David Anderson is a shareholder of Collins Einhorn Farrell PC, and has over 25 years of litigation experience. He has successfully defended a wide variety of professional liability claims, ranging from legal malpractice to claims against accountants, insurance agents, architects and engineers, real estate/title agents and even fine art appraisers. He has also successfully defended numerous corporations against product liability claims, including death cases. Over those years, David has gained considerable jury trial and arbitration experience.

Chloe Angotta, Senior Claims Counsel, with Sompo Commercial handles commercial E & O claims for various classes of professionals, including insurance agents, property managers, as well as other types of
professionals. Chloe has almost ten years of litigation experience, representing and defending insureds and business entities in litigation matters in Connecticut. Prior to joining Sompo, Chloe was a Senior
Associate at a well-known insurance defense firm, where she represented clients in professional liability, general liability matters and handled litigation on behalf of insurance carriers. Chloe is a member of the
Connecticut Bar.

Michelle M. Arbitrio is the Managing Partner of Wood Smith Henning & Berman's White Plains office and a nationally recognized trial and appellate attorney with extensive experience in complex litigation across state and federal courts nationwide. She serves as National Coordinating and Trial Counsel for clients facing high-stakes matters including professional liability, D&O, E&O, FINRA arbitrations, and class actions. Michelle is a trusted advisor to directors, officers, and a wide range of professionals, and regularly handles cases involving allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, discrimination, and commercial disputes. She is also a thought leader and frequent speaker on emerging issues in insurance and risk, and currently serves as the Professional Liability Defense Federation Treasurer.

As managing partner and a lead trial attorney at Eckenrode-Bauman, Randall Bauman focuses his practice on civil litigation. Throughout his thirty (30) plus-year career, Randy has routinely handled complex litigation matters from outset to conclusion. Also, Mr. Bauman’s practice includes representing professionals before licensing boards and in administrative disciplinary actions.

Richard J. Behr is a member at Evans & Dixon, LLC with 30+ years of experience trying cases in state and federal courts in Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. For the past 20 years, Rich has focused on defending hospitals, physicians and nurses in medical malpractice cases as well as representing healthcare professionals before state healing arts boards. Rich has also spent many years representing businesses, hospitals, professionals and municipalities in employment-related litigation such as wrongful termination, non-compete disputes, discrimination, harassment, whistle-blower and disability claims. 

As an Associate Managing Director at Kroll, Lainee Beigel works closely with the head of Global Cyber Insurance to drive the firm’s strategic initiatives at the intersection of cyber risk and insurance. Drawing on two decades of experience across the insurance industry - including as a practicing attorney, Claims Counsel, as well as Executive Risk and Cyber Broker - Lainee works closely with cyber insurers, policyholders, and industry partners to strengthen cyber resilience and enhance incident response capabilities.

As part of The Global Cyber Insurance Team, Lainee assists Kroll in building global relationships across the cyber insurance ecosystem. This includes insurers, cyber response counsel, and digital risk solution providers. My focus is on delivering innovative tools, actionable data, and practical services that meet the evolving needs of the global cyber insurance market.

Bill Bower is the Executive Vice President and Healthcare Vertical Leader for Gallagher Basset. In this role, Bill leads and directs strategy for development and implementation of litigation management, risk consulting, and workers compensation within the healthcare space. Bill is an attorney with more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry, starting his career as a trial lawyer for 12 years in Cook County, Illinois where he defended healthcare practitioners and institutions in medical liability cases. He then assumed the role of Vice President and Head of the Strategic Claims Division at CNA Insurance, with oversight responsibility of CNA’s highest exposure matters. At CNA, Bill also served as the VP/Technical Officer for Global Specialty Line Claims, and the line of business claims officer for CNA HealthPro Claims. From 2005-2019, Bill worked at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, where her served as Senior Vice President of Administration, Chief Risk Officer and President of Northwestern Memorial Insurance Company. Bill received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his Juris Doctor from Loyola University of Chicago.

