Speakers

Dennis VanDerGinst is the managing partner of VanDerGinst Law, P.C.  He is also the CEO of MegaHunter, Inc., a website development company specializing in websites and internet marketing for lawyers.

Dennis is widely considered to be one of the finest attorneys in the country. He has been featured on the National Public Radio program America’s Premier Lawyers and has been profiled in Fortune magazine. Law Dragon Publications has selected Dennis as one of the Top 3000 lawyers in the country, a distinction bestowed upon less than one half of one percent of attorneys in the United States. He has been selected by his peers as a "Leading Lawyer" in the area of personal injury law. Only the top 5% of attorneys in the country earn that honor. He has also been selected as one of the top 5% of attorneys in the country by the "Best Attorneys Network", which considers not only the votes of other attorneys, but importantly, the input of clients as well. Chicago Lawyer magazine has recognized Dennis as one of the “Top Injury Lawyers In Illinois.”

He has earned induction into Who's Who in American Law for the past eleven years, and is a Life Member of the National Registry Of Who's Who in recognition of his efforts and achievements in the areas of law and business. His tremendous success is also illustrated by his membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an honor reserved for attorneys who have secured million dollar and multi million dollar verdicts and settlements, which Dennis has done numerous times.

Dennis is also very active in county, state and national bar associations. He serves on the Board of Managers for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. He is the Illinois State Delegate for the American Association for Justice. In addition, he serves on the Board of Trustees for the Pound Civil Justice Institute.

Equally impressive are Dennis’s credentials and knowledge in the area of law firm marketing.  His law firm was one of the first in the country to develop a website and do extensive marketing online, having developed their first website in 1990.  In 1999 he began the company now known as MegaHunter, Inc. which is the only website development company to have ever been endorsed by the American Association for Justice.  He has served on that association’s Lawyer Marketing Committee since its establishment several years ago.  He has worked with some of the most established attorney advertising agencies in the country including Network Affiliates, CJ Advertising and Practice Made Perfect.  He has been a regular member and presenter at a number of national seminars and consortiums focusing on attorney marketing and law firm management including M&L Marketing and Management Seminars, the Masters Marketing Group and the Trial Lawyer’s Marketing Roundtable. Most recently Dennis has become an equal shareholder in the advertising agency, TAG Legal Marketing.

Michael J. Skoler is responsible for all aspects of operations at The Law Offices of James Sokolove, LLC.

His specific responsibilities include new business development, management of existing and potential affiliate relations, identifying and researching new products (case types), developing marketing strategies, and securing national counsel to handle the caseload. Michael maintains frequent contact with current national affiliates to ensure quality control and to manage and audit files generated through The Law Offices of James Sokolove, LLC.

Prior to joining the firm, Michael was a founding member of Arthur Andersen’s Global Corporate Finance Group, where he served as a Senior Director in Andersen Corporate Finance LLC. Prior to Andersen, Michael was an Associate with Riverside Partners, a leveraged buyout firm with headquarters in Boston.

Michael earned his MBA from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College and holds a BSBA in Finance and Law from American University in Washington D.C. He is qualified as a General Securities Representative.

Harlan Schillinger is a thirty-two year veteran of the advertising industry who joined Network Affiliates in 1985 to lead the legal marketing efforts. Prior to joining Network Affiliates, Harlan was Vice President and one of the founding partners of Madison, Muyskens & Jones, in Lakeville, Connecticut. Along with his partners, Harlan founded the first syndication firm for retailers using television commercials.

Knowing your business and searching out opportunities for clients is one of his strongest agendas. Throughout the year, Harlan attends conventions, attorney meetings and several prominent roundtable forums throughout the country in order to help Network clients stay on top of the legal field.

Harlan is an avid motorcycle enthusiast who enjoys being a member of the most unique custom motorcycle club in the world, the Hamsters USA. His passions are building and riding custom motorcycles and playing golf.

Harlan sits on the Board of the Children's Care Hospital of South Dakota.

Richard Middleton is one of the most accomplished trial lawyers in America. His work with and for the the American Association for Justice is legendary. He served on the AAJ Board of Governors from 1986-1998. He ascended to the Presidency of that organization in 1999-2000, after having served one year stints as Parliamentarian, Treasurer, Secretary, Vice-President and President-Elect. He has served as a Trustee for the AAJ –PAC and the AAJ Endowment. In addition, he has actively participated in dozens of AAJ Committees, serving as Chairman or Co-Chairman for nine separate committees at one time or another.

