Thomas Bojko, MD, MS, JD, FCLM is President and Managing Partner of Aviva Healthcare Solutions (AHCS) and Founding Partner of Thomas & Krail, LLC. AHCS is a consulting firm assisting healthcare organizations, entrepreneurs, attorneys and medical groups. AHCS provides a variety consulting services for the US and global healthcare market, including: litigation support, assisting foreign healthcare companies to access the US market, accreditation guidance and fostering international facility cooperation. Hospital Experts – a business unit of AHCS, is the leading authority on hospital corporate negligence. Thomas & Krail, LLC is a law firm focusing on general practice in Freehold, NJ. Dr. Bojko has spent over two decades in healthcare where he has held both clinical and executive leadership positions in hospital and medical administration. Most recently, he was the Executive Director of Kimball Medical Center in Lakewood, NJ.

Prior to that, he was the Director of Medical Services and Clinical Operations at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital / Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, as well as an Associate Professor and Senior Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, Department of Pediatrics, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Before assuming his positions at Robert Wood Johnson, Dr. Bojko was the Director of Critical Care Medicine at the Infants and Children’s Hospital at Maimonides Medical Center. He is also the former Director of the pediatric intensive care unit at the Brooklyn Hospital Center and at Bellevue Hospital, both in New York City.

In addition to his Medical Degree, received from the University of Rome, Dr. Bojko received a Master of Science Degree in Health Care Administration, Management and Policy from New York University’s Robert. F. Wagner School of Public Service, and a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law. Dr. Bojko has made many contributions to the administrative, clinical and educational aspects of healthcare and received numerous awards in recognition of his efforts.

During his more than ten-year tenure at Robert-Wood Johnson, Dr. Bojko was charged with the overall operations of the Children’s Hospital. He gained national prominence serving as a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Critical Care Executive Committee and as a member of the NACHRI (National Association of Children’s Hospitals) Board of Trustees. Dr. Bojko is currently a Clinical Associate Professor at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. In addition, he has authored numerous articles, policy statements and editorials in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Bojko has held statewide offices in New Jersey as the chair of the State AGMEC (Advisory Graduate Medical Education Council.)

With a passion for justice, Anne McGinness Kearse seeks to hold accountable numerous corporations that put profits before safety. Through litigation, Anne pursues the implementation of better safety practices and corporate governance measures for those corporations, as well as just compensation for victims of toxic exposure, extreme and life-altering injuries, workplace injuries and diseases, severe burns, brain damage, loss of limb and paralysis, and wrongful death resulting from negligence and defective products. Devoted to occupational safety, Anne recently secured a jury verdict against SAR Automation, L.P. for $8.8 million* for the wrongful death of a worker who fell at a Boeing facility leaving behind a widow and two small children.

Anne works closely with victims and their families, often meeting with them in their homes for consultations. She strives to provide each client with personalized attention and individual justice, whether the case is part of a class action or stands alone. Anne believes in building relationships with co-counsel and often collaborates with other attorneys, including estate and probate counsel, in order to approach each case from a team perspective.

Anne represents workers diagnosed with the devastating disease mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure in the chemical, electric power generation, steel or construction industries. She also represents victims of household exposure— children and spouses who developed mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases after being exposed to asbestos fibers that a family member unwittingly brought home from work on clothes or belongings. Anne has tried several noteworthy asbestos cases, including Cox vs. A&I Company, West Virginia’s first household asbestos exposure case, and the 2002 West Virginia Consolidated Asbestos Trial against Union Carbide in which unsafe working conditions were found at its plants throughout the state. 

In addition to maintaining an active trial schedule, Anne represents Canadian Workers’ Compensation Boards in U.S. courts to recoup benefits they paid Canadian asbestos victims. In addition to asbestos, Anne represents and has secured settlements for flavoring workers who suffered respiratory ailments and other diseases caused by toxic chemical exposure.