Jeff Brien is a Supervising Claim Attorney for Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company. In this role, he handles legal malpractice and disciplinary claims, analyzes coverage issues, coordinates claim repair efforts, negotiates settlements, oversees outside defense counsel, and supervises other Claim Attorneys. Mr. Brien is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and, prior to joining MLM in 2019, maintained a diverse civil litigation practice including the defense of doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. Mr. Brien is a graduate of Boston College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Kathleen Buck is the President of DWF US Claims, where she leads a team of highly experienced claim professionals delivering exceptional service to clients across the United States and beyond. Prior to joining DWF, Kathleen served as Vice President of Claims for a lawyers’ professional liability carrier and also held senior positions with global commercial insurers. Kathleen is a frequent lecturer on topics related to claims handling, legal ethics, litigation management, risk mitigation, civility and leadership. Kathleen is a past President of the Professional Liability Defense Federation and an active member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and American Bar Association. 

Anthony Burrows is Vice President and Claims Counsel at Sompo where he manages the SompoPro Commercial E&O claims team overseeing claims involving insurance agents/brokers, property managers and other miscellaneous classes of professionals. Anthony has over 17 years’ experience handling claims and has worked as Claims Counsel for four other leading insurance carriers after a period of private practice in Buffalo, New York. He received his BA from the University of Vermont and his JD from Albany Law School and is a frequent speaker at industry events.

Brian Callahan is a Claims Director in Great American Insurance Group’s Professional Liability Division, where he oversees and handles claims involving accounting professionals insured by Great American. He has over twenty years of experience in the legal and insurance industries. Prior to joining Great American in 2020, Brian practiced law for over fifteen years at a Philadelphia-based law firm. He is a graduate of the University of Scranton, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. He earned his law degree from New England Law in Boston.

William R. Covino is a Partner in Freeman Mathis & Gary’s Boston Office with nearly two decades of experience representing accountants, financial advisers, lawyers, and other professionals in malpractice litigation, government investigations, and disciplinary proceedings brought by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Public Ac-counting Oversight Board, and the Massachusetts Board of Public Accountancy. Attorney Covino further serves as the Vice Chair of his firm’s national real estate practice team, de-fending brokers and real estate professionals in a myriad of disputes.

Jason Crew is a Claims Supervisor for COPIC Insurance Company where he handles complex medical liability claims. He was one of the first consultants for COPIC to handle Candor in Colorado since 2019 and Utah since 2021. Jason was promoted to Claims Supervisor in October 2023 and has a team of 5 consultants that focus on taking care of their insureds in the Western territory. 

Jeffrey Cunningham is Founding Partner, Firm General Counsel, and Chair of the Professional Liability Practice at Cohen Vaughan where he actively defends lawyers and acts as outside General Counsel to small and mid-sized law firms across the United States. Jeff defends industry professionals in a wide range of professional liability, ethics and professional disciplinary matters.

Aram Desteian is a shareholder with Bassford Remele in Minneapolis. As a professional liability attorney, Aram regularly helps other lawyers prevent and navigate lawsuits, investigations, board proceedings, and hearings involving legal ethics, legal malpractice, and other areas relating to the law of lawyering. Aram is Chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association Professionalism and Ethics Section and serves as Bassford Remele's General Counsel.

Donald Patrick Eckler is a partner at Freeman, Mathis, & Gary, LLP, handling a wide variety of civil disputes in state and federal courts across Illinois and Indiana. His practice has evolved from primarily representing insurers in coverage disputes to managing complex litigation in which he represents a wide range of professionals, businesses and tort defendants. In addition to representing doctors and lawyers, Mr. Eckler represents architects, engineers, appraisers, accountants, mortgage brokers, insurance brokers, surveyors and many other professionals in malpractice claims.

