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HARRY P. BEGIER JR. is an attorney based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania specializing in first party property insurance work (insurance disputes) mainly for the insured. This field includes fires, windstorms, structural damage, business interruption, boiler and machinery claims, and all other forms of property damage customarily insured under a property policy as opposed to a liability policy. Typical problems for which clients seek assistance are: not being paid, not being paid the proper amount or delay in payment from their insurer. In addition to acting as an attorney in the first party property insurance field, Mr. Begier also has served as an arbitrator and appraiser in first party cases involving claims as large as $200 million. He also has lectured extensively in the first party area nationally. While based in Philadelphia, Mr. Begier has been involved in cases in Arizona, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, State of Washington, Utah, as well as Pennsylvania. Mr. Begier is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He also is a graduate of the U.S. Steel Accounting Management Program. CYNTHIA L. BERNSTIEL is a partner with Nelson Levine de Luca & Horst, LLC. She concentrates her practices in the areas of arson and fraud investigation and litigation. A former top prosecutor from the district attorney's office in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Ms. Bernstiel served as chief of the Investigating Grand Jury. In this capacity, she oversaw complex, multi-jurisdictional criminal investigations including, but not limited to, arsons and white collar crimes. She also tried numerous cases to verdict, including drug and sex crimes, violent felonies, and homicides. Both as a prosecutor and then as a civil litigator, Ms. Bernstiel developed vast experience in the investigation and defense of suspected insurance fraud claims. She conducts in-depth, multifaceted investigations on behalf of her insurance industry clients on a daily basis, and routinely conducts examinations under oath of policyholders in connection with all types of suspicious insurance claims, including arsons; residential and commercial burglaries; and claims involving income tax, bankruptcy and mortgage fraud, among others. Ms. Bernstiel frequently lectures on the topics of arson and fraud investigation and techniques, as well as fraud-related insurance coverage issues. Throughout her legal career, she has been very active in the Montgomery County Bar Association, serving as president of the Young Lawyer's Division; a member of the Board of Directors; chair of the American Citizenship and Membership Committees; and chief editor of the Montgomery County Law Reporter. Ms. Bernstiel has served on the Board of Directors of the Montgomery County Child Advocacy Projects and provides pro bono legal services as a child advocate. She also served as a hearing committee member for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Disciplinary Board, ending her six-year term as a senior hearing committee member in 2007. Ms. Bernstiel has been named a Pennsylvania Rising Star by Law & Politics. She is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Delaware and earned her law degree from Villanova University School of Law, where she was a member of the Moot Court Board. ROBERT C. BUCKLEY is the president of Robert Buckley, Fire & Explosion Investigations, LLC. He worked for the City of Philadelphia Fire Department for 27 years and was assistant fire marshall. Mr. Buckley conducted more than 7,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and vehicular loss investigations as to the cause and origin. He is an expert witness for Pennsylvania Commonwealth and the U.S. Federal Court. Mr. Buckley interviewed and appeared in BBC production "Blaze" series on major fire investigations and aired on Discovery Channel. He also interviewed and was quoted in Blaze, a book authored by Nicholas Faith on fire investigation. Mr. Buckley is a member of IAAI, National Association of Fire Investigators, Philadelphia Fire Officers Union and NFPA. ALAN H. CASPER is a solo practitioner with offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Mr. Casper earned his J.D. degree, cum laude, from American University's Washington College of Law. He is admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar Association and New Jersey State Bar Association; the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals; the Eastern, Middle and Western District Courts of Pennsylvania; and the District Court of New Jersey. Mr. Casper has represented the insurance policyholder with regard to a variety of insurance policies: property, liability, life, health, and disability insurance - both private and ERISA plans. He also is experienced in fire, insurance coverage and insurance bad faith litigation. Mr. Casper has served previously as chair of AAJ's Bad Faith Insurance Litigation Group, as vice-chair of PAJ's Bad Faith Litigation Section, and as Executive Director and General Counsel of the Pennsylvania Association of Public Insurance Adjusters. He has lectured on insurance, ERISA and bad faith issues for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Trial Lawyers Associations, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Mealey Publications, the American Conference Institute, National Business Institute and the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters. Mr. Casper has written on insurance and ERISA issues for the PATLA News/PA Justice News and PA Law Weekly, and has also published articles in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, The New Jersey Trial Lawyer and The New Jersey Employment Law Quarterly. He is a master in the Temple American Inn of Court. ANNE MANERO is a shareholder with the law firm of Kent & McBride, P.C. She is a graduate of Temple Law School. Ms. Manero is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. She practices insurance defense litigation. Ms. Manero's practice has been varied over the years. She has developed expertise in the defense of suits involving products liability, fire loss, construction, personal injury and defect, toxic tort, drug and medical devices, environmental claims, premises liability claims, motor vehicle claims, and professional malpractice. MONICA E. O'NEILL is a partner with Thomas Thomas & Hafer. Ms. O'Neill is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. As an assistant district attorney in the Kings County District Attorney's Office in Brooklyn, New York, she specialized in investigating and prosecuting arson and economic crimes. Ms. O'Neill's practice focuses in the area of insurance defense, including property, arson, casualty, fraud and construction litigation. She has been published in numerous insurance industry publications and is a frequent speaker at national and regional conferences of PLRB and IASIU in the areas of arson investigation, fraud detection and the adjustment of property claims. Ms. O'Neill currently is a member of the Philadelphia Loss Conference and is frequently appointed by the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas to preside over settlement conferences as a Judge pro tem. She earned her J.D. degree from Temple University School of Law and her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from Roger Williams College. JEFFREY P. WALLACK is a partner in the law firm of Wisler Pearlstine, LLP, where he practices in the areas of construction law, insurance law, and commercial and civil litigation. He is a member of the American Bar Association's Forum on the Construction Industry. Mr. Wallack often gives seminars for both construction industry professionals and legal professionals, having recently lectured on Pennsylvania's mechanic's lien law and Pennsylvania construction defect and mold litigation. He earned his A.B. degree at Princeton University and his J.D. degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Wallack is a member of the Montgomery County and Pennsylvania bar associations, and is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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