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Jill B. Berkeley is Senior Counsel at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on insurance coverage litigation. She is a Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel (2012 – present); a member of the American Arbitration Association serving as a member of the Commercial Dispute Panel (2006 – present); and a member of the American Bar Association serving as a member of the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee; and a recipient of the ABA Lifetime Achievement Award (2017). Ms. Berkeley earned her B.A. with high distinction and honors and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.
Andrew S. Boris is General Counsel and Secretary to the American Agricultural Insurance Company, in Schaumburg, where he concentrates his practice in reinsurance. He has been recognized as one of the top insurance coverage attorneys in Illinois by Illinois Super Lawyers. He is a regular speaker on insurance coverage and reinsurance topics on a national basis and is a frequent author with articles appearing in National Underwriter, Global Reinsurance, Journal of Reinsurance, Journal of Insurance, and RISE (CPCU Reinsurance Committee newsletter). Mr. Boris earned his B.A. from Boston College and his J.D., Order of the Coif and member of the Law Review, from DePaul University College of Law.
Michael C. Bruck is a Founder and Partner at Spellmire Bruck LLP, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on professional liability and ethics, financial malpractice, insurance and reinsurance litigation, and complex commercial disputes. He has been selected for inclusion in Illinois Leading Lawyers for professional malpractice, commercial litigation, and insurance coverage and reinsurance law. He also has been selected for inclusion in Illinois Super Lawyers for professional liability, business litigation, and insurance coverage. He is a member of the Defense Research Institute, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, Professional Liability Underwriting Society, Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Society of Trial Lawyers, and Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. Mr. Bruck earned his B.S. from Purdue University and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.
Karen M. Dixon is a Partner at Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP in Chicago. She concentrates her practice in insurance coverage. She is a member of the American College of Coverage Counsel and has been recognized by Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America. Ms. Dixon received her B.A. from the University of Nebraska and her J.D. with high honors and Order of the Coif from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Catherine L. Doyle is an associate at Jenner & Block LLP, in Chicago, and focuses on insurance recovery and counseling. Ms. received her A.B. with honors from Guilford College and her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where she was a research assistant to Professor Bernard E. Harcourt, and she assisted Professor Harcourt with a successful death penalty appeal before the Supreme Court of Alabama.
John D. Hackett is Comanaging Partner of the Cassiday Schade LLP Chicago office and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He concentrates his practice in complex insurance coverage litigation matters, with an emphasis on the preparation of opinion letters, all phases of declaratory judgment litigation, and regulatory/underwriting matters. Mr. Hackett earned his B.A. magna cum laude from Northern Illinois University and his J.D. from DePaul University.
Seth D. Lamden is a Partner with Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP, in Chicago, where he concentrates his legal practice in policyholder insurance recovery and counseling. He has been named a Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel, has a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating, and was listed by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company in 40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 To Watch. Mr. Lamden has contributed chapters to several books and written many articles on topics relating to insurance coverage, and he has spoken at insurance law seminars sponsored by numerous organizations, various law firms, and private companies. He earned his B.A. from Brandeis University and his J.D. magna cum laude from The John Marshall Law School.
I. Jordan Lowe is an associate with BatesCarey LLP, in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in insurance coverage. He is a member of the Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations, the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance, and the Defense Research Institute. Mr. Lowe has been named an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star. He earned his B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and J.D. from Northwestern University.
Michael M. Marick, a partner of Skarzynski, Marick & Black LLP, represents insurers nationally in a wide variety of high-exposure insurance coverage and reinsurance disputes. He is “tier one” ranked by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, in the Best Lawyers in America, and in other peer-reviewed publications. He is a Founding Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel and an ARIAS•U.S. certified reinsurance arbitrator and has held leadership positions in the Defense Research Institute, the American Bar Association, and other organizations. Mr. Marick is a graduate of Denison University and Chicago-Kent College of Law.