Susan G. Fillichio is a trial consultant and founder of Fillichio & Hastings. Over her 21 years as a trial consultant and 36 years in the legal industry, she has provided strategic insights to many of the country’s most accomplished trial lawyers, Fortune 500 companies and governmental entities. An expert at understanding the psychology of decision-making by jurors, judges and arbitrators, she has assisted counsel in obtaining successful verdicts in numerous federal and state venues. Susan is known for her ability to identify the winning message for trial, as well as her discretion and commitment to excellence. She has consulted in hundreds of complex and notable jury trials. She is a frequent speaker and contributor to various national publications, including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

Blake Fisher is a Vice President and Corporate Verticals Lead with Consilio, a leading glob-al e-Discovery service provider. Blake has over 14 years in e-Discovery and over 10 years as a review manager partnering with Fortune 500 and law firm clients to provide comprehensive e-Discovery solutions, with an emphasis on technology-centric document review, Generative AI solutions, and privilege log consultation. In his current role, Blake is responsible for supervisory execution of Consilo’s Corporate Verticals’ review service offerings, ensuring the high-quality delivery of services and fulfillment of clients’ requirements and expectations. 

Sharon Fry is a partner in the Boston office of Robinson & Cole LLP where she focuses her practice on the management and resolution of complex professional liability and financial lines insurance coverage matters. She serves as insurance coverage and monitoring counsel for domestic and international insurers, including claims under directors and officers, employment practices, errors and omissions, representation and warranties and fiduciary liability policies. Sharon is a past Chair of the PLDF D&O/E&O Trustee and also sits on the Steering Committee of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society New England Chap-ter. She is also the Chair of Robinson & Cole’s Wellbeing Committee.

Michael A Gross, Esq. is Strategic Director of Litigation Consulting at CogentEdge, a Magna Legal Services Company. Michael has attained an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating from Martindale Hubbell and was a Southwest Super Lawyer from 2009 to 2015. He has litigated high-profile Defense and Plaintiff cases for 42 years. Mr. Gross was Plaintiff’s co-counsel in a $54 million dollar verdict award and other multimillion dollar recovery cases. As a principal in Dines and Gross PC, he litigated major insurance defense cases for companies such as Safeco and Liberty Mutual, and at the same time, litigated large-exposure cases on behalf of severely injured or deceased Plaintiffs. 

David Groveman, AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. is one of the primary incident response leads for AmTrust Financial’s Cyber Response Group. He has over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity, incident response, threat actor communications and intelligence. Stationed at the Pentagon in Logistics during the height of Iraq and Afghanistan, he was a key part of presentations during warfare delivered to and relevant to the highest levels of command. David spent over 10 years with IBM working mergers and deployments, then became a Senior Engagement Manager at Carbon Black during the height of their startup phase. He was the first project manager hired by Tracepoint which led to a program manager role at Booz Allen where he helped oversee a team of 6 engagement managers overseeing 5 Digital Forensic Incident Response teams. He handles large scale ransomwares and cyber extortions and investigations and is one of the first responders for cyber crime at AmTrust.

Michael Handler is a Seattle-based shareholder at Forsberg & Umlauf, P.S., who has focused his expertise in complex insurance coverage analysis for over twenty-five years. Michael applies his three decades of experience in federal court and state court litigation to help insurers resolve coverage claims including professional liability matters as outside counsel. He has represented his clients in Washington and Oregon courts, and in non-litigated matters around the country.

Erin Higgins serves as Conn Kavanaugh’s Managing Partner, overseeing all operations and managing the growth of the Firm’s practice areas and professionals.
She is a civil trial lawyer. During her 30 years of practice, Erin has focused on representing lawyers, insurance agents and brokers, and other types of professionals in defending against errors and omissions claims. Having served a four-year term on the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, she also represents lawyers in disciplinary matters and advises lawyers on ethics issues. Erin is a cum laude graduate of Georgetown University, and she received her J.D. cum laude from Boston College Law School. She has been honored for her work by top legal organizations since 2003 and, is a PLDF Past President and has taken leadership roles in numerous other bar and professional organizations.

