Defense Digest, Vol. 27, No. 5, December 2021

On the Pulse…Other Notable Achievements

New Shareholders

We are pleased to announce that 13 associates and five special counsel have been elevated to shareholder, effective January 1, 2022. 

  • Elizabeth A. Dietz, an Associate in our Workers’ Compensation Department in Roseland; 
  • Ashley S. Eldridge, an Associate in our Workers’ Compensation Department in Philadelphia;
  • Dana A. Gittleman, an Associate in our Professional Liability Department in Philadelphia;
  • Lisa M. Grubb, an Associate in our Casualty Department in Wilmington;
  • Andrew H. Isakoff, a Special Counsel in the Casualty Department in Cleveland;
  • Ryan M. Krescanko, an Associate in the Casualty Department in Pittsburgh;
  • Todd J. Leon, a Special Counsel in the Professional Liability Department in Philadelphia.
  • Adam E. Levy, a Special Counsel in the Professional Liability Department in Mt. Laurel.
  • Debra M. Marcus, a Special Counsel in the Healthcare Department in Roseland.
  • Erin N. Margolin, an Associate in the Casualty Department in Pittsburgh.
  • Jennifer M. Meyers, an Associate in the Casualty Department in Westchester.
  • Missy Minehan, a Special Counsel in the Healthcare Department in Harrisburg.
  • Darren M. Newberry, an Associate in the Casualty Department in Pittsburgh.
  • Jennifer M. Roberts, an Associate in the Casualty Department in Melville.
  • Sam V. Ruggeri, an Associate in the Casualty Department in Melville.
  • Steven B. Saal, an Associate in the Casualty Department in Westchester. 
  • Corey K. Setterlund, an Associate in the Professional Liability Department in Jacksonville.
  • Alesia S. Sulock, an Associate in the Professional Liability Department in Philadelphia.
     

Recognition

Buck Buchanan (Philadelphia, PA) received the 2021 Renaissance Man Award From the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division. Buck was recognized during the organization’s virtual “Jazz in June” awards ceremony and cocktail reception. The annual award recognizes an African American man who has demonstrated commitment to the empowerment, advancement and full participation of women of color in the legal profession. It additionally honors a legacy of professional excellence and commitment to the African American legal community, including support of the NBA/WLD.
 

Published Articles

Kimberly Berman (Fort Lauderdale, FL) authored the article “Decision Creates Potential for Legal Malpractice Actions Against Retained Defense Attorneys,” in the Daily Business Review. You can read the article here: https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/2021/07/30/decision-creates-pot…. 

Josh Byrne (Philadelphia, PA) recently authored an article entitled “Preparing for the Worst: Considerations in Purchasing Legal Malpractice Insurance—Part I,” for The Legal Intelligencer. You can read this article here: https://marshalldennehey.com/articles/preparing-worst-considerations-pu…. 

Karen Grethlein and David Shannon (Philadelphia, PA) co-authored the article “Cyber Threats: Why the Construction Industry Could be the Next Big Target,” which was published in The Legal Intelligencer, Construction Law Supplement on August 12, 2021. The article can be read here: https://marshalldennehey.com/articles/cyber-threats-why-construction-in…. 
    
Kiara Hartwell (Mount Laurel, NJ) answers the question “What does the future hold for current COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims?” in an article from the June 2021 issue of CLM Magazine. You can read “Consulting the Comp Crystal Ball” here: https://bit.ly/3qAwhQ5. 

Megan Nelson (Orlando, FL) authored the article, “Am I Getting Fired? How to Handle Meetings With Your Facility’s Attorney,” which was published in the September 2021 issue of Orlando Medical News. You may read the article here: https://www.orlandomedicalnews.com/article/5034/am-i-getting-fired-how-…

Tony Natale (Philadelphia, PA) authored the article, “The State of Pay for Play – College Athletes as Employees and the Implications for Workers’ Compensation,” appearing in the September 2021 issue of CLM Magazine. The article discusses how college athletes are inching closer to being recognized as “employees” of their schools, and what the implications are for workers compensation. Click to read the article: https://736506f6.flowpaper.com/CLMSeptember2021/#page=30 

David Shannon (Philadelphia, PA) recently authored the article, “Kaseya Data Breach Is Another Signal to Cyber Underwriters About the Dangers of Ransomware Attacks,” for PLUS Blog. You can read this article here: https://plusblog.org/2021/07/19/kaseya-data-breach-is-another-signal-to…. 

Frank Wickersham (King of Prussia, PA) authored the article “Blurred Lines: A Breakdown of Conventional Workplace Boundaries During the Pandemic,” published in Pennsylvania Law Weekly. You can read the article here: https://marshalldennehey.com/articles/blurred-lines-breakdown-conventio…. 
 

