Insurance

Mr. Bendel received his B.S. in Finance, magna cum laude, from the University of Connecticut in 1997. He then went on to receive his J.D., magna cum laude, in 2000 from Pepperdine University, where he was a member of the Pepperdine Law Review. Upon graduating from law school, Mr. Bendel joined the Los Angeles office of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, where he practiced for over twelve years. While at Stroock, Mr. Bendel handled complex business litigation, including securities disputes, small business dissolutions, insurance coverage and bad faith matters, and other business and commercial disputes. The primary focus of Mr. Bendel’s practice is insurance coverage and insurance bad faith litigation. He has provided coverage advice and/or been involved in bad faith litigation with respect to claims made under all types of insurance policies including Commercial General Liability, Directors & Officers, Errors & Omissions, Property, Homeowners, and Automobile insurance policies. Mr. Bendel is admitted to practice before all federal and state courts in California, including the California Court of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He has tried cases in federal and state courts in Northern and Southern California. In total, Mr. Bendel has over fifteen weeks of trial experience. Mr. Bendel also has experience at the appellate level; he has drafted a number of successful appellate briefs.

Sam Coffey, Esq. is a trial lawyer devoted to representing individuals and their families who have been injured by the carelessness of others. He focuses his practice on handling a small number of serious injury cases involving traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), wrongful death or serious personal injury. These cases usually involve a harmful or defective product, a dangerous drug, a drunk driver or serious car accident, an airplane crash, or another type of dangerous condition. Sam Coffey also works extensively in areas relating to consumer fraud and business disputes. Sam Coffey prides himself on professionalism and pro bono work. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a national organization of plaintiff and defense trial lawyers and judges with considerable trial experience who have been peer-selected for inclusion in this organization based upon professionalism standards.

Early in his career, Ronny defended big insurance companies at large law firms before devoting his practice solely to helping injured people win claims against insurance companies. Ronny focused his legal education in insurance law, graduating second in his class, magna cum laude from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law, where he was elected to Law Review, inducted into the Brainerd Currie Honor Society, and won the Guerry R. Moore Insurance Law Award. Recruited by Georgia’s top insurance defense firms, Ronny learned what insurance companies fear and what makes them pay fair compensation to injured parties. Recently, Ronny received state-wide recognition for obtaining a $1 million recovery for a high school track coach struck by a truck while jogging with her students. He recovered ten times the available policy limit after the insurer refused to treat his client fairly. More recently, Ronny represented a pedestrian who was killed when a vehicle left its lane on I-985, and recovered over $1.9 million for the victim’s family.

Find out what your case is really worth ! MOTORCYCLE Crashes, Car Crashes, Fall Downs, Dog Bites : A graduate of University of Toledo College of Law, class of 1995, Attorney Richard A. Nicotra concentrates his practice on all areas of personal injury, focusing on car accidents, dog bite incidents and slip and fall incidents. He is admitted in all New York State Courts, including the Western New York Bankruptcy Court and Federal Court. Attorney Nicotra has won multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements and is the current President of the New York State Trial Lawyers – Western Region Affiliate. Mr. Nicotra is also an active member of the Erie County Bar Association a member of the Order of Barristers and the American Association for Justice.

Sam G. Caras (samcaras@caraslaw.com) was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. After a youth marked by participation in sports, Sam attended Wright State University, from which he graduated cum laude. During his last two years of undergraduate education he worked as a legislative aid for the Honorable C. J. McLin, and as a laborer in several industrial plants. Sam enrolled in the University of Dayton Law School in 1977 and graduated in 1980. During law school he enjoyed the privilege to clerk for the Honorable George J. Gounaris of the Civil Division of the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court for three years, while working part-time for two years with the City of Dayton Prosecutor's Office. Following graduation from law school he entered into private practice as an associate in an insurance defense firm, focusing on civil litigation defense of motor vehicle accidents, products liability, insurance, and professional liability cases. For several years after becoming partner in the insurance defense firm his practice concentration increasingly developed in plaintiff's personal injury and wrongful death. In 1990 he left the insurance defense practice and has since been practicing almost exclusively in the areas of medical and professional malpractice, wrongful death, serious personal injury, insurance litigation, with periodic referrals for business and contract litigation. Sam has practiced before all levels of Ohio courts, including successful arguments before the Ohio Supreme Court. He also has extensive experience in federal practice, particularly including practice before the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, along with pro hac vice admissions in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama and U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

As a partner at the McMahan Law Firm, LLC, D. Seth Holliday litigates disability, health, and life insurance claims on behalf of individuals who have been wrongfully denied their benefits. He is also dedicated to representing the seriously injured in personal injury litigation. Regarding private insurance benefits, Mr. Holliday has sued such insurance companies as Unum, Hartford, Prudential, Standard, Guardian/Berkshire, Cigna, MetLife, Aetna, Liberty Mutual, Mass-Mutual, and others that have denied individuals their private disability insurance (called “long-term disability” or “LTD”), life insurance or health insurance claims. His track record here is superb, and he obtains excellent results for his clients. Mr. Holliday is one of only a handful of attorneys across the United States who practices heavily in these areas. He has represented well over two thousand claimants at Social Security hearings and has a very high success rate.

