DRI Faculty List

Complex Coverage Forum Seminar

Hilton Hartford | Hartford, CT | November 6, 2019


Wystan M. Ackerman
Partner
Robinson & Cole LLP

Wystan M. Ackerman is a partner of Robinson & Cole LLP in Hartford, Connecticut, where he chairs the firm's Class Action Team. He has a national practice focusing on defending insurers and other companies in class actions and litigating insurance coverage issues. Wystan writes the blog Class Actions Insider at www.classactionsinsider.com, and has chaired the Class Action Special Litigation Group of the Commercial Litigation Committee of DRI. Wystan was the Program Vice Chair for the 2017 Class Action Seminar.


William A. Bulfer
Teague Campbell Dennis & Gorham LLP

William A. Bulfer of Teague Campbell Dennis & Gorham focuses his practice on insurance coverage and complex litigation involving commercial liability, commercial auto, and professional liability policies. He regularly provides coverage opinions, litigates declaratory judgment actions, and provides legal advice with regard to the creation of coverage documents. Bill concentrates on the acute risk associated with a particular claim, while remaining true to the core values of the clients with whom he works, providing a roadmap for proper claims handling and avoidance of extra contractual risk. He utilizes his liability experience to better understand the practical impact of coverage advice he provides.


Rina Carmel
Senior Counsel
Anderson McPharlin & Conners LLP

Rina Carmel defends insurers against bad faith actions, and analyzes complex claims under all types of liability policies, including CGL, professional liability, excess and personal lines, as well as first-party property policies, and counsels insurers on claims handling and regulatory compliance. Ms. Carmel sits on DRI's Publications Board, and serves as publications chair for the Insurance Law Committee.


Allen N. David
Peabody & Arnold LLP


Peter H. Dworjanyn
Shareholder
Collins & Lacy


Jennifer A. (Jen) Ehman
Associate
Hurwitz & Fine PC

Jennifer A. (Jen) Ehman is a member of Hurwitz & Fine's Insurance Coverage Practice Group who focuses her practice in insurance coverage analysis and coverage litigation. Jennifer handles additional insured and risk transfer issues arising out of construction and New York labor law claims. She often provides legal training on the handling of insurance claims, investigations and adjuster negotiations.


Monique Ferraro
Counsel
The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company

Monique Ferraro is Counsel in the Cyber and Privacy Risk Practice at Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company She provides legal and technical expertise in support of cyber-efforts undertaken by Munich Re's US Property and Casualty Operations. Previously, Ferraro was principal at Technology Forensics, a digital forensics, e-Discovery and information security consulting firm and owner of the Ferraro Law Firm. Prior to that, Ferraro worked for the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, where she was a Founding Member of the Computer Crimes and Electronic Evidence Lab and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.


F. Lane Finch, Jr.
Partner
Swift Currie McGhee & Hiers LLP

F. Lane Finch, Jr. provides insurance coverage advice, defends bad faith claims, and litigates first and third-party claims in federal and state court. He manages the Alabama office of Swift Currie, a 150-attorney firm focused solely on insurance law and litigation. Lane is the Chair of DRI's Insurance Law Committee and is very active in DRI programming and leadership. He also writes and presents frequently on insurance coverage and litigation issues to national audiences of attorneys, in-house counsel and claim executives.


Carol A. Griffin
Assistant Vice President and Associate General Counsel
Resolute Management Inc

Carol A. Griffin is an Assistant Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Resolute Management, Inc. Previously, Ms. Griffin was an attorney with the Complex and Emerging Risk Claims Department of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Additionally, Ms. Griffin was the managing attorney of the Law Offices of Carol A. Griffin, an in-house insurance coverage counsel office for Travelers Property Casualty, and an associate and partner in the Boston office of Morrison, Mahoney & Miller, LLP. Ms. Griffin has been a frequent speaker at numerous continuing legal education seminars for twenty-five years on a variety of topics with a special emphasis on insurance coverage and bad faith/unfair claims settlement practices and author of numerous articles and chapters in four books. Ms. Griffin is a graduate of Boston University School of Law and Washington University.


John T. Harding
Partner
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP

John T. Harding is a partner who practices in his firm's Insurance and Bad Faith Group. John's practice is concentrated in the areas of insurance coverage litigation and advice, reinsurance disputes and arbitrations, and "bad faith" litigation. John has more than twenty-seven years of experience in representing domestic and foreign insurers on a national basis in coverage disputes under CGL, excess, umbrella, commercial property, homeowners, auto and other specialized policies, and extensive experience in the trial of complex coverage cases.


