On the Pulse…Other Notable Achievements

Defense Digest, Vol. 23, No. 1, March 2017

 

New Practice Group Launched

Marshall Dennehey recently launched a new practice group within the Casualty Department. Led by Ralph Bocchino (Philadelphia, PA) the Social Services & Human Services Practice Group counsels and defends mental institutions, non-profit organizations, youth clubs, community social services agencies, group homes, adult day care centers, and myriad other social and human services organizations against all forms of claims brought against them. Ralph and the attorneys in the practice group defend claims ranging from alleged abuse and neglect of special needs children to complex, high-exposure wrongful death litigation.

Promotions

We are pleased to announce that 10 attorneys have been elected shareholders of the firm and three were elevated to special counsel at our annual shareholders’ meeting. The new shareholders, listed by office, are:

  • Philadelphia, PA: Shane Haselbarth, member of the firm’s Professional Liability Department; Alex B. Norman, Casualty Department; Robert W. Stanko, Casualty Department
  • Pittsburgh, PA: Patrick T. Reilly, member of the Casualty Department
  • King of Prussia, PA: Joseph L. Hoynoski, III, member of the Health Care Department
  • Harrisburg, PA: Shannon Fellin, member of the Workers’ Compensation Department
  • Scranton, PA: Thomas A. Specht, member of the Professional Liability Department
  • Fort Lauderdale, FL: Alan Carroll (A.C.) Nash, member of the Casualty Department
  • Orlando, FL: Robert Garcia, member of the Professional Liability Department; Amanda J. Podlucky, member of the Casualty Department

 

Additionally, the following three attorneys have been promoted from associate to special counsel: Jon E. Cross, Professional Liability Department and Courtney Schulnick, Casualty Department in Philadelphia; and Shannon Voll Poliziani, Health Care Department in Pittsburgh.

Special Appointments

Christopher Conrad (Harrisburg, PA) has been named to the Planning Committee for Lehigh University’s 2017 Special Education Law Conference.

Andrea Rock (Philadelphia, PA) has been named Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Section for 2018. ​Andrea will act as Co-Chair elect in 2017, before serving as Co-Chair in 2018.

Stephen Ryan (King of Prussia. PA) has accepted induction into the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, Pennsylvania Region, representing the top 1% of litigators in the country. ​The invitation was generated by a peer review process overseen by the founding members of the Pennsylvania region, Robert Mongeluzzi, Esq. and Thomas R. Kline, Esq.

Recognition

Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin has been selected a “2017 Best Law Firm” in multiple practice areas, both nationally and across numerous regions of the country. The rankings, which are presented in tiers, are compiled annually by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers and recognize firms for professional excellence and consistently impressive ratings from both clients and peers. On the National Level, the firm was rated Tier 1 for Admiralty & Maritime Law and Tier 2 for Insurance Law. Metropolitan Tier levels and awards are:

  • Metropolitan Tier 1
    • Harrisburg: Workers’ Compensation Law, Employers
    • Jacksonville, FL: Professional Malpractice Law, Defendants
    • New Jersey: Legal Malpractice Law, Defendants; Professional Malpractice Law, Defendants
    • New York City: Admiralty & Maritime Law
    • Philadelphia: Insurance Law; Medical Malpractice Law, Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation, Defendants; Product Liability Litigation, Defendants; Professional Malpractice Law, Defendants
    • Pittsburgh: Personal Injury Litigation, Defendants

 

  • Metropolitan Tier 2
    • Cleveland: Insurance Law; Medical Malpractice Law, Defendants
    • Jacksonville, FL: Personal Injury Litigation, Defendants
    • Philadelphia: Civil Rights Law; Commercial Litigation; Criminal Defense: White Collar

 

  • Metropolitan Tier 3
    • Harrisburg: Medical Malpractice Law, Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation, Defendants
    • Jacksonville, FL: Medical Malpractice Law, Defendants
    • Orlando: Insurance Law
    • Philadelphia: Legal Malpractice Law, Defendants
    • Pittsburgh: Legal Malpractice Law, Defendants

 

Speaking Engagements

Bradley Remick (Philadelphia, PA) recently spoke at the DRI Fire Science and Litigation Conference. ​His presentation, “A Christmas Story,” focused on the dangers of Christmas tree fires, how to prevent them and the investigative process to determine the cause. Additionally, Brad recently presented “Negotiation Strategies” as a guest lecturer for the MBA Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Business.

Wilhelm Dingler (Philadelphia, PA) presented “Risk Management–Practical Lessons From the Trenches” to the Bucks and Montgomery County Chapters of the Pennsylvania Society of Tax & Accounting Professionals at their annual meeting. ​Wil was also part of a panel of presenters at the DRI Professional Liability Conference in New York City. Wil was joined by a claims professional and an underwriter to address the topic “The Top Ten Trouble Spots for Accountants.” Finally, Wil spoke to the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants as part of their annual two-day tax forum. ​Wil’s topic focused on the use of engagement letters and engagement letter clauses as a risk management tool.

