On the Pulse…Other Notable Achievements

Marshall Dennehey received the “Distinguished Defense Firm Award” at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute (PDI). The inaugural award honors a civil defense firm devoted to professionalism, dedication to the practice of law, promotion of the highest ideals of justice in the community and service to the PDI.

Edward Radzik, shareholder in the Maritime Litigation Practice Group in our Manhattan office, has been named a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA). The LCA is a trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Fellows are selected based upon excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation.

Arthur “Terry” Lefco, professional liability attorney in our Philadelphia office, has been named the 2016 Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year” for Philadelphia by Best Lawyers in America©. Terry was additionally recognized by Best Lawyers in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Defendants’ Professional Malpractice Law.

Bruce McKissock, Chair of the Aviation and Complex Litigation Practice Group in our Philadelphia office, has been named the 2016 Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year” for Philadelphia by Best Lawyers in America©. Bruce was additionally recognized by Best Lawyers in the area of Commercial Litigation.

Six attorneys from our New York offices have been recognized in the 2015 edition of New York Metro Super Lawyers magazine. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected as Super Lawyers and no more than 2.5 percent are selected for Super Lawyer Rising Stars. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. Our 2015 New York Metro Super Lawyers include: William Robert Connor, III, James Connors, Daniel McDermott and Edward Radzik. Our 2015 New York Metro Super Lawyer Rising Stars include: Adam Calvert and Christopher DiCicco.

James Cole, Andrew Davitt, Eric Fitzgerald, Edward McGinn, Jr. and Matthew Schorr, all shareholders, served as faculty at the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance’s (CLM) annual Claims College. 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.

G. Mark Thompson, member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors, was a featured presenter for the Business Insurance-sponsored webinar, “The Best Offense Is a Good Defense: Managing Liability Claims in Today’s Litigious Environment.” Mark and his co-presenter, Glenn Shapiro of Liberty Mutual Insurance, discussed how risk managers and brokers can partner with their insurance carriers to better manage liability claims.

Armand J. Della Porta, Jr. (Wilmington, DE) has been appointed Atlantic Regional Director of the Defense Research Institute (DRI), the country’s leading organization of defense attorneys and in-house counsel. Armand, who served as the DRI’s Delaware State Representative from 2010-13, began his three-year term on the organization’s Board of Directors in October.

Timothy Ventura (Philadelphia, PA) and David Henry (Orlando, FL) presented the CPCU Society webinar, “Agent & Broker E&O - A New Lens for Viewing Exposures.” The webinar addressed sources of insurance agent/broker E&O exposure, trends in E&O liability, legal defenses and claim resolution techniques, and agent and broker best practices.

Joseph Manning (Roseland, NJ) received an appointment by the Office of Attorney Ethics of The Supreme Court of New Jersey, as a member of the local District Fee Arbitration Committee. Since 1979, District Fee Arbitration Committees throughout New Jersey have been composed of both attorney volunteers and laypersons with the goal of resolving disputes over attorney fees via binding arbitration.

Claudia Costa (Roseland, NJ) spoke at ACI’s 23rd National Conference on Employment Practices Liability Insurance in New York City. Claudia co-presented on the topic, “The Triangular Relationship of Carriers, Insureds, and Defense Counsel: Defending an EPL Claim, Litigation Guidelines and Billing, Settlement and Agendas, Coverage Issues, Cost Effective Ways to Work Together, Minimizing Ethical Issues, and More.” She was joined by fellow panelists from Starr Companies, CNA , Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, and Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck LLP. Additionally, Claudia was a featured speaker at the ExecuSummit 11’th Annual National Employment Practices Liability Insurance conference. Claudia and her fellow panelists discussed, “Sexual Harassment and Assault: Educational Institutions, Private Employers, Title IX and Title VII.”

Claudia and Jonathan Kanov (Fort Lauderdale, FL) were speakers at the Professional Liability Underwriting Society’s annual PLUS Conference this year. Claudia participated in a panel discussion “Not So Harmless Not-For-Profits.” Jonathan’s panel discussed “Real Estate E&O Trends.”

On behalf of the Defense Research Institute, Claudia Costa co-presented “Hot Topics for Non-Profit D&O Liability” with Thomas Lookstein of the Starr Companies. This program discussed how directors and officers of non-profit organizations often overlook the potential that exists for lawsuits against them personally.

Jeffrey Rapattoni, co-chair of the Fraud/Special Investigation Practice Group in the Cherry Hill office, partnered with the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) to present a three-part webinar series on medical provider fraud. Designed for property/casualty insurance carriers, the webinars addressed strategies for dealing with medical fraud in the PIP and UM/BI environments and exploring solutions to the growing fraud problem.

*Prior Results Do Not Guarantee a Similar Outcome

Defense Digest, Vol 21, No. 4, December 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. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING pursuant to New York RPC 7.1. © 2015 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.