Agenda / Content Covered

1. Essential Workers' Compensation Laws, Concepts and Legal Updates
   9:00 — 9:45, Truc Tran
   1. State Workers' Compensation Laws and Guidelines
      1. Who is Eligible?
      2. Covered Injuries
      3. Available Benefits
      4. Workers' Compensation Insurance Basics
   2. Key Terms and Concepts
      1. Disability: Permanent, Temporary, Partial and Total
      2. Impairment Ratings
      3. Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)
      4. Vocational Rehabilitation
   3. Legal Updates
2. Navigating Workers' Compensation Processes, Procedures and Forms
   9:45 — 10:30, T. Brian Tobin
   1. Determining the Value of a Claim
   2. Claim Filing Procedures and Time Limits
   3. The Medical Evaluation Process
   4. How Insurers Evaluate Claims
   5. The Vocational Process: Common Mistakes Attorneys Make
   6. Key Forms: Avoiding Critical Mistakes
3. How Doctors Evaluate Workers' Compensation Medical Issues
   10:45 — 11:30, Billie-Marie Morrison, Jason Weinstock
   1. Legal Responsibilities of Physicians
   2. Impairment Rating Guidelines
   3. Functional Capacity Evaluations
   4. Independent Medical Examinations
   5. Injury Causation
   6. How MMI is Determined
4. Proving - or Disproving - the Validity of Denied Claims
   11:30 — 12:15, Billie-Marie Morrison, Jason Weinstock
   1. Key Causal Connections That Make or Break Claims
   2. Is There an Employment Relationship?
   3. Willful Misconduct
   4. Preexisting Conditions
   5. Occupational Diseases
   6. Mental and Stress-Related Claims
   7. Horseplay Claims
   8. Travelling Employees
   9. Off-the-Clock Claims
5. Using Evidence to Your Client's Advantage: Claimant and Respondent Strategies
   1:15 — 2:00, Michael Del Bueno
   1. Official Medical Records
   2. Second Medical Opinions
   3. Documentation of the Recovery Process
   4. Pre- and Post-MMI Jobs Created
   5. Accident Reports
   6. Employment Records
   7. Witness Statements
   8. Insurance Carrier Doctor Background and Competency
   9. Use of Expert Witnesses
   10. Social Media Landmines
6. Mastering the Art of Settlement Negotiation
   2:00 — 2:45, Megan Clark
   1. Determining the Right Time to Settle
   2. Lump Sum vs. Structured Settlements
   3. Negotiating Payment for Disputed Treatment Costs
   4. Future Medical Expenses
   5. Lost Wages and Lost Earning Capacity
   6. Factoring in Liens
   7. Minimizing Social Security Offsets
   8. Medicare - and Medicaid - Set-Aside Considerations
7. Essential Workers' Compensation Hearing and Appeal Tactics: Perspectives From Both Sides of the Aisle
   3:00 — 3:30, A. Jacob Perkinson
8. Ethical Considerations
   3:30 — 4:30, T. Brian Tobin
   1. Rules of Professional Conduct
   2. Communication with Other Parties
   3. Attorneys' Fees
   4. Lawyer Liability

Accreditation Details:

MEGAN KERWIN CLARK is an attorney with the law firm of Whitt & Del Bueno, P.C. in Glen Allen, Virginia. Ms. Clark represents municipalities, local government entities, insurance companies and self-insured businesses in workers' compensation claims throughout the Commonwealth. She received her B.A. degree from Penn State University and her J.D. degree from the University of Richmond School of Law. Ms. Clark is licensed by the Virginia State Bar, and is a member of the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys and the Workers' Compensation Inn of Court.

MICHAEL P. DEL BUENO is a partner in the Glen Allen law firm of Whitt & Del Bueno, P.C. Mr. Del Bueno has been an attorney for more than 25 years and practices in the areas of insurance defense and workers' compensation law. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys. Mr. Del Bueno earned his B.A. degree from Muhlenberg College and his J.D. degree from Widener University School of Law.

BILLIE-MARIE MORRISON is an attorney with Craig P. Kenny & Associates, manages the workers' compensation department and is certified by the State Bar of Nevada as a specialist in the area of workers' compensation. She clerked twice on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for the Honorable Johnnie B. Rawlinson, and interned twice - once for the United State District Court, Nevada and once on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The majority of her practice is in the area of workers' compensation, along with personal injury, products liability and mass torts. Ms. Morrison has been featured on national television and radio programs, as well as in numerous newspaper articles for her work representing injured persons and her work with volunteer work with Women's Heart. She taught workers' compensation law at the William S. Boyd School of Law and Administration Law at the College of Southern Nevada. Ms. Morrison has also published many papers and articles, and continues to speak on a variety of topics: workers' compensation, litigation practices, administrative law and ethics. She is a member of the Nevada Justice Association (NJA) (co-creater, Workers' Compensation Committee; past Board of Governors member). Ms. Morrison is also a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and served as the AAJ workers' compensation newsletter editor. Additionally, she is a former board member of Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG) and continues to be an active member, and is a member of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association (STLA), Clark County Bar Association, and Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys (SNAWA) (former board member). Ms. Morrison also serves the State Bar of Nevada as a mentor in the Transition in to Practice (TIP) program. She was also awarded the prestigious Top 100 Workers' Compensation Lawyers in the United States many times, Super Lawyers Rising Stars/Mountain States and Top Lawyers in Nevada. Ms. Morrison is licensed to practice law in the State of Nevada, as well as in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. She earned her B.A. degree from Western Colorado University, and her M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

A. JACOB PERKINSON is an attorney with the law firm Whitt & Del Bueno, P.C. in Glen Allen, Virginia. Mr. Perkinson represents municipalities, local government entities, insurance companies and self-insured businesses in workers' compensation claims throughout the Commonwealth. He graduated valedictorian from the Appalachian School of Law. Mr. Perkinson has experience representing both claimants and defendants in workers' compensation cases. He is licensed by the Virginia State Bar and is a member of the Workers' Compensation Inn of Court. Mr. Perkinson also serves as chair of the Workers' Compensation Section of the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys.

T. BRIAN TOBIN is a member in the St. Louis law firm of Huck, Howe & Tobin, where he practices in the areas of workers' compensation and general litigation. He earned his B.A. degree from Indiana University and his J.D. degree from St. Louis University School of Law. Mr. Tobin frequently lectures on workers' compensation issues for National Business Institute. He is a member of The Missouri Bar (Workers' Compensation Committee). Mr. Tobin is licensed in Missouri and Illinois.

TRUC TRAN is an attorney in the Charleston, South Carolina, office of the law firm of Gallivan, White & Boyd P.A. Ms. Tran concentrates her practice on workers' compensation defense. Prior to joining the firm, she gained extensive litigation and trial experience as a prosecutor for the 9th Circuit Solicitor's Office. Ms. Tran also served as lead domestic counsel for a firm in the Lowcountry. She received her B.A. degree from the College of Charleston and her J.D. degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

JASON H. WEINSTOCK is an attorney with the Law Office of Jason H. Weinstock, PLLC in Henderson, Nevada. Mr. Weinstock has had over a thousand administrative hearings tried before the State of Nevada, Department of Administration, Hearings and Appeals Divisions on contested workers' compensation claims. He received his B.A. degree from San Diego State University and his J.D. degree from UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law. Mr. Weinstock is a member of the Clark County Bar Association and the Nevada Justice Association.