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Michael L. Turner

Co-Chair, Asbestos Litigation Practice

MLTurner@mdwcg.com

Portrait of Michael L. Turner

106 Marshall Dennehey Attorneys Recognized in the 2027 Editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America

August 20, 2026

Marshall Dennehey is proud to highlight the firm’s 106 attorneys who have been recognized in the 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America. Less than 6% of all practicing lawyers in the U.S. were selected by their peers for this recognition.

Additionally, four of the firm’s attorneys received the Best Lawyers® 2027 “Lawyer of the Year” awards in their respective practice areas and demographic regions.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. For more information, please visit https://www.bestlawyers.com/.


OUR 2027 LAWYERS OF THE YEAR

Harrisburg, PA

Christopher Reeser, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Kacey Wiedt, Workers Compensation Law - Employers

Roseland, NJ

Justin F. Johnson, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Leonard Leicht, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
 

OUR 2026 BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA

Philadelphia, PA
Nicholas D. Bowers, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Josh J. T. Byrne, Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
Jefferey J. Chomko, Insurance Law
James H. Cole, Insurance Law
John J. Delany III, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Laurianne Falcone, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
John P. Gonzales, Employment Law - Management
John Hare, Appellate Practice
Daniel D. Krebbs, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Michele Punturi, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Bradley D. Remick, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Andrea Cicero Rock, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Robin M. Romano, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Daniel J. Ryan, Jr., Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Gary M. Samms, Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
Christopher N. Santoro, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants; Product Liability Litigation -Defendants
Josh D. Scheets, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Robert P. Schenk, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Robert E. Smith, Insurance Law
Robin Snyder, Litigation - Health Care
Michael L. Turner, Commercial Litigation; Criminal Defense: White-Collar; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Claire Breaux Ventola, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Pittsburgh, PA
Melissa Devich Cochran, Commercial Litigation; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants 
John F. Deasy, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Daniel W. Deitrick, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Douglas C. LaSota, Litigation - Construction; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Joseph V. Lesinski, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants  
Christian D. Marquis, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Patricia A. Monahan, Insurance Law; Litigation - Insurance
Patrick T. Reilly, Commercial Litigation; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Brett C. Shear, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Teresa O. Sirianni, Education Law; Employment Law – Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Stuart Sostmann, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Danielle M. Vugrinovich, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

Scranton, PA
Sarah E. Argo, Litigation - Insurance
Michael J. Connolly, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants; Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
Matthew Keris, Litigation - Health Care; Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
John T. McGrath, Jr., Insurance Law; Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
William J. McPartland, Insurance Law
John R. Nealon, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Victoria Scanlon, Health Care Law; Litigation - Health Care; Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Michael A. Sebastian, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Thomas A. Specht, Insurance Law; Litigation - Insurance
Suzanne Tighe, Litigation Insurance

Harrisburg , PA
Casey Alan Coyle, Administrative/Regulatory Law; Appellate Practice; Commercial Litigation
Brittany E. Bakshi, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Shannon P. Fellin, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Allison Krupp, Insurance Law
John R. Ninosky, Litigation – Insurance; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Christopher Reeser, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Kacey Wiedt, Workers' Compensation Law – Employers

King of Prussia, PA 
Michael L. Detweiler, Construction Law
Joseph L. Hoynoski III, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Gregory J. Kelley, Construction Law, Litigation - Construction
Anthony Natale III, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Francis X. Wickersham, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
A. Judd Woytek, Workers' Compensation Law – Employers

Erie, PA
Patrick M. Carey, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Joel M. Snavely, Health Care Law; Insurance Law

New Haven, CT
Michael Wrona, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Bankruptcy 

Mount Laurel, NJ
David D. Blake, Litigation - Insurance
Barbara Davis, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Lynne Nahmani, Litigation - Health Care
John H. Osorio, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
John L. Slimm, Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants; Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants

Roseland, NJ
Robert T. Evers, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Justin F. Johnson, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Julia Klubenspies, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Leonard C. Leicht, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Patricia M. McDonagh, Appellate Practice
Sunny Sparano, Litigation - Construction
Randall S. Watts, Health Care Law

New York, NY
Tonya M. Lindsey, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants

Tampa, FL
Michael Archibald, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Lindsay G. McCormick, Litigation – Construction

Orlando, FL
Thomas F. Brown, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Dante C. Rohr, Commercial Litigation

Fort Lauderdale, FL
Kimberly Kanoff Berman, Appellate Practice
Patrick M. Delong, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

Jacksonville, FL 
Heather Byrer Carbone, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Linda Wagner Farrell, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Elizabeth B. Ferguson, Litigation - Construction
James P. Hanratty, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

Wilmington, DE
Sarah B. Cole, Litigation - Insurance
Benjamin K. Durstein, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Maria R. Granaudo, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants 
Keri L. Morris-Johnston, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers

Cincinnati, OH
Timothy B. Schenkel, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
David E. Williamson, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

Cleveland, OH
Vincent E. Cononico, Litigation – Insurance, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Jillian L. Dinehart, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
David J. Fagnilli, Insurance Law
Jason P. Ferrante, Health Care Law, Litigation - Health Care
Andrew H. Isakoff, Transportation Law
Leslie M. Jenny, Litigation - Health Care; Medical Malpractice Law – Defendant

