On the Pulse…40 Years of Workers’ Compensation Defense

Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin has been protecting and defending employers and insurance carriers in the litigation of workers’ compensation matters for 40 years. What began as a practice group in the 1970s became an established Workers’ Compensation Department in 1988. Today, we are one of the largest legal departments devoted to the defense of workers’ compensation matters in Pennsylvania, proudly representing clients throughout the Commonwealth, as well as the neighboring states of New Jersey and Delaware.

Led by department director Niki T. Ingram and assistant director Kacey C. Wiedt, our client roster includes employers, insurance carriers and third party administrators. We serve these clients from strategically located offices in each state.

Because our society today is less industrial than it was even 30 years ago, workers’ compensation injuries and complaints are far more complicated than they used to be. Risk management has improved; the workforce has changed and continues to evolve; social media has altered the way many of these cases are investigated and litigated; and the practitioner today must be exceedingly sophisticated to be able to handle and deal with increasingly complex medical issues.

All of our workers’ compensation attorneys devote the entirety of their practices to this area of law, providing clients with experienced defense counsel. Our attorneys are involved in all aspects of workers’ compensation litigation, from the infancy of a claim through practice in the appellate courts. We also provide clients with risk management services and pre-litigation counseling.

As workers’ compensation has become increasingly nuanced, we have expanded our scope of practice to support clients in areas that are tangential to the workers’ compensation practice, including:

  • Workers’ Compensation Fraud
  • Unemployment Compensation
  • Fee Reviews
  • Federal Black Lung
  • Hearing Loss Claims

 

Pursuant to this expansion, within our Workers’ Compensation Department we have a robust practice group devoted to Medicare set-aside matters. From its inception, this group has been led by James E. Pocius, who was actively involved in the creation and refinement of the regulations. Jim and his team regularly advise and counsel insurance companies, employers and self-insureds on how to seek creative solutions to the complex problems created by Medicare set-asides.

To ensure that our attorneys remain on the cutting-edge of workers’ compensation case law, we hold monthly continuing legal education seminars focused on emerging legal developments. For more than 25 years, we have also published a monthly client newsletter, What’s Hot in Workers’ Comp, to provide clients with critical case law analysis and current appellate outcomes.

Clients additionally benefit from frequent presentations and “lunch ‘n learns” that address important topics and issues in workers’ compensation. Roundtable discussions, both internal and external, provide strategy and guidance in the handling of claims. A seminar held every other year addresses current hot-button issues impacting our clients and the practice of workers’ compensation.

Through the years, Marshall Dennehey’s attorneys have been active in all aspects of workers’ compensation litigation and have worked on bar association and legislative committees to improve and enhance the practice. Our attorneys have served as presenters for national and regional organizations including the American Bar Association, the National Self-Insureds Council, the National Workers’ Compensation Conference, Claims & Litigation Management Alliance, the Society for Human Resource Management, the National Business Institute, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, ExecuSummit conferences, state and local bar associations, chambers of commerce and more.

Additionally, our attorneys share their industry experience and knowledge by authoring articles in numerous legal and insurance industry publications. Recent articles discussing emerging trends and issues in the field of workers’ compensation have been published in Risk Management, Claims Management, National Underwriter Property & Casualty, Carrier Management, The Legal Intelligencer and Risk & Insurance.

Marshall Dennehey is proud of its 40-year history in the field of workers’ compensation law. The firm remains committed to reducing employer exposures in an effort to help preserve the system for individuals truly deserving of compensation. When employers are able to operate on a more sound economic basis, this benefits the greater good of all.

*Niki, a shareholder who works in our Philadelphia, Pennsylvania office, is director of the Workers’ Compensation Department and a member of the firm’s board of directors. She can be reached at 215.575.2704 or ntingram@mdwcg.com. Kacey, a shareholder in our Harrisburg, Pennsylvania office, is the assistant director of the Workers’ Compensation Department. He can be reached at 717.651.3511 or kcwiedt@mdwcg.com.

 

Defense Digest, Vol. 21, No. 2, June 2015

Defense Digest 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. Copyright © 2015 Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, all rights reserved. This article may not be reprinted without the express written permission of our firm.