Featured Special Masters

Jaime L. Dodge

 

Speaker Bio

Jaime L. Dodge is the Founding Director of Emory Law School’s Institute for Complex Litigation and Mass Claims.  Professor Dodge has served as a court-appointed neutral in the early phases of a number of the largest recent MDLs, including her current work as a special master in the Zantac MDL. Read more.

 

 

Deborah Greenspan

 

Speaker Bio

Deborah Greenspan is a leading advisor on mass claims strategy and resolution. Her
practice focuses on class actions, mass claims, dispute resolution, insurance
recovery, and mass tort bankruptcy. She has extensive experience in mass products
liability matters, class actions, analysis of damages and future liability exposure,
insurance recovery, alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”), claims evaluation and
dispute analysis, settlement distribution design and implementation, claims
management and risk analysis. Read More.

 

Ellen Reisman

 

Speaker Bio

Ms. Reisman is nationally recognized for her skill in achieving innovative resolutions of complex mass tort litigation through class action, inventory, and individual settlements. She joined in founding RKG after nearly 30 years at an AmLaw 100 international law firm and two years as a senior lawyer at a major pharmaceutical company. Read more.

 

Daniel Garrie

 

Speaker Bio

Daniel Garrie, Esq. is a seasoned e-discovery special master, forensic neutral, mediator, and arbitrator retained for complex, high-stakes cases around the country. He is an experienced jurist with a deep understanding of both law and technology, enabling him to efficiently and cost effectively resolve some of the most challenging disputes. Read More.

 

Randi S. Ellis

 

Speaker Bio

Randi is an attorney who specializes in assisting the parties in resolving complex civil disputes. As an intermediary, Randi brings the parties together and facilitates alternatives to litigation. Randi’s experience and skills combine to bring about mutual agreements between the parties.

Randi has been appointed by federal and state courts as a Special Master, Settlement Master, Mediator, or Neutral to facilitate a settlement and then oversee the settlement through the distribution of proceeds until final dismissal. Read more.

 

 

 

Judge Glenn A. Norton, RET.

 

Speaker Bio

Judge Norton provides nationwide mediation and arbitration services along with Court-appointed Special Master assignments for a wide variety of functions including discovery, litigation, pretrial matters, resolution and settlement allocation. Read more>

 

Judges

Honorable Leo M. Gordon

 

Speaker Bio

Judge Leo M. Gordon has served as a judge of the United States Court of International Trade since March 2006. Judge Gordon is responsible for resolving judicial disputes involving challenges to the administration and enforcement of the federal customs and international trade laws by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, and Labor, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and other Executive Branch Agencies. In addition to his judicial duties, Judge Gordon has chaired, at different times, the Court’s Rules, Budget, Public Affairs/Education, and Strategic Planning Committees. Read More

 

Honorable Mary S. Scriven

 

Speaker Bio

Judge Mary Stenson Scriven was appointed to serve as a United States  District Judge for the Middle District of Florida on September 30, 2008, after serving as a Magistrate Judge for over ten years.  When she was appointed to serve as a Magistrate Judge in 1997, she became the first African American woman to serve on the federal court in the State of Florida and the second to serve on the federal court in the Eleventh Circuit, which includes Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Read more.

 

Hon. R. David Proctor

 

Speaker Bio

R. David Proctor was nominated by President George W. Bush to the United States District Court for the Norther District of Alabama on May 1, 2003. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 17, 2003, and recieved his commission on September 22, 2003. He received his undergraduate degree from Carson-Newman College in 1983. Read more.

 

Hon. Matthew Kennelly

 

Speaker Bio
Judge Matthew F. Kennelly was appointed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by President Bill Clinton in 1999. Judge Kennelly received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his law degree from Harvard Law School. Read more.

 

 

Panelists

Karen Beyea-Schroeder

 

Speaker Bio

Karen Beyea-Schroeder has almost two decades of diverse experience in the practice of law and has always focused her career on helping those in need. She believes the focus of any lawsuit is to get justice for clients. She aggressively pursues the client’s interests in litigation, rather than just waiting to see how things play out. This moves cases forward to help clients get the opportunity to seek justice in the courtroom. Read more.

 

Kenneth Zucker

 

Speaker Bio

Kenneth Zucker is a trial lawyer and sought-after strategist for resolving complex disputes, particularly mass litigation involving product liability, consumer fraud, and Medicaid fraud claims against pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Read More.

 

Sara Roitman

 

Speaker Bio

Sara Roitman is an accomplished product liability litigator who represents clients facing some of their most challenging legal issues. Ms. Roitman specializes in representing manufacturers in high-stakes multi-jurisdictional mass tort cases in federal and state courts around the country. Her experience includes leading complex coordinated proceedings involving thousands of cases, directing global strategy for clients across numerous jurisdictions and co-parties, and arguing key dispositive and evidentiary motions. Read more.

 

Jennifer Hoekstra

 

Speaker Bio

Jennifer M. Hoekstra is a partner with Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC. A native of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Ms. Hoekstra boasts an impressive academic and professional record, including graduation from two of the nation’s top schools.  She earned her earned Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science from Columbia College, Columbia University in the City of New York. She relocated to Louisiana to attend Tulane Law School, where she earned her J.D. while also completing a certificate in Environmental Law. Read more.

 

Peter R. Kelso

 

Speaker Bio

 

Edward Neiger

 

Speaker Bio

Edward Neiger is the co-managing partner of ASK LLP.  His practice lies at the intersection of bankruptcy and mass tort law, read more>

 

Corey Stern

 

Speaker Bio

Corey is an advocate for the environment and children’s’ rights. He represents individuals who have been catastrophically injured, with an emphasis on children that have suffered brain damage from lead poisoning or individuals that have suffered from sexual abuse. Read more.