He has served as a Fellow and a Trustee for the Civil Justice Foundation, and as Trustee, Vice-President and President of the Roscoe Pound Institute (n/k/a the Pound Civil Justice Institute). He has been on the Board of Governors for the Southern Trial Lawyers Association. Richard has also been very active in the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the Savannah Trial Lawyers Association, having served on numerous committees and as Vice-President for both organizations, and as President for the Savannah association. Richard has also served as President of the Georgia state chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and as a member of the National Board of Directors for that organization. His service within, and on behalf of, various areas within the bar go on and on.

Richard is also a prolific author. He has written over two hundred published articles and treatises for legal journals, law reviews and other periodicals. He has been a widely respected speaker and faculty member for the National College of Advocacy.

Click on the image below to go to The National Crime Victim Bar Association website to sign up

With 25 years of marketing experience, Mike Vondran has helped many clients successfully reach their audience. Through research, expertise, and strategic planning Mike and his team have produced results for clients such as Sprint, General Motors, Diversified Clinical Therapy, and Fox Network, which has established Mike as a “leader in his field.” He is considered a “take charge marketer” by his peers.

Mike began his working career in finance and banking but quickly discovered a passion for marketing and sales. His move to broadcast television landed him the management role of VP of Marketing and Sales for the NBC Affiliate in Davenport, IA. In 1990 he co-founded The Ad Group, a full service advertising agency, which has a client list that extends across the nation. The creation of TAG - Legal Marketing is a natural extension of the firm. TAG utilizes the expertise and strength in retail marketing, and applies this model to the legal profession. This unique breadth of experience is of great value to today’s marketing attorney. Mike and his team of talented professionals are mindful of ethics rules applicable to attorney marketing. Always working within these guidelines, they develop positive, custom creative that delivers a solid message to the target audience. His extensive and eclectic background makes it possible to bring new and exciting insights to a sometimes stagnant legal marketing environment.

Mike also serves his community by offering his expertise with several local charitable/non-profit boards. He resides in Davenport with his wife and son.

Following a degree in finance from the university of Mississippi and a brief one-year stint with Nashville area bank, Arnie Malham began his career in advertising by joining the sales team of the local CBS affiliate. After four years in sales, Arnie built on the trust of one of his primary clients to form cj Advertising in 1994.

Over the years, the agency has grown to be the largest full-service advertising agency in the country catering exclusively to personal injury lawyers. With a long-term goal to build and represent the top 50 personal injury brands in the country, the agency promises distinctive branding, results driven creative and 360-degree marketing to each of its exclusively represented clients. With a full-time staff of 55, the agency offers the traditional services of media placement and production, and also completes its clients’ marketing plans by offering web services, public relations and database mining, as well as yellow page design, tracking and management.

The agency boasts of three industry-defining products completely unique to the market place.

• cjTrack an online system designed to track every commercial and every new inquiry for the agency’s clients. This system ensures maximum efficiencies of marketing budgets and puts all the clients’ historical trends immediately at the clients’ fingertips via the internet.


• cjMass Torts Matrix, an online system designed to maintain an active list of mass torts options and to easily report each case’s facts and the firm of firms seeking the cases.


• The EXP News Network, a web-based news reporting service designed to capture our clients’ personalities and allow their prospective clients the opportunities to better understand the law firms’ contributions to their communities and the importance of hiring a lawyer.

In 2000, Arnie launched another business aimd at fulfilling a specific need of injury law firms. Legal Intake Professionals (LIP), a call center exclusively dedicated to new case intake for injury lawyers, first opened with only a handful of specialist and the responsibility of answering the after-hours calls of only four trusting firms. Today, more than 50 specialists provide the ever expanding intake center and the empathy, compassion and intelligence to make LIP the premier after hours’ provider for more than 80 law offices across the country, and the 24/7/365 call intake solution for another 24 firms.

When Not focused on LIP, cj or the agency’s clients, Arnie follows NHL Hockey (the Predators), NFL Football (the Titans) and college football (the Rebels). He is the father of two grade-school children and runs regularly to both clear his mind and dream up new ideas. Personal life goals include studying religions of the world, coaching sports, and traveling to the most legendary hockey venues in the United States and Canada. (Arnie’s wife, who us not fond of cold weather, is only marginally happy about the last goal).