OUR 2026 BEST LAWYERS: ONES TO WATCH

Jacksonville, FL
Sean J. Reeves, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Orlando, FL
Carolin A. Pacheco, Insurance Law

Mount Laurel
Stacey Gorin, Insurance Law

Melville, NY
Kimberly Gitlin, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Matthew A. Gray, Insurance Law; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

Philadelphia, PA
Holli K. Archer, Health Care Law; Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants; Professional Malpractice Law
Emily Pritchyk, Commercial Litigation; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Pittsburgh, PA
Taylor E. Kosko, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Alana Staniszewski, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
Michael D. Winsko, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants; Transportation Law

King of Prussia, PA
Richard Lechette, Commercial Litigation; Insurance Law, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

Firm Highlights

business meeting photo

Result

Summary Judgment Obtained in Insurance Coverage Case

Complete Victory Obtained in a Workers’ Compensation Matter

Result

Complete Victory Obtained in a Workers’ Compensation Matter

Defense Victory Obtained in Workers’ Compensation Case

Result

Defense Victory Obtained in Workers’ Compensation Case

graphic announcing our 6 2027 Super Lawyers & Rising Stars

News

Marshall Dennehey Announces 2027 New Jersey Super Lawyers And Rising Stars

Marshall Dennehey Named a Standout in Litigation by BTI Consulting Group

News

Marshall Dennehey Named a Standout in Litigation by BTI Consulting Group

Thought Leadership

Florida Supreme Court Rules Florida Statute §627.70152 Does not Apply Retroactively

In a decision that resolves years of appellate uncertainty and confirms that insurers and insureds alike can rely on the legal framework in place when a policy is issued, the Supreme Court of Florida last week found that Florida Statute §627.70152, which involves an insured’s requirement to provide an insurer with pre-suit notice before filing a suit, cannot be applied retroactively. In Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company v. Hughes, the Court was presented with the issue of whether the statutory pre-suit notice requirement applied retroactively and whether it would apply to a breach of contract of an insurance policy that was issued before the statute went into effect. Before the Court was an appeal from a homeowner, Ms. Hughes, who sued her insurance carrier, Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company (Universal) for breach of contract under an insurance policy that was in effect from April 24, 2019 through April 24, 2020. During the policy period, Ms. Hughes suffered a loss and, on May 29, 2019, made a claim for water damage. The carrier investigated the loss and issued payment; Ms. Hughes disputed the payment, finding the amount insufficient for repairs. On July 1, 2021, Florida Statute §627.70152 went into effect, which required insureds to provide notice of intent to initiate litigation against the carrier prior to filing a lawsuit; if an insured filed the lawsuit without complying with §627.70152, a court must dismiss the case without prejudice. On August 4, 2021, Ms. Hughes filed her lawsuit against Universal for breach of contract. Universal moved to dismiss based on her failure to comply with §627.70152. Ms. Hughes contended the notice requirement could not be applied retroactively. The trial court disagreed and dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, and Ms. Hughes appealed. During the appeal, the Fourth District Court of Appeal, in Cole v. Universal Property & Casualty, 363 So. 3d 1089 (Fla. 4th DCA 2023), ruled that Florida Statute §627.70152 did apply retroactively to policies issued before the effective date of §627.70152. However, the Sixth District Court agreed with Ms. Hughes and overturned the trial court’s ruling, finding the statute could not retroactively apply to policies issued prior to the statute effective date. Thereafter, the other district courts weighed in, with the Third District Court agreeing with the Fourth District Court, and the First, Second and Fifth District Courts agreeing with the Sixth District Court. In resolving the conflict amongst the district courts, the Supreme Court advised “as a general rule, ‘the statute in effect at the time an insurance contract is executed governs substantive issues arising in connection with that contract.’ Hassen v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 674 So. 2d 106, 108 (Fla. 1996). The Court applied the two-step test when deciding whether a statute has retroactive application: “First, the Court must ascertain whether the Legislature intended for the statute to apply retroactively. Second, if such an intent is clearly expressed, the Court must determine whether retroactive application would violate any constitutional principles.” Menendez v. Progressive Exp. Ins. Co., 35 So. 3d 873, 877 (Fla. 2010). In analyzing the Legislature’s intent, the Court must determine whether the Legislature has manifested a clear command for retroactivity in the statutory text.  In review of the statutory text, the Court found nothing in the language of the statute to indicate that the phrase “all suits” was serving another purpose of expanding its reach to suits based on policies that both predate and postdate the enactment of the statute. Buis v. Universal Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., 394 So. 3d 738, 741 (Fla. 2d DCA 2024). Further, the Court noted the statute has an effective date, which has long been considered to be evidence against retroactive application of a statute. The Court concluded that, on its face, no provision of §627.70152 speaks to application of the statute to insurance policies issued before the statute’s effective date and therefore, the Legislature did not clearly command retroactivity of the statute to include insurance policies issued prior to the enactment of the statute. The Court briefly reviewed Universal’s argument that the presuit notice requirement was procedural, not substantive, and therefore should be applied retroactively; however, the Court agreed with the Sixth District Court’s finding that, in its entirety, §627.70152 transformed an insured’s ability to sue an insurance company under a property insurance policy and an insurer’s obligations to respond to and pay insurance claims, thus making the requirement a substantive change. The Court thereby upheld the decision of the Sixth District and disapproved the decision of the Fourth District in Cole.