While in law school, Anne supported the team representing the State Attorneys General in the historic lawsuit against Big Tobacco, which resulted in the largest civil settlement in U.S. history. After graduation, she was a member of the trial team that litigated Falise v. American Tobacco Company.*

Well-versed in navigating complex litigation, Anne holds several leadership positions within the firm, managing legal teams associated with occupational disease, toxic exposure and severe personal injury. Anne has written several articles of interest to the plaintiffs’ bar and frequently speaks on asbestos litigation, general product liability, legal ethics and tort reform at seminars across the country. She has been published on major legal issues, including forum non conveniens and defective products abroad, corporate misconduct, medicolegal aspects of asbestos litigation and mass tort litigation. Anne co-authored the 12th chapter of the book, “Pathology of Asbestos-Associated Diseases” (Medicolegal Aspects of Asbestos-Related Diseases: A Plaintiff’s Attorney’s Perspective, 3rd ed., 2014). Edited by Victor L. Roggli, MD; Tim D. Oury, MD, PhD; and Thomas A. Sporn, MD, this publication is a comprehensive asbestos reference book used by both physicians and attorneys.

Anne served as the 2016-2017 President of the Public Justice Foundation, a charitable organization focused on protecting people and the environment and increasing access to justice. She is currently the Immediate Past President for Public Justice and has been on the Board of Directors since 2010. In 2011, Anne served on the Executive Board for a local chapter of Safe Kids USA, advocating for childhood injury prevention. Anne is recognized as a BV® rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell®.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES:

The Best Lawyers in America® 2016 Charleston, S.C. “Lawyer of the Year”: Mass tort litigation/class actions – plaintiffs

2011–2019 Mass tort litigation/class actions – plaintiffs

University of South Carolina School of Law Alumni Association 2018 Complete Lawyer Award 1998 Bronze Complete Award

The National Trial Lawyers 2010

Top 100 Trial Lawyers™: South Carolina

The Legal 500 United States 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016 Mass tort and class action: plaintiff representation – toxic tort

South Carolina Super Lawyers® list 2013–2018 Class action/mass torts; Personal injury – products: plaintiff; Personal injury – general: plaintiff

Benchmark Plaintiff 2013 National “Litigation Star”: mass tort/product liability – plaintiffs 2012–2014 South Carolina “Litigation Star”: mass tort/product liability – plaintiffs

2014 Top 150 Women in Litigation list: South Carolina: mass tort/product liability – plaintiffs.

Michaela founded Video Law Services, Inc. in 1985, after ten years as an award-winning television journalist. Her experience at television stations in Houston, Boston, Providence and Jacksonville includes personal and team responsibilities as a reporter, anchor and producer.

In the legal arena, Michaela has produced hundreds of Settlement Documentaries and Day in the Life Documentaries and several have netted precedent-setting results. She won an Emmy for Crime and Consequences, a documentary about teenagers committing crime and an inside look at their lives behind bars. She and her team have won more than 50 Awards for Settlement Documentaries produced for attorneys and their clients around the US.

She is a contributing author in Witness Preparation, by V. Hale Starr (Aspen Law & Business, 1998); The Deposition Field Manual, by John Romano (PESI, 2003); A Fuller View: Buckminster Fuller’s Vision of Hope and Abundance for All, by L. Steven Sieden (2012).

In 2011, Michaela was a finalist as Pioneer of the Year by the Women in Business Awards. Michaela won Sustainable Florida’s Best Practice Award in Green Building and was named a Florida Sustainability Ambassador.

Michaela became a leader in the Green Building movement after losing her riverfront home during Tropical Storm Fay in August 2008. She deconstructed the original house and rebuilt. The home earned the 1st Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) award in NE Florida and is one the MOST energy efficient houses in the world.

Michaela loves organic gardening and traveling. Her greatest passion is helping others by telling their stories in compelling documentaries.