Harrison Holmes is tax attorney at Baker Donelson Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C.’s Baltimore Office where he advises individuals and business on complex tax matters, in-cluding disputes with the IRS and state tax authorities. He has significant experience in navigating through IRS tax audits and seek other tax relief measures.

John Horrell is a Claims Attorney for ALPS Insurance and adjusts professional liability claims against ALPS’ insured attorneys and law firms across the U.S.A. Prior to joining ALPS, John spent approximately 19 years in private practice, litigating simple and complex civil cases in state and federal courts on behalf of insurers, individuals, small businesses, and large corporations. John lives and works in Missoula, Montana, where he graduated from the University of Montana in 2000 and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Montana School of Law in 2004.

Jason R. Jobe, Partner with Thompson Coe in Dallas focuses primarily on defending and counseling clients in professional liability, commercial, and consumer-related litigation. He has represented a wide range of individuals and companies, including insurance agents/brokers, third-party administrators, debt collectors, accountants, lawyers, architects and engineers, real estate agents, property inspectors, homeowners’ associations, property management companies, and web design/developers. His practice also focuses on representing and counseling clients on data privacy and cyber liability issues, as well as assisting clients with industry regulation compliance and litigation avoidance. Jason is a Past President of PLDF.

Charles Jones is a Shareholder with Bassford Remele, PA where he provides skilled, discerning, and ethical advocacy for, and advice to, professionals and companies. He focuses his practice on defending lawyers and accountants against malpractice and other professional liability actions, and on assisting professionals with licensing and compliance issues. Charles also advises CPAs and lawyers in risk management, compliance, and other issues. Additionally, he represents insurers in coverage issues and businesses in commercial litigation matters. He has handled cases in more than 35 state and federal jurisdictions throughout the United States and is currently licensed to practice in the state courts of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Charles’ practice outside of Bassford Remele includes having served as the General Counsel of a national CPA firm, chairing the professional liability practice groups of top-25 Minnesota law firms, and working as the Associate General Counsel for a Minnesota-based software development and consulting company.

Julie Jorgensen of Spencer Fane is a trial attorney with over 25 years of experience. Her litigation experience is diverse, with an emphasis in professional liability. In professional liability matters she regularly works with architects, engineers, property managers, accountants, and attorneys.

Alexander Ko, Esq., AIC, is a Senior Claims Manager with Westfield Specialty specializing in Professional Liability. With over 14 years of experience in insurance claims and leadership, Alex has a proven track record in managing primary and excess claim files for both admitted and non-admitted markets. Alex currently oversees the following errors & omissions lines of businesses – lawyers, accountants, insurance agents & brokers and miscellaneous professionals. Prior to joining Westfield Specialty, Alex managed the Commercial E&O claims portfolio at AXA XL and also handled Employment Practices Liability (EPL) claims while at ACE. Alex holds a B.A. in Psychology from Boston College and a Juris Doctor from New York Law School. 

Bob Kopka is a Founding Partner at Kopka Pinkus Dolin, a midwestern defense litigation firm representing insurance carries, municipalities, corporations, and TPAs across the nation. Bob has handled a wide variety of business disputes, commercial litigation, and insurance defense matters for more than 30 years and has argued appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court, and other federal and state appellate courts. He is a frequent speaker on various topics, including, insurance coverage, litigation management techniques, alternative billing arrangements, DE&I in litigation, trial techniques, and more. Additionally, Bob is a founding member of the National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association where he serves on the Board of Directors and is the Past President.

Valerie Lipic is the Team Lead for Claims at Berkley Select, specializing in Professional Liability. She has eight years of claims-handling experience, managing both primary and excess claims files. She currently oversees claims involving lawyers, accountants, employment practices liability, directors and officers, as well as monitoring coverage litigation. Prior to joining Berkley Select, Valerie practiced law for over fifteen years as a commercial litigator in both St. Louis and Chicago. She also served as adjunct faculty at Northern Illinois College of Law, teaching “Introduction to Lawyering Skills” and “Remedies” classes. She is licensed to practice law in both Missouri and Illinois.