Morris Bart was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. Morris Bart is the founder of the Law Firm of Morris Bart, L.L.C.. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Orleans and a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School in New Orleans in 1978. While at Loyola he was president of Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity, a member of the Blue Key National Honor Society, and received the American Jurist award for academic excellence. Mr. Bart was inducted into the Louisiana Bar in 1978 and is currently a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, Florida Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Bart is also currently serving as a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association Committee on Advertising.

As a pioneer in the field of legal advertising, Mr. Bart has been the subject of numerous newspaper and television features stories.  Additionally, Mr. Bart has written and published several articles on the marketing of legal services, and has spoken nationally before various trade groups including the American Marketing Association, Tulane University Marketing Association, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, and the Trial Lawyers Marketing Association. He has also been a guest lecturer at Tulane University, the University of New Orleans and Loyola Law School.

In 2007 and 2008 Mr. Bart was selected as a "Super Lawyer" in the field of General Personal Injury for Plaintiffs by Law and Politics magazine, a publication written by attorneys for attorneys.  This recognition resulted from thousands of ballots sent to all active attorneys in Louisiana regarding Mr. Bart's professional achievements and peer recognition, as well as other deciding factors.  This designation places Morris Bart in the top 5% of all attorneys in the state of Louisiana.

In 1980, he became the first attorney in Louisiana to advertise personal injury on television and since that time has been a leader of marketing legal services in Louisiana. The Morris Bart law firm is devoted to personal injury law with offices in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Monroe, Alexandria, Lake Charles, Lafayette and Shreveport, Louisiana, and in Gulfport and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. His staff consists of over 30 lawyers and 100 employees making it one of the largest plaintiff personal injury law firms in the United States. Mr. Bart believes in giving back to the community and is active in and a board member of numerous civic, educational and religious organizations. Additionally, he is an active tennis player and fitness enthusiast.

Ernest “Ernie” Cory is one the founding shareholders of Cory Watson Crowder and DeGaris, P.C. in Birmingham Alabama. For over 25 years he has devoted his practice exclusively to representing individuals, businesses and classes injured by the wrongful conduct of others. His primary focus is mass torts, class actions and commercial litigation.

Over the past 15 years, the firm has successfully represented clients nationally in mass torts including Dalkon Shield, Breast Implants, Fen-Phen, ProteGen Slings, Pedicle Screws, PPA, Rezulin, Baycol, Smith and Nephew Knee replacement, Depuy Knee replacements, Bextra, lead paint, countless environmental contamination cases and airline disasters. Currently in mass tort litigation, the firm is heavily involved with Kugel Composix Hernia Patch, Guidant and Medtronic Heart Devices, Trasylol, Fosamax, ReNu Contact Lenses Solution, Ortho Evra. Ernie and other members of the firm are currently serving by judicial appointment in leadership roles in many of these coordinated proceedings.

In the area of commercial litigation, Ernie, working with two other firms, has been actively pursuing claims against accounting firms, investment bankers and law firms for their roles in promoting and selling Abusive Tax Shelters to wealthy individuals. To date, their efforts have resulted in class action settlements against the law firms of Jenkens and Gilchrist and Cantley Sedacca as well as confidential settlements against other parties totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

Ernie is a graduate of The University of Alabama and Cumberland School of Law at Samford University where he has endowed a law scholarship for future attorneys interested in protecting the rights of the injured. He and the firm support many other educational and charitable organizations including The University of Alabama Pre-Law Studies, Legal Services of Alabama, Alabama Appleseed Center, Birmingham Bar Foundation, Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Tum Tum Tree Foundation, United Way and many others.

IBM, the U. S. Senate, Westinghouse, Xerox, NASA, Environmental Protection Agency, Greif Brothers Corporation and the US Armed Forces are just a few of the organizations that have used my services. I'm John Beane consultant, professional speaker, and workshop leader. I deliver information-packed, how-to-strategies you and your people can use immediately.

As a consultant my business is to understand your business and help you define and accomplish your goals. This could include interviews along with assessment instruments to evaluate individuals and your organization. Whether dealing with top executives, managers, or non-management personnel, my consulting and workshops are customized to fit your specific needs, time frame, and level of participation.