Bret E. Dubbert Joins Marshall Dennehey’s Orlando Office as Special Counsel in the Casualty Department

News

Bret E. Dubbert Joins Marshall Dennehey’s Orlando Office as Special Counsel in the Casualty Department

Thought Leadership

The Tolling Trap: Filing Alone Will Not Toll the Statute Without Good-Faith Service

The Eastern District of Pennsylvania recently reinforced a critical limitation on bad faith claims, holding that a timely filing alone will not preserve a cause of action absent a good-faith effort to serve the original process. The plaintiff had presented a claim for underinsured motorist benefits to his auto insurer. The insurer evaluated the claim and determined that the plaintiff’s accident-related damages did not exceed the bodily injury liability insurance limits of the at-fault driver and denied his claim. Among other claims, the plaintiff sought to present a claim for insurance bad faith under 42 Pa. C.S.A. § 8371, to which a two year statute of limitation applies. He first filed a praecipe for writ of summons before the expiration of the statute of limitation. However, the plaintiff did not attempt to serve the praecipe or writ until after the statute of limitations had expired. Additionally, the service failed as the plaintiff had mailed the original process to an incorrect address. Despite receipt of the Postal Service’s failure to deliver the original process, the plaintiff did not attempt to re-serve the writ. Two months later, the plaintiff filed a complaint and then successfully served that complaint. The insurer sought to dismiss the plaintiff’s bad faith claim as time-barred by the statute of limitations. The district court agreed. Though the plaintiff had filed a praecipe for a writ of summons prior to the expiration of the statute of limitations, the statute is only tolled if there is a good faith effort to serve that original process. In this case, the court determined that the plaintiff had failed to perform a “good faith effort to serve the original process”. Additionally, though the filing and service of a complaint can serve as alternative original process when the lawsuit is commenced by the filing of a praecipe for a writ of summons, the plaintiff filed his complaint after the statute of limitations had expired. The plaintiff’s bad faith claim was therefore determined to be barred by the statute of limitations and dismissed by the court, with prejudice. A key takeaway for the defense is not to assume that the statute of limitations has been successfully tolled by a plaintiff merely because a praecipe for a writ of summons or complaint has been filed prior to the expiration of the statute. A filed complaint or writ is only part of the equation. The defense should carefully review the docket and filings to confirm that the plaintiff also performed the requisite good faith effort to serve that original process. A thorough review of the docket may reveal that the plaintiff failed to make the good-faith service efforts necessary to toll the statute of limitations.

Thought Leadership

Commonwealth Court Reaffirms the Constitutionality of Act 111's IRE Provisions

In this case, the claimant sustained a work injury of January 6, 1994, which was acknowledged by Notice of Compensation Payable (NCP). After the claimant’s receipt of 104 weeks of temporary total disability benefits, the employer filed a Request for an Impairment Rating Examination (IRE). The IRE was performed in May 2023 and the IRE physician found that the claimant had a 5% whole person impairment, under the AMA Guides. The employer filed a Petition based on the IRE results, and the Petition was granted by the WCJ. During litigation, the claimant argued that the IRE provisions of Act 111 (Section 306(a.3) of the Act) were not applicable to her injury, since it predated June 24, 1996, the date Act 57 went into effect, and that the IRE provisions were unconstitutional. The Workers’ Compensation Judge (WCJ)) granted the Petition and the Board affirmed. On appeal to the Commonwealth Court, the claimant argued that Act 111 violated the nondelegation doctrine and that its retroactive application to the claimant’s injury was unconstitutional. The court rejected the arguments on the basis that they had already found the same arguments without merit in multiple, prior cases. The court also addressed an argument made by the claimant that Act 111 was procedurally defective under the Pennsylvania Constitution because it was only considered on two days in each House after having undergone amendments and reassignments. The court noted that the Pennsylvania Constitution requires every bill to be considered on three different days in each House. The claimant maintained that, according to the legislative history, the bill did not receive three separate days of consideration from each House when it was assigned a new bill number. The court pointed out, however, that the bill number, H.B. 1840 remained constant and was considered on three occasions by the House. Further, the court concluded that minor amendments to the bill were germane to its original subject, which was to modify the Act’s IRE process, in accordance with Protz II.

Event

CLM 2026 Focus Conference

Allison joins three insurance industry leaders to discuss how cyber coverage disputes, the growing impact of social inflation on bodily injury claim valuation, and the use of artificial intelligence are reshaping the bad faith landscape. The panel will examine emerging sources of extra-contractual exposure, including evolving cyber insurance coverage issues and the challenges of accurately valuing bodily injury claims. Practical approaches to claim evaluation using AI, along with defense strategies designed to help prevent or successfully defend against bad faith litigation, will also be addressed.