James F. Maruna is an associate with Cassiday Schade LLP, in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in civil litigation defense, insurance coverage, and construction. He is a member of the Chicago, Illinois State, and American Bar Associations. Mr. Maruna received his B.A. from Tulane University and his J.D. cum laude, Order of Barristers, from DePaul University College of Law, where he served as a research writer for the DePaul Business and Commercial Law Journal and received CALI Excellence Awards in Legal Writing III, Pre-Trial Civil Litigation Drafting, Litigation Lab, and School Law.
Bradley C. Nahrstadt is the Chief Operating Officer of Donohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth LLC, in Chicago. Mr. Nahrstadt is a Past Chair of the Primerus Defense Institute, has been elected to membership in the American Law Institute, and is a Past President of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. He is AV Preeminent peer review rated by Martindale-Hubbell; was selected by his peers for inclusion in Illinois Leading Lawyers for products liability and medical malpractice defense; was selected by his peers for inclusion in Illinois Super Lawyers for products liability defense; was selected by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as one of the 40 Illinois Attorneys under 40 to Watch; and was selected as among Chicago’s Top Rated Lawyers in commercial litigation, general practice, and insurance law. He has served as Regional Counsel for a national testing laboratory, for a large consumer of welding rods, and for one of the leading optical manufacturers in the country. He has served in the past as an adjunct professor in trial advocacy at DePaul University College of Law and as an adjunct professor teaching a litigation course at the College of Lake County. He is an award-winning author and has written more than 75 articles on various areas of trial practice and discovery that have appeared in numerous leading publications, coauthored course books for the Institute of Paralegal Education and the National Business Institute, authored a quarterly column that appears in the IDC Quarterly, authored multiple book chapters on issues related to litigation defense, and is a frequent speaker on law-related topics. He also serves as the General Editor of IICLE®’s ILLINOIS PRODUCTS LIABILITY PRACTICE. He is an active member of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, the American Law Institute, the International Association of Defense Counsel, the Professional Liability Defense Federation, the Council on Litigation Management, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (member of the Board of Directors), the Defense Research Institute, and the Chicago-Lincoln American Inn of Court. He earned his B.A. summa cum laude with distinction from Monmouth College and his J.D. cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Daniel J. Neppl is Associate General Counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, in Chicago, where he provides legal advice to the firm. He has deep experience over a broad range of complex commercial litigation matters with an emphasis on disputes affecting the insurance and financial services industries. He is a frequent lecturer and author on insurance and reinsurance issues, general litigation matters, and trial advocacy skills. Mr. Neppl has received numerous professional recognitions including recognition by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers (2010 – 2017), The Legal 500 U.S. (2012 – 2014), and The Best Lawyers in America (2014 – 2019), as well as being selected for inclusion in Illinois Super Lawyers (2013). He earned his B.S. with honors from the University of Iowa and his J.D. cum laude from Creighton University School of Law.
Gustavo A. Otalvora is an associate with BatesCarey LLP, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on complex insurance coverage litigation, claims analysis and counseling, and claims resolution. He is a member of DRI and the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois. Mr. Otalvora earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Michael H. Passman is a Partner at BatesCarey LLP in Chicago. He concentrates his practice in insurance law and related litigation. He is a member of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance. Mr. Passman earned his B.A. from the University of Chicago and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.
Charlotte L. Wager is a Partner in the Litigation Department at Jenner & Block LLP, in Chicago, where she serves as the firm’s Chief Talent Officer and oversees all aspects of the firm’s hiring and attorney development. At Jenner & Block, she is Cochair of the Hiring Executive Committee, Chair of the Associate Development and Evaluation Committee, an active member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and a member of the firm’s Women’s Forum and Pro Bono Committees. Ms. Wager has been a featured speaker on hiring and development at programs sponsored by the American Bar Association, the Practicing Law Institute, the Illinois State Bar Association, and numerous law schools. She is a Past President and longstanding member of the National Association for Legal Career Professionals (NALP) and a former member of the ABA Accreditation Committee. She received her LL.B. from Queen Mary College, University of London; was a visiting scholar at the Marshall Wythe School of Law, College of William & Mary; and received her J.D. summa cum laudefrom the University of Illinois College of Law.
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