Thought Leadership

RECOGNITION

We're proud to announce that six attorneys from our Wilmington office have been selected "Top Lawyers" by Delaware Today Magazine. Each year, the publication invites all practicing attorneys in the Delaware Bar to participate in a peer nomination process to select Top Lawyers in numerous practice areas across the state. Congratulations to:

Sarah Brannan Cole
Bradley Goewert
Thomas Marcoz, Jr.
Lorenza Wolhar
Aaron Moore
Keri Morris-Johnston

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

November 18, 2024 – The Legal Intelligencer published “What Are Forbidden Sexual Relations with Clients?” by Alesia Sulock’s and Josh J.T. Byrne (both of Philadelphia, PA). You can read their article here. 

November 14, 2024 – A. Judd Woytek’s (King of Prussia, PA) article “Goodbye 'Yellow Freight' Road?” was published in The Legal Intelligencer. You can read his article here.

November 11, 2024 – Michele Punturi (Philadelphia, PA) provided commentary in the article, “Workers’ Comp Making Gains in Attracting Claims Talent,” appearing in the November issue of CLM Magazine. The article discusses Rising Medical Solution’s benchmark study concerning the workers’ compensation sector. Read here.

October 29, 2024 – “Attorney Well-Being Doesn’t Have to Be Spooky: Steps Attorneys Can Take to Support Mental, Emotional and Physical Health,” by Dana Gittleman and Alesia Sulock (both of Philadelphia, PA) was published by PLUS Blog. You can read their article here.

October 15, 2024 – The Legal Intelligencer published “How Do You Define Success? Four Women Lawyers Share Their Thoughts,” authored by Josie Scanlan (Roseland, NJ). You can read her article here.

October 10, 2024 – Gregory Graham’s (Pittsburgh, PA) article, “Don’t Reinvent the Wheel: Approaching Gen AI Usage in Litigation,” was published in The Legal Intelligencer. You can read his article here.

Fall 2024 – James Cullen (Pittsburgh, PA) authored the article, “Grossly Underestimated: Exploring Gross Negligence and Liability Waivers in Pennsylvania Premises Liability Law,” which was published in the Fall 2024 issue of Pulse, the publication of the Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Companies. You can read Jim’s article here.

September 20, 2024 – Kimberly Berman (Fort Lauderdale, FL) authored “The ‘Sunshine’ State: New Comparative Negligence Jury Instructions Following the Adoption of House Bill 837,” which appeared in the Daily Business Review. Read it here.

September 18, 2024 – Alesia Sulock’s and Josh J.T. Byrne’s (both of Philadelphia, PA) article “Socially Responsible Lawyers: Why You Need to Understand Social Media to Competently Represent Your Clients (Part 1)” was published in The Legal Intelligencer. You can read their article here.

September 13, 2024 – Heather Carbone (Jacksonville, FL) authored an article in the Jacksonville Business Journal about the potential impact of Florida’s new heat exposure law on workers’ compensation in the state. Read “Florida’s New Heat Exposure Law May Impact Workers’ Comp” here.  

September 12, 2024 – Michele Punturi (Philadelphia, PA) authored the article, “6 Key Workers’ Compensation Safety and Data Analysis Considerations,” for Risk & Insurance. Read the article here.

September 2024 – Rachel Insalaco's (Scranton, PA) article, “Let the Sunshine In: Exploring the Impact of Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act on School Board Decision-Making,” was published in Counterpoint. You can read Rachel’s article here.

September 5, 2024 – The Legal Intelligencer published Matthew Keris’s (Scranton, PA) article “Say ‘Goodbye’ to Medical Negligence Cases as We Know Them.” You can read his article here.

August 20, 2024 – Christopher Woodward and Allison Krupp (both of Harrisburg, PA) co-authored the article, “‘Regular Use Exclusions’ Stand: Pa. Supreme Court’s Latest Ruling Post-’Gallagher’,” appearing in The Legal Intelligencer’s Insurance Law Supplement. Read here.

August 9, 2024 – The Legal Intelligencer published Michael McMaster’s (Philadelphia, PA) article “AI in Workers’ Compensation: Are We There Yet?” You can read Mike’s article here.  

August 2024 – Jon Cross (Philadelphia, PA) was published in Insurance Law Global’s The Sports Bulletin, 3rd Edition. Jon wrote on the topic “‘No-duty’ Rule Is Key to the Successful Defense of Sports Injury Lawsuits in Pennsylvania, U.S.A.” You can read his article here.

August 2024 – Alicia Caridi (Tampa, FL), Sara Mazzolla (Roseland, NJ) and Carla Candelario (Tampa, FL) were also published in Insurance Law Global’s The Sports Bulletin, 3rd Edition. Alicia, Sara and Carla discussed “Negotiating the Call: What the Americans with Disabilities Act May Demonstrate as Trends in Finding the Line Between Equal Participation and Safety.” You can read their article here.
 