Clients have found a variety of situations in which I could be of help such as:

• Improving Management Effectiveness
• Helping with Strategic Planning
• Negotiating skills
• Implementing and teaching project management
• Customer service in call centers
• Total Quality Management
• Team creation and improvement
• Improving supervisor skills
• Implementing lean manufacturing
• Consulting on open book management

With over 25 years of business experience I combine theoretical knowledge with everyday practicality to give you the best of my experience. I have been president and CEO of several businesses in which leadership was an everyday occurrence. I've also been a consultant, lecturer and speaker on the topic for the past 15 years.

I am well versed in organizational development and personal change. Whether consulting or training, I believe in getting the job done - helping each organization and client meet their needs.

My other areas of expertise include the use of instruments to assess individuals and organizations. I am certified by Simmons Management Systems to conduct surveys which are used to determine how people feel about organizational issues.

To measure personality I use the TTI Personality Profile, an easily understood instrument especially good for team members getting to know each other. A values instrument can help teams increase their knowledge about individual drives. The Simmons Personal Survey delves much deeper into an individual's emotional intelligence and is well suited for predictive work during the hiring or promotional process. Use of this tool enables me to discuss in great detail the capabilities of an individual, his or her probable success or failure. This instrument can also be used in coaching when someone is not performing at a desired level.

My style is not only knowledgeable, but warm and approachable. People say that in my work I can turn an abstract concept into a workable approach enabling them to apply my strategies on the job. Some people have told me such things as, "He not only knows what he's talking about, he makes complex ideas clear I now know what my next steps need to be." Many people have expressed feelings of a life changing day after one of my sessions.

If you wish to talk with my clients I will be glad to provide names and phone numbers.

Vist me at johnbeane.com

Currently the principal of Friedman Law Offices, Lincoln, Nebraska. Herbert J.Friedman was on the Nebraska State Bar Association Committee of Advertising and Specialization from 1987 to 1995 and served as chair; chair of the ATLA Advertising Oversight Committee 1988-89; and is currently chair of the AAJ Marketing and Client Services Committee and on the Board of Governors; board member and past president Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys; president-elect of Nebraska Appleseed for Law and the Public Interest; and on the Board of the Mid West Region, ADL.

He is known for handling complicated, difficult cases which nobody else in their right mind would even touch. He was awarded the Champion of Civil Justice Award by the National Crime Victims Bar Association in 2005 for his work in Brandon v. Richardson County, Nebraska, which was the case that formed the basis of the academy award movie, “Boys Don’t Cry.” Friedman has tried over 100 jury cases to verdict. He is a strong advocate of the First Amendment rights of all citizens, including lawyers, and his firm was the first to market on television in his market.

Herbert recieved his Bachelor of Science degree and Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Nebraska BS, 1959 and JD 1960; Admitted Nebraska State and Federal Courts 1960; US Court of Military Appeals 1961; US Supreme Court 1979;. Capt JAGC USAR 1960-62. Active trial practice 1962 to present.

Greg Jones is the principal in Greg Jones and Associates, a North Carolina personal injury law firm with 8 offices around the state. Licensed in both South Carolina and Georgia, Greg maintains a regional practice with an emphasis on mass torts and overtime cases. Greg is a member of the Leaders Forum for the American Association for Justice. He is a member of the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, a member of the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, a member of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, the Pound Civil Justice Institute and the Southern Trial Lawyers Association. Greg is a past member of the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee for the Graniteville Train Derailment and Chlorine Spill Disaster. He is currently active in several major overtime cases involving the poultry industry, Family Dollar Stores, Dollar Tree and GameStop.

After graduating from law school, Ted returned to his hometown of Prattville, Alabama, where he learned the basics of a general law practice in the firm of Howell, Sarto & Howell. In 1995, Ted moved his growing personal injury practice to Birmingham, Alabama, where he became a partner in the plaintiffs' litigation firm of Davenport, Lavette & Meadows, P.C. In 2001, Ted accepted an "of counsel" position at Beasley Allen. While he has spent his entire career helping the injured and defrauded, Ted now focuses on representing personal injury victims throughout the country in claims against pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers.