Speaking Engagements

Robert Aldrich (Scranton, PA), Patrick Reilly (Pittsburgh, PA) and Charlene Seibert (Pittsburgh, PA) presented at the Pennsylvania Defense Institute 2021 Annual Conference. Pat was a panelist presenting on the topic “The New Marketing Tool—Creating a Podcast that People Want to Hear.” Robert was a moderator for the topic “Legal Marketing on LinkedIn—Learn How Law Firms are Leveraging LinkedIn’s Unique Data and Environment to Engage Clients and Prospects to Grow Their Business.” Charlene was a panel member discussing “Legal Malpractice Concerns in the New Remote World—Ethics Complaints, Legal Malpractice Actions, and Protecting Your Practice in the Post-COVID-19 –World.”

Mohamed Bakry (Philadelphia, PA) moderated a panel at the Defense Research Institute’s Diversity for Success seminar. In their session, “A Conversation About Racial Justice in America,” Mohamed and panelists explored the inequities related to racial justice and addressed ways to move the dialogue into action so that the cycle of injustice can be broken.

Buck Buchanan (Philadelphia, PA) was among a panel of leaders for the Philadelphia Bar Association Virtual Spring Quarterly. Featuring Peter Cappelli, from The Wharton School, the panel discussed “Workplace Culture, Equity and Safety as Our Community Emerges From a Global Pandemic.”

Josh Byrne and Alesia Sulock (Philadelphia, PA) presented “Legal Malpractice Avoidance” to a number of local bar associations. They made this presentation to the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Monroe County Bar Association and the Chester County Bar Association. 

Peggy Smith Bush (Orlando, FL), Leonard Leicht (Roseland, NJ) and Harold Moroknek (Westchester, NY) presented “Rules of the Trucking Industry: Staying on Track!” at the virtual Transportation Lawyers Association Annual Conference. The panel discussed the new FMCSA regulations and the impact of the New Drug and Clearing House Rules. They also discussed updates in the Hours of Service Rules, the effect of national declarations entered during the COVID-19 pandemic, new requirements for CDL driving academies, and legal and practical issues in setting up a truck driving training school.

Several of our attorneys returned as faculty this September for the 2021 CLM Claims College. Christopher Block (Roseland, NJ) served as faculty with the School of Casualty, and Michael Packer (Fort Lauderdale, FL) and James Cole (Philadelphia, PA) were both instructors for the School of Property Claims. The Claims College is an educational experience designed to help educate and grow industry claims professionals and the industry. Each school within the college is comprised of three levels and participants who successfully complete all levels in a particular school receive a CLM designation reflecting their education and commitment to the profession.

Alicia Caridi (Tampa, FL) co-presented to the Roller Skating Association’s 2021 Sk8Expo in Clearwater Beach, Florida. Alicia and Jerry Landers, the president of IALDA, presented live and via Zoom on the topic of “Surveillance as Pertains to the Industry.”

Samuel Cohen, Gerry Kowalski, and Ryan Friel (Philadelphia, PA) presented “Claims Involving Life Insurance Impacting Life Agents and Broker Dealers” at the Independent Broker Dealer Consortium. Held in Bluffton, South Carolina, this annual conference is primarily attended by broker dealers, insurance brokers and E&O carriers. 

Jim Cole (Philadelphia, PA) co-presented “US/Canadian Litigation in a Post-COVID-19 World” at the Insurance Law Global and Lloyd’s Market Association Young Professionals Virtual Boot Camp webinar series. This free webinar explored how the pandemic has impacted insurance litigation across the U.S. and Canada. 

Joan Ford (King of Prussia, PA) was a panelist at The American Board of Trial Advocates program and CLE, “How to Succeed: Career Lessons from Veteran Female Trial Lawyers as We Face the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Attendees learned from veteran female trial lawyers as they shared the insights and experiences that led to their success and discussed best practices for career development as we face the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Janice Merrill, Chanel Mosley and Megan Nelson (Orlando, FL) presented at the Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management & Patient Safety Annual Meeting & Education Conference. In “Adversity in the World of Adverse Incident Reporting: A Panel Discussion on Reporting Requirements and Addressing Related Discovery,” they discussed Amendment 7 and the requirements for reporting and investigating potential adverse events, including the impact of adverse events related to COVID-19. The program also highlighted best practices for complying with the reporting requirements while preserving the attorney-client communication, work product and peer review privileges.

Robin Romano (Philadelphia, PA) participated in a panel discussion, “Emotional Intelligence: The Art of Friendly Persuasion,” held by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Anthony Williott (Pittsburgh, PA) was a panelist for a webinar, “Pain and Suffering in Personal Injury: Doctor, Plaintiff, and Defense Perspectives.” The program included doctor and attorney insights to provide the audience with concrete instruction for handling non-economic damages. Topics included how doctors assess the severity and cause of pain, understanding how an adjuster will value a claim, presentation strategies that will help deliver maximum offers and jury verdicts and defense tactics for managing excess exposure and avoiding runaway verdicts.

 

Defense Digest, Vol. 27, No. 5, December 2021 is prepared by Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin to provide information on recent legal developments of interest to our readers. This publication is not intended to provide legal advice for a specific situation or to create an attorney-client relationship. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING pursuant to New York RPC 7.1. © 2021 Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be reprinted without the express written permission of our firm. For reprints, contact tamontemuro@mdwcg.com.