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

November 25, 2024 – John “Jack” Slimm (Mount Laurel, NJ) presented along with an all-star lineup of some of the most experienced and respected trial attorneys and jurists in the region at the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Regional Trial Bootcamp. Presenters walked attendees through the framework of a trial by conducting the comprehensive trial of Al Capone for the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

November 20, 2024 – Gregory Graham (Pittsburgh, PA) presented “Searching for AI: Case Management Tips for Existing Litigation's AI Issues” for the Pennsylvania Defense Institute.

On November 19, 2024 – Scott Dunlop (Pittsburgh, PA) presented “Local Government Immunity in Pennsylvania—A Study of the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act,” sponsored by PCoRP (The Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool), to brokers and producers.

November 14, 2024 – Teresa Sirianni (Pittsburgh, PA) presented on a panel, “A Primer on Pursuing and Defending Remedies and Damages,” at the annual Allegheny County Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Symposium.  Teresa, along with Colleen Ramage, Esq. of Ramage Lykos, LLC and federal Magistrate Judge Kelly Their, discussed the legal and equitable forms of relief that are available in the vast area of employment law, strategic concerns to consider when pursuing or defending your side of the case and practical wisdom that can only come from a view from the bench. 

November 14, 2024 – Sean Greenwalt (Tampa, FL) and Alexander Lloret (Orlando, FL) hosted a webinar with the Central Florida CPCU Society. “First Party Auto and Property Year in Review: 2024 Case Law Impact on Claims Investigation and Evaluation” focused on the impact of recent Florida legislative and case law results on first-party auto and fire insurance claim investigations and evaluations.

October 31, 2024 – Kimberly Berman (Fort Lauderdale, FL) was a guest speaker at the Miami-Dade Bar Association Appellate Court Committee’s CLE program “Advanced Brief Writing.” 

October 29, 2024 – Jeffrey Rapattoni (Mount Laurel, NJ) presented the webinar “Legal/Ethics Update” at the Ohio Chapter of International Association of Special Investigation Units Fall Training.

October 22, 2024 – Matthew Burdalski and Ariel Brownstein (both of Mount Laurel, NJ) presented “Cracking the Case: Investigating Chiropractic Care from Record Review to Examination Under Oath” at the New Jersey Special Investigators Association’s 33rd annual seminar. 

October 18, 2024 – Linda Wagner Farrell (Jacksonville, FL) was a panelist for two “evidence” discussions at the Florida Office of Judges of Compensation Claims’ OJCC Work Comp Academy. The program is aimed to educate young lawyers or lawyers new to the practice area.

October 18, 2024 – Christopher Conrad (Harrisburg, PA) co-presented with Kathleen Metcalfe, Esquire, managing attorney for special education at Raffaele & Associates, “From Complaint to Appeal and Beyond: Litigating a Special Education Due Process Case,” at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Exceptional Children Conference 2024.

October 16, 2024 – Robert Fitzgerald (Mount Laurel, NJ) co-presented “Know When to Hold ‘em, When to Fold ‘em! Best Bets to Limit Exposure in Claims Management” at the National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference. 

October 9, 2024 – Dana Gittleman (Philadelphia, PA) and Estelle McGrath (Pittsburgh, PA) co-presented at the Pittsburgh Insurance Club’s annual Pittsburgh I-Day. Dana and Estelle presented “Risk Management for Insurance Agents and Brokers: Best Practices to Avoid Liability.” 

October 8, 2024 – Matthew Keris (Scranton, PA) was a featured speaker at the 2024 American Society for Healthcare Risk Management Annual Conference in San Diego. Matt served as a panelist for “Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation of Opportunities and Risks with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health Care,” “Recommendations to Safely Use AI in Health Care,” and “Public Perception of ‘Big Medicine’ Requires New Jury Considerations.”

October 4, 2024 – Linda Farrell and Heather Carbone (both of Jacksonville, FL) made presentations at the Northeast Florida International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals 2024 Fall Forum. Linda’s presented “Medical-Marijuana-Workers’ Compensation,” and Heather was part of a panel that discussed “Legal Updates/Changes Impacting Florida.”

October 3, 2024 – Jeffrey Rapattoni (Mount Laurel, NJ) delivered two presentations at the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s Medical & Work Comp Fraud Conference in Chicago: “Ethics and the Investigator” and “Measuring an SIU Program’s Success In an Ever-Changing Environment.” 

September 26, 2024 – Dana Gittleman and Alesia Sulock (both of Philadelphia, PA) participated in the panel discussion, “Attorney Well-Being as a Matter of Professional Competence,” at the Professional Liability Defense Federation Annual Meeting. 