Ted became a shareholder at Beasley Allen in 2002. Since that time, he has been the principal Beasley Allen attorney in settlements totaling in excess of $55 million.

Ted is a frequent speaker on mass tort issues. He has been a guest speaker at National Lawyer Conventions held in New Orleans, Miami, Key West, Aspen, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Atlanta. Ted received the Alabama State Bar Continuing Legal Education Award in recognition of efforts to continue and enhance professional competence. He has been recognized as an "advocate" by the National College of Advocacy. Ted has spoken at the Mississippi Judicial College on the subject of Electronic Discovery. He has spoken regarding Hormone Therapy (Prempro) litigation in a conference sponsored by the American Association for Justice. Ted has been interviewed by Legal Times Network regarding the latest in the Vioxx litigation. He was recently mentioned in the 2007 edition of The Legal 500- A book carrying independent editorial commentary on the leading law firms in the United States.

Ted was the principal Beasley Allen attorney who handled the Lotronex, Meridia, Guidant Ancure Stent & Sulzer litigations. He is currently handling Pain Pump Cases, Hormone Therapy Litigation (Prempro), Smith & Nephew Knee Replacement lawsuits, Medtronic Heart Devices, & Guidant Heart Devices. Ted is also investigating other potential Mass Tort cases. He currently serves on the Plaintiffs' Governing Committee in the Prempro Multi District Litigation and is the lead attorney in a Prempro case set for trial in Minnesota..

Ted is married to the former Carla Musgrove of Eufaula, Alabama. They have two children, Nathan and Amanda. He and his family are members of Saint James United Methodist Church, where he is actively involved in the Music Ministry and serves on the Board of Trustees.

CEO Christine Nitz, PCC, CPCC is the founder and principle facilitator and coach for VisionCrest Consulting, LLC. For the past 25 years she has trained and coached Sales Executives, Field Representatives, Managers, Supervisors, Entrepreneurs, Business Owners and REALTORS®; working with them to boost sales, increase profits and build highly productive teams.

As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through International Coach Federation and a Certified Professional Co-active Coach, (CPCC) through Coach Training Institute Christine operates from the assumption that each client holds the answers to their own success. “My job is to help clients tap into their individual strengths, explore possibilities, recognize and move beyond obstacles, and set in place structures to help them achieve their goals.”

Author of the Full Spectrum Technologies™ training programs, The Professor A. Paradiddledigm Chronicles: Leadership Lessons from the School of Hard Knocks and a seasoned business and personal development coach, Christine brings diverse skills and experience into the classroom, to the boardroom and while working one-on-one with clients.

Christine’s background includes a variety of fields such as Process Engineering, Systems Analysis, Sales, Law Enforcement, Corporate Training and Executive Coaching. She has also worked with banks and financials institutions, government agencies local, state, and federal, healthcare educational institutions.

Richard Paresky is the National Sales Manager at Needles. With over thirty years of Sales and Marketing experience, Rich is crucial to the success of Needles. He has been happily associated with Chesapeake Interlink for ten years. Prior to working for Needles, Rich worked with Burt Bank in the catalog and marketing business, where he had his first brush with computers and automation.

He then moved to New York, where he held several Sales Management positions at well known men's designer clothing firms. Richard spends much of his time working with legal groups, meeting with prospective clients and Needles firms around the country, and educating plaintiff attorneys on the benefits of case management in the law office. Rich works closely with the marketing and programming staff at Needles to incorporate client and prospect "wishlist" items into new versions of the software.

A graduate of Louisiana State University and Loyola School of Law, Daniel Becnel is a nationally recognized attorney with over 35 years of experience (www.becnellaw.com). In 1972 at the age of 28 he won the largest verdict ($1,000,000) for an individual in the state of Louisiana. Ever since, he has practiced in the New Orleans area as one of the most prominent personal injury attorneys in the country.

With a specialty in mass tort and class action cases, he has served as counsel in several national cases such as: Fen-Phen, Welding Rods, Breast Implants, Norplant and Tobacco to name a few. In addition Daniel Becnel is one of the most experienced lawyers in chemical release and toxic tort cases. In 1985 Becnel was recognized by Town & Country magazine as one of the fifty best lawyers in the United States. He is currently involved in several local and national personal injury cases; he also frequently teaches other lawyers on how to try class action and mass tort cases.