Alexander G. Henlin
Sulloway & Hollis PLLC

Alexander G. Henlin is an experienced litigator who has focused his practice on complex questions of insurance coverage and reinsurance law. Over the past fifteen years, he has counseled and represented carriers in mediation proceedings, before arbitration panels and in all phases of litigation across the United States. He also defends lenders and loan services against consumer claims. Liability insurers have retained Mr. Henlin to render opinions about coverage under both primary and excess-layer general liability, D&O, E&O, builders' risk, and professional liability policies.


Michael MacDonald
Senior Counsel
P&C Coverage Unit, The Hartford

Michael MacDonald Bio Requested


Kathleen J. (Kathy) Maus
Partner
Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

Kathleen J. (Kathy) Maus a partner of Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP, is active in her firm's bad faith, casualty, and first/third party insurance coverage practices. She is a recognized Super Lawyer in Insurance Coverage and a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer. Her memberships are varied, including Past Board Member of the Defense Research Institute. Kathy is an author and served as a speaker at numerous seminars on issues including first and third party coverage and bad faith.


Sarannah L. McMurtry
VP Associate General Counsel
First Acceptance Insurance

Sarannah L. McMurtry is Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Regulatory Affairs for First Acceptance Insurance. She is actively involved in all aspects of claim and litigation matters involving potential for extra contractual exposure as well as identifying and responding to emerging coverage and bad faith trends affecting the company's business. Ms. McMurtry has presented at many seminars on topics involving coverage and good faith claim handling. Prior to joining Acceptance, Ms. McMurtry was in private practice for 14 years where she specialized in handling insurance coverage and bad faith matters on behalf of insurers.


Kristen Nowacki
Staff Coverage Counsel
Canal Insurance Company

Kristen Nowacki is a staff coverage attorney at Canal Insurance Company. At Canal, Kristen works with the claims department to assess coverage issues. She also manages coverage litigation and assists with coverage training for adjusters and underwriters. Prior to joining Canal, Kristen practiced in the transportation law and commercial real estate groups at a firm in Greenville, South Carolina.


Patrick B. Omilian
Partner
Gerber Ciano Kelly Brady LLP

Patrick B. Omilian focuses his practice on bad faith and extra-contractual liability, complex insurance coverage, and reinsurance matters. He is a frequent speaker and author in these areas in addition to his interest in climate change and its effect on the insurance industry. A native of Buffalo, New York, Mr. Omilian is licensed in New York and Indiana and maintains a national practice.


Jonathan L. Schwartz
Partner
Goldberg Segalla LLP

Jonathan L. Schwartz concentrates his practice on insurance coverage litigation and counseling, including primary and excess commercial general liability, professional liability/errors and omissions, directors and officer's liability, cyber risk, commercial property, business auto and cargo liability, employer's liability, and employment practices liability insurance policies. A mainstay of Jonathan's practice is extracontractual actions against insurers. He is Chair of his firm's Cyber-Risk Coverage subgroup. Jonathan was designated as an Illinois Super Lawyers in 2016 and is peer-rated AV, the highest possible rating, from Martindale-Hubbell.


Rhonda J. Tobin
Robinson & Cole

Rhonda J. Tobin For almost three decades, Rhonda J. Tobin has focused her practice on representing insurers in complex insurance coverage litigation, including in lawsuits seeking extracontractual remedies. Her experience in the defense of bad faith litigation is significant, including being retained on the eve of trial to take over the defense of bad faith cases previously handled by other firms. Her litigation and trial experience includes coverage and bad faith cases in several state and federal courts. Rhonda also regularly provides training to her clients on good claim handling practices. She is a Fellow in the American College of Coverage Counsel.


Alyssa Watzman
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP


Steven R. White
Asst. VP & Sr. Corp Counsel
Liberty Mutual Insurance

Steven R. White Bio Requested


Suzanne M. Whitehead
Coughlin Duffy

Suzanne M. Whitehead has extensive experience representing insurers in connection with coverage issues and bad faith litigation, and also litigates commercial actions in Massachusetts and New York. Suzanne designed, developed, and launched her firm's Massachusetts Insurance Law Blog in 2017. She also launched a Cyber Insurance Law Blog in January 2018.


William D. (Bill) Wilson
Mound Cotton Wollan & Greengrass

William D. (Bill) Wilson Bio Requested