Ari Magedoff is Senior Vice President, Head of Financial Lines Claims at Westfield Speciality, supporting the Management Liability and Financial Institutions businesses, bringing 20 years of insurance claims and leadership experience to the role. Ari’s area of focus includes middle market and large account exposures for D&O, E&O, Fiduciary, Fidelity, EPL and Transactional Liability. Prior to joining Westfield, Ari was the Head of Management Liability Claims with AXIS Insurance. Ari is an active member in PLUS and the American Bar Association, where he was chair of the Professional Liability Insurance Committee. Ari is a graduate of the University of Miami and Seattle University School of Law and is admitted to the bar in New York. 

Eric Marler serves as the Head of Claims at Counterpart, leveraging over 13 years of in-house expertise in management and professional liability insurance. Prior to joining the Insurtech space, Eric held senior leadership roles at both Great American Insurance Group and The Hanover Insurance Group, where he played a pivotal role in optimizing claims management strategies. With over two decades of experience as an attorney, Eric possesses a profound understanding of the legal and operational complexities surrounding claims processes. 

Doug Mason currently serves as the Vice President of Claims at COPIC Insurance Company, with 30+ years of experience in medical malpractice insurance. COPIC is a leading provider of medical professional liability insurance to health care professionals, group practices, hospitals and other medical facilities, writing business in 48 states. His previous experience includes working for Zurich-American Insurance Group where he managed litigation of over 150 multi-line professional liability claims with an emphasis on medical malpractice nationwide, and serving for 12 years with Illinois Hospital Association, which represents more than 200 hospitals and health systems throughout Illinois.

Frank McElroy, J.D., M.B.A. is General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer for Weaver, a national accounting and consulting firm. In his role, Frank assists the firm with licensing, compliance, risk management, quality control and litigation, working closely with the firm's National Offices, Leadership, and Executive Commitee. Before joining Weaver, Frank was shareholder and president of Forrest McElroy, P.C., a law firm which defended and counseled certified public accountants and CPA firms, from solo-practitioners to Big Four.

Terry Mead is a private practice attorney with over 15 years of experience, as well as an entrepreneur with a background in legal technology sales. He currently works with Clearbrief.

Michelle A. Meloche represents healthcare clients for a variety of healthcare liability and regulatory matters in private practice at Bartosiak Makepeace, including defending against medical malpractice claims. She uses her unique background in public health, health management and policy, and the sciences to approach cases creatively while advocating for the best solution for her clients. Michelle has worked in healthcare administration and a state government healthcare department, which also informs her practice in tailoring her proposed solutions in the healthcare / legal industry crossover.

Lisa R. Midkiff, Esq., CPCU, RPLU, VP, Claims Operations at B&B Protector Plans, Inc., is an accomplished claims executive with nearly 25 years of experience with professional liability matters. A licensed attorney and adjuster, she has scaled departments, trained teams, and supervised operations. As VP of Claims Operations, Lisa over-sees the operations of PPCM, a nationwide third-party administrator of claims against lawyers, dentists, accountants and executives. Prior to her claims career, Lisa was an insurance defense attorney in private practice.

Kim Noble joined Applied Financial Lines in January 2022 to launch lawyers’ and accountants’ liability programs. Before joining the company, she was a Senior Vice President at Thompson Flanagan in Chicago. In that role, she advised law firms on coverage, claims and risk management issues. Prior that, Kim led the Lawyers’ and Accountants’ programs at Argo Pro. She has over 25 years of professional liability experience and has managed E&O programs at OneBeacon, GE Westport and St. Paul Companies. Kim began her career as a lawyer in private practice, representing directors & officers, lawyers and accountants, as well as public and private companies in employment practices disputes. She graduated from Drury University in Springfield MO with a degree in Business Administration and Economics and has a law degree from University of Missouri in Kansas City. She is an active member of DRI, PLUS, CLM, claimsXchange and PLDF, speaking frequently on topics concerning legal and accounting malpractice.  