September 26, 2024 – Christopher Conrad (Harrisburg, PA) co-presented “UNcivil Discourse: The 1st Amendment and Regulating Speech at Public School Board Meetings” at the Professional Liability Defense Federation annual meeting. 

On September 20, 2024 – Josh J.T. Byrne (Philadelphia, PA) participated in a panel discussion, “Emergency Planning for Attorneys,” at the annual Philadelphia Bar Association Bench-Bar Conference.

September 19, 2024 – Lindsay McCormick (Tampa, FL) was a speaker at the annual Claims and Litigation Management Alliance Construction Conference. Lindsay co-presented “Ethics Escape Room 2.0: Construction Defect Style.” 

September 19, 2024 – Darren Newberry (Pittsburgh, PA) joined a panel of insurance professionals to present the webinar, “Trends in Oil and Gas Pipeline, Wellsite and Energy Production Injury Litigation,” produced by AM Best Information Services. 

September 12, 2024 – Anthony Natale (King of Prussia, PA) co-presented “Average Weekly Wage” at the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Fall Section Meeting in Hershey, PA.

September 10, 2024 – Jon Cross (Philadelphia, PA) co-presented “Audit Your Park to Lower Your Premiums” at the International Adventure & Trampoline Park Association annual conference.

September 10, 2024 – Matthew Flanagan (New York, NY and Melville, NY) was one of the guest speakers at the New York State Bar Association’s statewide “Risk Management for Lawyers” webinar. The issues he addressed included the joint and several liability of attorneys for malpractice under New York law; intra-firm relationships of attorneys; the supervisory obligations of lawyers under the Rules of Professional Conduct; and file retention requirements for attorneys under New York law. 

September 5, 2024 – James Cole (Philadelphia, PA) and Christopher Block (Roseland, NJ) once again served as faculty at the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance annual Claims College. Jim served as faculty for the School of Property Claims, and Chris served as faculty for the School of Casualty Claims. In their respective curriculums, they shared strategies and tools that claims professionals can apply to help them better manage their case files.

August 26, 2024 – Jeffrey Rapattoni (Mount Laurel, NJ) participated in three seminars at the 2024 International Association of Special Investigation Unites Conference. He presented “SIU Ethics,” “Building a Better Major Case: From Investigation to Suit,” and “Legal Updates.”

August 16, 2024 – Megan Nelson (Orlando, FL), who is also a registered nurse, presented “Tort Reform: Where Do We Go from Here?” at the Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management and Patient Safety 44th Annual Meeting and Education Conference. 

August 5, 2024 – Josh J.T. Byrne (Philadelphia, PA) was a panelist for the Philadelphia Bar Association Family Law Section webinar “Suicide Prevention and the 302 Process: Training for Family Law Practitioners.” 

August 1, 2024 – Michele Punturi (Philadelphia, PA) was a co-presenter in “The Dream Team Approach to WC Case Management,” which was part of Claims and Litigation Management Alliance Workers’ Comp Week, a five-part series focusing on the latest trends and hot topics in workers’ compensation. 

August 1, 2024 – A.C. Nash (Fort Lauderdale, FL) presented “DE&I – Your Ally in the War for Talent” at the 2024 Florida Risk Management Society Educational Conference. This session focused on inclusivity, why it is important, and how it can be a key differentiator in attracting and retaining talent within an organization.

August 1, 2024 – Scott Gemberling (Philadelphia, PA) co-presented the webinar “Dram Shop, The Toxicology and the Law” for the National Academy of Continuing Legal Education. 

July 31, 2024 – Anthony Williott (Pittsburgh, PA) presented “Nursing Homes vs. Medical Malpractice Litigation” at the National Business Institute Nursing Home Failure of Care Litigation 2024 webinar. 

July 30, 2024 – Mohamed Bakry (Philadelphia, PA) co-presented “DEI Policies in the Crosshairs: A Discussion of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Its Impact on DEI Initiatives in the Private Sector” at the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel annual meeting in Toronto. 

July 22, 2024 – Harold Moroknek (Westchester, NY), with participation from Scott Taffet (Westchester, NY), Peggy Smith Bush and Thomas Brown (both in Orlando, FL), presented “Mock Trial, Trial Run, Tabletop Role Playing – GUILTY or NOT?” at the 2024 Annual Summer Meeting for the Bus Industry Safety Council. 

_{Defense Digest, Vol. 30, No. 4, December 2024, is prepared by Marshall Dennehey 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. © 2024 Marshall Dennehey. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be reprinted without the express written permission of our firm. For reprints, contact tamontemuro@mdwcg.com.}