer Provisions and Workers Compensation” (July 2005)
Bar Assn of Metro St. Louis (BAMSL) Journal: “Workers’ Compensation and the Social Security Offset” (July 2000)

Rewards & Recognitions:
In 2016 she received the St. Louis Workers Compensation Distinguished Lawyer Award which jointly presented by the Bar Assn of Metropolitan St. Louis and Kids Chance of Missouri. The award is given to a St. Louis area workers compensation lawyer whose honesty, integrity, competence, zeal, selflessness and leadership have earned the respect of the community by practicing law in the way all should practice.
In 2015 she was selected by the Lawyers Assn of St. Louis as their recipient of their AWARD OF HONOR. This AWARD is given annually to a St. Louis trial attorney whose service to the profession and community merits recognition to inspire others to similar service.
In 2014, Nancy was awarded the Missouri Bar Foundation’s Spurgeon Smithson Award acknowledging significant contributions to the administration of justice.
In 2010, she was nominated by her peers and inducted into the National Workers Compensation Lawyers College for her distinguished career to the practice of Workers Compensation Law in accordance with the highest ethical and professional standards, and in the course of which has demonstrated outstanding professional leadership and has brought honor to the profession.
Nancy was honored to receive the President’s Award from the Women’s Lawyers Association of Metropolitan St. Louis in 2012 and the President’s Award from the Missouri Bar in 2011. She was voted “The Best Lawyer if you are Injured at Work” by Missouri Lawyers Weekly and received the Women’s Justice Award in 2002 from the St. Louis Daily Record/Countian for her work as a Civil Trial Attorney.

Scott Wilson has been proudly representing injured workers throughout Missouri his entire career. He is also a proud “girl dad” of two young girls, and a huge Mizzou fan.

Dean Blackaby, has handled workers’ compensation cases for nearly 30 years representing both injured workers and insurers. His current emphasis is representing injured workers. Over the course of his career, he had developed particular expertise in the area of Medicare Secondary Payer compliance, authoring two manuals on the topic and lecturing nationally on the topic including presentations to Arizona Association of Justice and Christus Health Care group. He has also presented on workers’ compensation topics to the California Applicants Attorneys Association, the Montana Trial Lawyers Association and WILG.

Mr. Blackaby’s primary office is located in Whitefish, Montana where he also serves as a board member for North Valley Food Bank. He was inducted as a Fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in 2020 making him the second Montana attorney inducted.

Steve Carey is in his 39th year of practice. Known for his passionate representation, Mr. Carey has handled thousands of workers’ compensation claims during his career, initially for insurers before transitioning into a claimant’s practice over the past eighteen years. Mr. Carey has mediated hundreds of workers’ compensation cases and has made numerous presentations across Montana on workers’ compensation case law and issues.

Thomas Murphy has represented injured workers in Montana for 37 years. He is Co-Founder of the Montana Trial Lawyers Association Workers Compensation Section, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group, and he is on the Board of Governors for the College of Workers’ Compensation. Mr. Murphy received the WILG President’s Award on two occasions, and he now serves as Chairman of the WILG Constitutional Challenge Committee. Mr. Murphy is the recipient of the Montana Trial Lawyers Association Appellate Advocacy Award. He has lectured extensively on workers’ compensation issues in various seminars across the United States. Tom been married to his lovely wife Leslie for 40 years. He has three sons, and two of them practice law with him at Murphy Law Firm in Great Falls, Montana.

David Sandler has been involved in the Montana workers’ compensation system since 1999. During the first seven years of his practice, he primarily represented workers’ compensation insurers, self-insureds, and employers. For the next seven years, he primarily represented claimants in workers’ compensation cases and plaintiffs in personal injury cases. He served as the Judge of the Montana Workers’ Compensation Court from 2014 to 2023. He now focuses on mediating workers’ compensation cases.

I grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska and graduated from Norfolk Senior High School in 1986. I graduated with a BA degree from UNL in 1990. I was also a place kicker at the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team from 1986-1989.

I began my legal education in 1992 at the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law associated with Michigan State University. Seeking to get back to my Midwestern roots, I transferred to the Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas where I graduated in 1995.

Upon passing the bar exam in the State of Nebraska in September 1995, I opened the Law Office of Todd D. Bennett as a general practitioner. I obtained my bar admission in the State of Iowa in 2007.

On May 6, 1996, I joined the Rehm Law Firm as an associate and became a partner in December 2000. I celebrated nearly 27 years at Rehm, Bennett & Moore Law Firm before opening Bennett Law in April 2023. I specialize in workers' compensation and personal injury cases and have significant courtroom experience with over several hundred trials. I also have courtroom experience in social security disability administration hearings, unemployment law hearings and Federal Court cases dealing with COBRA law.

Dallas Jones is the Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Practice Group of Baylor Evnen, LLP. He is a Fellow in College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, a founding member of Kids’ Chance of Nebraska, Past President of the Nebraska State Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section, Past Chair of the American Law Firm Association, Workers’ Compensation Practice Group, and a Founding member and President of Nebraskans for Workers’ Compensation Equity and Fairness. The focus of his practice is identifying innovative ways to enable employers to navigate the overlap of workers’ compensation claims and the myriad employment laws that can create complications in the claims process. Mr. Jones is a frequently-invited speaker, locally and nationally, regarding all aspects of workers’ compensation and the overlap of related employment laws.

Dennis is a native Nebraskan and a 1981 graduate of the University of Nebraska Law School. He joined Cassem Tierney in 1982 after serving as a clerk for the Honorable William C. Hastings of the Nebraska Supreme Court. His practice has focused on workers’ compensation at the trial and appellate levels since joining the firm and he recently began offering his services as a mediator.