William B. Oberts is the Founding Partner of Oberts Galasso Law Group where he represents municipalities, government entities and their employees, such as police officers, firefighters, and assistant state’s attorneys, in torts, civil rights, labor, employment, and class action litigation. Bill also counsels and represents professionals such as attorneys, architects, accountants, real estate and insurance agents/brokers, inspectors, and others in civil litigation and ethical matters before state and federal courts and professional regulatory bodies, such as the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

Joel A. Paulsen, P.E. is Senior Managing Consultant at Engineering Systems Inc. (ESi) where he advises public and private clients on construction failures, infrastructure resilience, and the evolving impacts of climate change on civil systems. Joel’s work frequently intersects with climate-related risk, including the analysis of extreme weather impacts on flood control, water systems, and public infrastructure. He has provided expert testimony in cases involving large-scale natural hazard events and has consulted on resilience strategies for major infrastructure projects across the Midwest. 

J. Michael Reese, JD/LL.M is Assistant Director-Practice Management for the Global Lending practice of Mayer Brown. His previous experience includes advising professional service firms (primarily CPA firms) on matters related to risk and practice management in both external and internal roles (10+ years), serving tax clients with both national and regional public accounting firms (12+ years), and prosecuting criminal matters at the state level in Indiana (3+ years). He has served on numerous committees and initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion, and previously served as a member of a corporate IDE board advising the C-Suite on process and initiative improvement.

Laura J. Ruettgers is a partner attorney in Freeman, Mathis & Gary LLP's Walnut Creek, California, office. Laura has spent the better part of her career representing insurance carriers in coverage disputes and litigation, including bad faith litigation, and is active in her Firm’s national Practice Section on Data Security, Privacy & Technology. Laura is Chair of the firm’s Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice Group. She assists her carrier clients with complex issues arising in both litigated and non-litigated contexts, addressing high exposure losses in both primary and excess scenarios. Her emerging-trend work has included specialty lines such as cybersecurity policies, and newer products written to address risks arising out of emerging technology such as autonomous vehicles.

James G. Schu, Jr., Esq. of Kane, Pugh, Knoell, Troy & Kramer, LLP in Philadelphia focuses his practice on professional liability and general liability claims, and also has experience in commercial litigation, corporate and consumer bankruptcy, and premises liability. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Montgomery County Bar Association and currently serves as a member of the PLDF Board of Directors. 

Barbara Serafini is Senior Vice President of Gallagher Bassett, managing cases in the Executive and Professional Liability Specialty Practice Group. She currently oversees a wide variety of Errors & Omissions (E&O) programs including Lawyers, Title Insurance, Escrow Agents, Insurance Agents & Brokers for various carriers. Her duties include reviewing coverage analysis issues; communicating with policyholders regarding coverage issues; negotiating settlements directly with claimants and their counsel; managing defense counsel for policyholders; and managing litigation and resolution strategy. Barbara also trains and assists with management of new employees in the non-medical professional liability group.

Suzanne Sheldon-Krieger currently serves as Senior Counsel for Legal Services at BJC HealthCare, a prominent healthcare organization in the Midwest. She is an experienced Chief Compliance and Risk Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the health care industry, and she focuses her practice in specific legal professional skills such as Enterprise Risk Management, Risk Management, Litigation Management, Educational Programs, and Legal Research. Before BJC, Suzi worked in various leadership roles in compliance and risk management for 10+ years, preceded by work in private practice for 7+ years.

Richard Sheridan is Chief Claims Officer for Berkley Cyber Risk Solutions. Rich has over 28 years of insurance claims experience, and has overseen claims under Cyber policies for almost 20 years. Before entering the insurance industry, Rich worked as an associate attorney at New York City law firms for more than 3 years, and before that was an Assistant District Attorney in Bronx County, New York, for more than five years. Rich earned his JD from Fordham University School of Law and has a BA in English from the State University of New York at Albany.