Joel Wertman (Philadelphia, PA) was a featured speaker at the 2016 Securities Litigation and Regulatory Update co-hosted by the Philadelphia and New Jersey Bar Associations. ​The full-day program focused on cybersecurity. Joel presented as part of a panel on broker dealer developments and perspectives on cybersecurity.

Niki Ingram (Philadelphia, PA) participated in “Sisters in Success: Leaning In and On” as part of a series of quarterly roundtable discussions hosted by The National Bar Association, Women Lawyers Division, Philadelphia Chapter. ​Niki joined a panel of successful women leaders in the legal community to share tips and suggestions for balancing the demands of work with everyday life. The series of presentations is intended to empower attendees by providing necessary tools and support to create positive change.

Brigid Alford and Tim McMahon (Harrisburg, PA) presented “Practical Applications of Social Media In and Out of the Courtroom” at the Eleventh Biennial Cumberland County Bench Bar Conference held at the Dickinson School of Law. ​Brigid and Tim have been invited to submit an article on this topic for publication in a 2017 edition of the Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly.

Matt Keris (Scranton, PA) co-presented a program entitled “Legally Yours: Legal Implications in the Delivery of Anesthesia” at the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists Annual Conference. ​Matt lectured with a nursing school professor from a local university on the clinical and professional liability issues germane to the administration of anesthesia in an operating room setting.

Dan McDermott and Christopher DiCicco (New York, NY) attended Marine Insurance Day at Baruch College in New York City. ​This annual educational event is hosted by the five major marine industry associations: American Institute of Marine Underwriters, American Marine Insurance Forum, Association of Average Adjusters of the U.S., Inland Marine Underwriters Association, and Marine and Insurance Claims Association (MICA). Dan served as moderator of the MICA session, “New Rules and Regulations With a Marine Insurance Impact.”

Mary Kate McGrath (Philadelphia, PA) was a panelist for the “Quality Monitoring with ‘CPR’ – Coding, Payback and Reporting to the OIG” session at the Pennsylvania Health Care Association Annual Convention & Trade Show. ​Mary Kate and the other panel members provided insight on the scope of clinical record auditing to be conducted, mitigating the financial loss and whether to conduct these activities under attorney-client privilege.

Niki Ingram and Tony Natale (Philadelphia, PA) were presenters at the annual Workers’ Compensation Summit hosted by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. ​In “Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Law Best Practices for Complying with Benefits, Understanding the Flow of a Workers’ Compensation Claim, and Tips to Prevent WC Fraud,” Niki and Tony discussed the top mistakes businesses make and how to avoid them, how a typical workers’ compensation claim is filed, workers’ compensation fraud and best practices for companies to follow in complying with Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation law.

Joel Wertman and Jeff Chomko (Philadelphia, PA) were featured speakers at the Independent Broker Dealer Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. ​Their presentation on the new Department of Labor Fiduciary Rule focused on “The Best Interest Contract Exemption.”

Daniel Sherry (King of Prussia, PA) was a featured speaker at the national conference of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, which was recently held in Philadelphia. ​Dan and his co-presenters, a plaintiffs’ attorney and a hospital risk manager, discussed various aspects of nursing malpractice, including issues pertaining to documentation, electronic medical records, chain of command and more.

Denis Dice (Philadelphia, PA) was a panelist for the “Managing Risk and Protecting Your Practice” session at the 2016 Financial Services Institute Forum: Navigating a Post-DOL Fiduciary World in Dallas, Texas.

Victoria Scanlon (Scranton, PA) presented “Closing Special Presentation: Medical Malpractice Case Study—Suicide and the Defense of a Wrongful Death Claim” to the Pennsylvania Association for Health Care Risk Management (PAHCRM) Annual Conference.

Webinars

Jon Cross (Philadelphia, PA) was a participant in the A.M. Best webinar “What Insurance Professionals Should Know About Emerging Sports Liability Issues.” ​This webinar explored the widening range of risk exposures faced by schools, volunteer groups and sports organizations, including brain injuries, abuse and molestation, safety of and liability for referees and umpires, and more. This webinar will be made available on the A.M. Best website.

Jennie Philip (Philadelphia, PA) co-presented a webinar in the Property & Liability Resource Bureau Investigating Fraud webinar series titled “Combating Contents Fraud.” ​She spoke about fraudulent content claims, including the latest trends in contents fraud across personal and commercial lines, red flags for early detection of potential fraud, useful strategies, tools and techniques for fraud investigation, and legal and procedural protocols to help combat contents fraud.

Dave Shannon and Joel Wertman (Philadelphia, PA) presented a webinar for the Financial Services Institute on emerging trends and the current regulatory environment for independent financial advisors and independent financial service firms. ​​The interactive webinar was attended by representatives of FSI member firms.

Wilhelm Dingler (Philadelphia, PA) presented a webinar entitled “The Top Ten Trouble Spots for Accountants” in association with North American Professional Liability Insurance Agency. ​Wil’s presentation focused on risk management, engagement letters and loss control, and prevention techniques for accountants.

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Defense Digest, Vol. 23, No. 1, March 2017. 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. © 2017 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.