 

Donald A. Migliori

 

Speaker Bio

Building upon his experience in complex asbestos cases, the historic tobacco lawsuits and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks litigation, Don Migliori is a multifaceted litigator who can navigate both the courtroom and the negotiating table. He represents victims of defective medical devices and drugs, occupational diseases, terrorism, aviation disasters, antitrust, and securities and consumer fraud in mass torts and other cutting-edge litigation that spans the country.Read more.

 

Adam Pulaski

 

Speaker Bio

For the last 30 years Adam has represented his clients from coast to coast, and against the some of the largest corporations and law firms in the country. The clients of the firm and the attorneys who currently make up Pulaski Kherkher have received over $7 Billion in Settlements. Read more.

Julia Zousmer

 

Speaker Bio

Julia Zousmer, a partner in King & Spalding's Chicago office, defends companies in complex product liability and mass tort litigation.  Julia has more than a decade of experience defending pharmaceutical and consumer product manufacturers in federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) practice and state court coordinated proceedings. Read more.

 

John J. Driscoll

 

Speaker Bio

John J. Driscoll founded The Driscoll Firm, LLC, in October 2008. John is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Missouri, and Minnesota. In addition, he is admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Missouri, the Southern District of Illinois, and the District of Minnesota. Read more.

 

Mikal C. Watts

 

Speaker Bio

Born July 17, 1967, in corpus Christi, Texas, Mikal C. Watts earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas in 1987, receiving a Bachelor of Arts with high honors after just two years of study. He graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 1989 at the age of twenty-one. Read More.

 

Patrick Luff

 

Speaker Bio

Patrick Luff is a nationally recognized litigator who has obtained a number of significant victories for his clients, including a $15.4 million wrongful death judgment and a precedent-setting federal appeal.Read more.

Victoria Maniatis

 

Speaker Bio

Vicki J. Maniatis is a partner at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman. Ms. Maniatis graduated with a BA from the Pennsylvania State University in 1990, a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law in 1993, and is admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Read more.

David L Selby, II

 

Speaker Bio

Throughout his legal career, David has successfully focused his practice on representing individuals injured by defective firearms, medical devices, and pharmaceutical drugs. David currently serves in leadership and steering committee roles in several medical device MDLs.Read more.

 

Sylvius von Saucken

 

Speaker Bio

Sylvius von Saucken is the vice president of the advisory services group in the mass tort division for Epiq. von Saucken serves as a leading subject matter expert for Epiq clients and colleagues. He oversees the group’s counseling and risk management activities for the mass tort operations and client service teams. Read more.

Christopher Seeger

 

Speaker Bio

A founding partner of Seeger Weiss, Chris is widely recognized as a highly innovative and accomplished plaintiff attorney. Chiefly known for multidistrict mass torts and class actions involving drug injury, toxic injury and personal injury, Chris’s versatile practice also includes product liability, property damage, antitrust, third-party payer litigation, as well as consumer, insurance, and securities fraud. Read more.

Leslie Smith

 

Speaker Bio

Leslie Smith is a litigation partner and was a long-time member of the Firm’s Global Management Committee. She concentrates her practice in the areas of pharmaceutical, class action, consumer fraud and antitrust litigation.

Leslie was identified as a leading products liability lawyer by Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business from 2011–2021, in which she has been described as an "Excellent strategist," "a terrific lawyer," and as a "Rising Star" in the 2010 edition. Read more.

 

Kim Adams

 

Speaker Bio

Mrs. Adams has been a litigator and shareholder with Levin Papantonio Rafferty for over a decade, and is currently serving as General Counsel for the firm.   Over the last several years, Mrs. Adams has made it her passion to pursue civil litigation for survivors of human trafficking.   Read more.

 

LaRuby May

 

Speaker Bio

LaRuby May is an inspirational lawyer, entrepreneur, and strategist who has made it her life’s work to be a vessel of service for underserved communities. Under the law firm, Levin Pappantonio Rafferty, LaRuby has a wide range of experience representing clients in matters from workers compensation to complex litigation. Read more.

 

Hunter Shkolnik

 

Speaker Bio

Hunter J. Shkolnik is an esteemed and dedicated attorney who focuses on the trials of significant personal injury cases, primarily in the area of drug, automobile, aviation-related, and heavy truck product liability litigation.

He leads the discovery and trial teams of various mass tort pharmaceutical and medical device litigations for the Napoli Shkolnik PLLC law firm.Read more.

Merril Hirsh

 

Speaker Bio On September 1, 2021, Merril Hirsh of HirshADR PLLC and the Law Office of Merril Hirsh PLLC in Washington, D.C. became the first Executive Director of the Academy of Court-Appointed Masters.  He is also the Chair of the ABA Judicial Division Lawyers Conference Committee on Special Masters; and a member of both the Lawyers Conference’s Executive Committee and the ABA Dispute Resolution Section Council.Read more.
 

Crystal Utley

 

Speaker Bio

Crystal Utley is a Senior Vice President of the mass torts division. She is responsible for driving operations, delivering outcomes, managing high performing teams and infrastructure for early stage case discovery (case development) and post-settlement (lien resolution and medical monitoring). Read more.

Caryn Papantonakis

 

Speaker Bio

Caryn Papantonakis brings over twenty years of experience representing plaintiffs in all areas of mass tort and personal injury law, including but not limited to, pharmaceutical and medical device product liability, as well as asbestos and first party bad faith insurance cases. Read more. 

Karen Nakon

 

Speaker Bio

Karen Nakon 

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