Alice Sherren is a Senior Claim Attorney with Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company, where she manages litigation involving legal malpractice claims, advises attorneys facing existing and potential ethical dilemmas, and resolves complex pre-suit malpractice claims on behalf of MLM insureds. She is a former chair of the Legal Malpractice Committee of PLDF and PLDF's Board of Directors, current Editor in Chief of the PLD Quarterly, and frequently writes and speaks on topics related to ethics, legal malpractice, and attorney wellness. 

Daniel S. Strick, Partner at Goldberg Segalla, LLP in Philadelphia is a highly experienced litigator who counsels and defends lawyers, accountants, insurance brokers, corporate officers, and other professionals in a variety of administrative and civil disputes in state, federal, and appellate courts. With more than 20 years of trial experience, Dan has defended a wide range of civil matters involving professional malpractice, insurance coverage, trucking liability, and other commercial actions. He has served as lead trial attorney in matters throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 

Lisa C. Tulk is a shareholder in the Dallas, Texas office of Kessler Collins, where she has been defending claims against professionals for more than 20 years. In addition to being active in the International Association of Defense Counsel and DRI’s professional liability committee, Lisa is a past President of the Professional Liability Defense Federation and a former member of its board of directors. Her practice primarily focuses on advising and defending clients in the construction, financial services, software and healthcare industries.

Chris Vlasich is the Senior Vice President of Claims for North America at Trisura Group, Ltd., where he oversees claims operations across both the U.S. and Canadian markets. With over two decades of experience as an insurance executive and attorney, he has led complex claims teams and driven strategic initiatives in Financial Lines, Cyber, and Liability. A frequent speaker at industry conferences, he is recognized for his expertise in emerging risk trends, litigation strategy, and claims innovation. He began his legal career litigating high-exposure cases and holds a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University and a B.A. from Michigan State University Honors College.

Laura Walker has served as Aprio’s General Counsel since 2020 and is a Partner in the firm. With over 20 years of legal experience in both private practice and multinational corporate environments, she leads Aprio’s legal strategy across M&A, litigation, intellectual property, employment matters, corporate governance, and legal innovation. Laura also serves on the board of Aprio’s captive insurance company and advises Aprio Legal, an alternative business structure (ABS) law firm registered in Arizona. Laura has directly managed more than 30 acquisitions during her time at Aprio, including leading the legal process for the firm’s 2024 strategic investment from Charlesbank Capital Partners. Recognized on The Legal 500 GC Powerlist and as a recipient of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2025 Corporate Counsel Dealmaker Award, Laura frequently speaks at legal and accounting industry conferences on topics such as legal leadership and structural innovation in professional services.

Kathryn S. Whitlock of McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC has spent her entire career defending and counseling individuals and insurance companies accused of not doing their jobs right. Primarily in professional liability, bad faith and sexual misconduct matters, Kate represents those in the legal, insurance, healthcare, real estate, accounting and education fields, among others. Kate is highly-skilled in the courtroom and alternative dispute forums; she has tried over 100 cases to jury verdict, bench decision or final arbitrator award in state and federal courts and various other venues. Kate also handles her own cases through appeal and is often called on by others after they receive a disappointing first level dispute resolution outcome. Kate has been recognized in her practice by The Best Lawyers in America© and Georgia Super Lawyers and was named among America’s Top Lawyers by The American Law Society in 2018. Kate serves in leadership roles with several national organizations, including Defense Research Institute, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance and Georgia Defense Lawyers Association.

Megan Zurn is a Large Loss Claims Specialist in AXA XL’s Atlanta office. She handles high exposure professional liability claims for AXA XL insureds nationwide with a concentration on lawyers professional liability matters. Prior to joining AXA XL, Megan practiced law in an Atlanta boutique litigation firm where she represented policyholders in coverage disputes and litigated a variety of complex commercial matters in state and federal courts. Before transitioning to civil litigation, Megan began her legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in Athens, Georgia.