PLDF Committee Leadership

Our sincere thanks to the following members for their leadership of our PLDF Committees. Are you interested in getting involved? If so, follow this link to join a committee today!

 Accountants, Fiduciaries, Trustees, and Financial Professionals

Charles Jones, Co-Chair
Bassford Remele, P.A.
Minneapolis, MN
cjones@bassford.com
612-376-1616

Christopher Lyon, Co-Chair
Cohen Vaughan LLP
New York, NY
clyon@cohenvaughan.com
210-602-7340

Construction and Design Professionals

Catherine Deter, Co-Chair
Wood Smith Henning Berman (WSHB)
Aliso Viejo, CA
cdeter@wshblaw.com
949-757-4514 

Julie Jorgensen,Co-Chair
Spencer Fane
Omaha, NE
jjorgensen@spencerfane.com
402-951-7228

Lara Taibi , Co-Chair
Hub International Limited
Lara.Taibi@hubinternational.com
908-790-6812

Hilary Wright, Esq., Vice Chair
AXA XL
Morristown, NJ
hilary.wright@axaxl.com
908-918-2313

Cyber Claims

Rachel Aghassi,  Chair
Furman Kornfeld & Brennan, LLP
New York, NY
raghassi@fkblaw.com
212-867-4100

Nicholas Spano,  Vice Chair
Beazley Group
Chicago, IL
nick.spano@beazley.com
708-212-1276

Diversity & Inclusivity

Spencer Richards, Co-Chair
Furman Kornfeld & Brennan, LLP
New York, NY
srichards@fkblaw.com
212-867-4100

Liset Saunders, Co-Chair
Hartford Steam Boiler
Hartford, CT
liset_saunders@hsb.com

860-524-2246

Muliha A. Khan, Vice Chair
Zupkus & Angell, PC
Denver, CO
mkhan@zalaw.com
303-894-8948

Healthcare Liability

Michelle Meloche , Chair
Bartosiak Makepeace, S.C.
Troy, IL 
mmeloche@bmlblaw.com
618-447-2878

Kyle Virgin, Vice Chair
Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP
Lexington, KY
kyle.virgin@fmglaw.com
859-333-3828

Insurance Agent/Broker Claims

Anthony Burrows, Co-Chair
Sompo
Morristown, NJ
aburrows@sompo-intl.com
908-376-2479

Jessica Richardson, Co-Chair
Tomsche, Sonnesyn & Tomsche, P.A.
Minneapolis, MN
jrichardson@tstlaw.com
763-521-4499

 
 

Lawyers Professional Liability Claims

Aram Desteian, Co-Vice Chair
Bassford Remele, P.A.
Minneapolis, MN
adesteian@bassford.com
612-746-1088

James G. Schu Jr., Co-Vice Chair
Kane, Pugh, Knoell, Troy & Kramer, LLP
Blue Bell, PA
jgschu@kanepugh.com
610-275-2000

Management Liability and Employment Practices Liability

Stephen M. Cornelius, Esq., Co-Chair
Eccleston & Wolf, PC
Hanover, MD
cornelius@ewmd.com
410-7527474 

 Gregg E. Viola, Co-Chair
Eccleston & Wolf, PC
Hanover, MD
viola@ewmd.com
410-752-7474

 W. Barry Montgomery,Vice Chair
Kalbaugh Pfund & Messersmith, P.C.
Richmond, VA
barry.montgomery@kpmlaw.com
804-320-6300

 

Municipal, School Leaders, and Miscellaneous Liability

Jonathan Bernstein, Chair
Goldberg Segalla, LLP
Albany, NY
jbernstein@goldbergsegalla.com
518-935-4240

Nuclear Verdict Defense Trial Strategy


 

Sean C. Pierce, Vice Chair
Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff & Brandt, L.L.C.
Birmingham, AL
spierce@wallacejordan.com
205-874-0379

Michelle Arbitrio, Vice Chair
Wood Smith Henning Berman (WSHB)
New York, NY
marbitrio@wshblaw.com
914-353-3803

Professional Liability Defense Quarterly

Alice Sherren, Editor in Chief
The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc

 


Robert Futhey, Executive Editor
Guinan O'Siochain Law Group
Omaha, NE
rfuthey@golegalne.com
402-341-6000

Young Professionals

Merrick Ramos, Co-Chair
DWF Claims LLC
Deerfield, IL
merrick.ramos@dwfclaims.com
708-240-9674

McKaylee Berg, Vice Chair
Tomsche, Sonnesyn & Tomsche, P.A.
Minneapolis, MN
mberg@tstlaw.com
612-520-8605

 
 

Contact Us

PLDF
PO Box 588
Rochester IL 62563-0588
309-222-8947
admin@pldf.org

Our Mission

The mission of the Professional Liability Defense Federation is to enhance the stature and effectiveness of professional liability defense professionals through education, training and the exchange of information.