In 2002, attorneys Andrew Hollis and Josh Wright joined together to form the Hollis Wright Law Firm. The two attorneys had one simple philosophy in starting the firm: to put clients first at the law firm and to work hard each and every day to protect the client’s interests by seeking compensation for the injuries they sustained. This goal has served them and the other attorneys at the firm incredibly well throughout the years and has helped them achieve some outstanding and fulfilling results. Hollis Wright has become one of the leading personal injury firms in the State of Alabama and has already established itself as a key law firm nationally in the area of mass torts. Our attorneys are aggressive, zealous advocates for the clients we represent. We are highly skilled in litigating and trying complex and contentious cases while always maintaining a sense of professionalism, integrity and respect for others. Our attorneys have literally tried or settled hundreds of million-dollar cases. However, our efforts are not only directed at achieving great monetary results for our clients. We understand that when you contact our firm, either you or a loved one has sustained an injury, oftentimes life altering. It is a time such as this that you need an attorney who will demonstrate compassion and take the time to truly understand your situation and the difficult challenges that you face. Our attorneys and staff members are dedicated to helping you through the litigation process and communicating with you about the developments in your case every step of the way.

Since his admission to the Louisiana Bar in 1988, J. Douglas Sunseri has practiced in diverse areas of the law. From 1990-1994, J. Douglas Sunseri worked under Attorney J. William Becknell, the legal counsel for Mr. John Mecom, Jr. and his affiliated companies. Mr. Mecom was the initial owner of the New Orleans Saints and had numerous holdings in oil & gas, hotels, real estate, professional sports and related businesses. As a result, Mr. Sunseri was fully educated in broad areas of law and business. Mr. Sunseri has participated in litigation involving employees, insureds, employers, insurers, and self-insured funds for property/casualty, employers' liability, employment discrimination, sexual harassment and worker's compensation claims. Other areas of practice consist of personal injury, insurance coverage, flood claims, hazard claims, wind-driven rain claims, business interruption, errors and omissions liability for insurance agents/insurance companies. Mr. Sunseri's practice also encompasses commercial litigation, mergers and acquisitions, incorporations, corporate agreements, employment contracts, licensing for intellectual property, leases, real estate, estate planning, wills, trusts and successions. Since Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Sunseri has specialized in a broad range of insurance issues including disaster litigation, insurance coverage, and business interruption. Also, Mr. Sunseri has concentrated in construction law, federal / state contracts, government contracting, licensing and information technology (IT). Mr. Sunseri's litigation experience includes jury trials in state and federal court. Mr. Sunseri also practices before worker's compensation judges with the Louisiana Department of Labor, administrative law judges and Special Masters assigned by the National Football League. He has directed litigation to the United States Supreme Court in connection with the National Football League and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Mr. Sunseri has conducted numerous seminars on topics involving Hurricane Katrina, government contracting, land contracting, construction, employment issues, worker's compensation and estate planning. Also, Mr. Sunseri serves as legal counsel for the Gulf Coast Government Contractors Association (GCGCA), a trade association for securing government contracts in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region. Recently, Mr. Sunseri was named as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana by Louisiana Attorney James "Buddy" Caldwell.

Frederick C. Thomas (“Fred”) has lived in Arizona for nearly thirty consecutive years, except for six years living in California. Fred went to Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Arizona. He graduated from Arizona State University where he obtained a degree in political science. During college, Fred interned with former US Senator Jon Kyl. After graduating college, he worked for American Family Insurance for three years. Realizing that life as an insurance adjuster was not for him, Fred attended the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. Fred is licensed in Arizona, California, and Colorado. Fred is also licensed in each California Federal District Court, the Arizona Federal District Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Fred has been practicing law since December 2003. Fred has practiced personal injury law since first becoming a lawyer. He has also represented individuals in habeas corpus matters ensuring that every individual received the Constitutional protections we all deserve. Fred’s knowledge and experience as a former insurance adjuster gives him an invaluable asset to his injury clients, he knows how the adjuster thinks, so he can be one step ahead of them. Fred also represents licensed contractors in various scenarios, whether defending their rights before the Registrar of Contractors or enforcing a mechanic’s lien and assisting in collecting unpaid contracts. Currently, Fred is a member of the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, a former President of the North Phoenix Bar Association, and a member of BNI Arizona, and was on the State Bar of Arizona’s Ethics Committee. Additionally, Fred was an adjunct professor, he taught Insurance Law, Remedies and Commercial Law. Fred spends his downtime mountain biking, playing golf, snowboarding, and hockey, and is a Sun Devil football season ticket holder, baseball, basketball, and hockey.

He’s been through several serious injuries himself, including a motorcycle accident at the age of 17 when he lost his left leg, just above the knee. Kelly understands the trauma and stress that follow a serious accident and has made it his mission to defend the rights and settlements of personal injury victims.