Video Law Services, Inc.
1621 Emerson Street
Jacksonville, FL 32207
800-526-5643
904-399-8825
Michaela@videolawservices.com

Beginning the practice of law with the loosely-defined goal of representing people, Cammie began as a “street lawyer.” She represented people charged with crimes, and began to see a pattern. Clients who were injured during their arrests were often charged with assaulting the arresting officer or resisting detention. If the investigation revealed that the client had not actually assaulted anyone but was a victim of police abuse of power, she would file a civil rights claim after defeating the criminal charges. When Mayor Martin Chavez implemented his “no settlement” policy, this meant that she took several cases through trial, fighting for damages and for her fees and costs. Over the following years, her civil rights practice began to evolve, and today she finds herself representing several children who were subjected to abuse of power by those with control over them, and who were failed by the adults charged with keeping them safe. She also represents the families of a number of individuals killed or grievously injured by law enforcement. While criminal defense is no longer a focus of her practice, it is still at the heart of her experience and informs her sense of how the system works.

Cammie graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1990, and earned her law degree at the Yale Law School in 1993. She came straight back to New Mexico, and has been here since. In 2003, she was recognized as “Warrior of the Year” by Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyer’s College, was honored to be asked to teach Evidence and Trial Practice in 2008 at the UNM School of Law, was named the ACLU of New Mexico’s “Cooperating Attorney of the Year” in 2010, and has been recognized by the Southwest Super Lawyers. Most importantly, she loves raising her family here, in Albuquerque, where they have forged strong friendships and navigated their way through a wide variety of experiences and challenges.

Carrie Frank has been practicing for 30 years, in the areas of products liability and personal injury. She is a partner with Klein | Frank, P.C. in Boulder where her practice focuses on defective products including vehicles, medical devices, drugs and toys and serious auto crashes. Carrie has been recognized as a leading attorney in her field, and is listed in Best Lawyers in America, Colorado SuperLawyer, National Association of Distinguished Counsel and the top 3000 attorneys by LawDragon. The Klein Frank law firm is in the Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame for its successful case against the Fluor Corporation. Carrie has completed AAJ’s Advanced Studies in Trial Advocacy; she is one of just a handful of woman attorneys in the country who has obtained this designation. Carrie is a past chair of the American Association for Justice Products Liability section and is a Past- President of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association. She was the co-chair of the National College of Advocacy Board of Trustees, the education arm of AAJ. Carrie also has a Master’s degree in social work which is valuable for her work as a trial consultant and in running focus groups.

Kevin is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law and Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Kevin is also an FAA-licensed pilot, enabling him to fly the firm’s TBM airplane whenever necessary without the need to hire a third-party pilot.
Kevin opened his own law office immediately out of law school and began handling personal injury cases. That early success gave Kevin the opportunity to work on many other significant cases, and he has been lead counsel in many multi-million dollar civil cases.

Kevin has tried many cases as a personal injury lawyer, including injuries in meat packing plants; car, motorcycle and truck wrecks; injuries in the oilfield, and train wrecks. He was lead counsel in the two largest railroad crossing accident cases in Texas, one resulting in a $65-Million verdict for wrongful death ($22 Million settlement on appeal; $13.5 Million net-to-client) and one resulting in a $46-Million verdict for wrongful death ($8 Million settlement on appeal; $4.6 Million net-to-client).

Kevin’s dedication and service to our clients is captured by numerous awards over the years. He has been selected to Thomson Reuters’ Texas Super Lawyers list continuously since 2004 . Only 5% of attorneys are selected. He has also attained AV Preeminent status by Martindale-Hubbell. The AV Preeminent rating demonstrates that a lawyer has earned the highest rating available for their legal ability and professional ethics. Kevin is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. The forum is limited to only those attorneys who have won million-dollar verdicts and settlements.

Kevin served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Tech Law School Foundation from 1995-2015, served as a member of the Board of Directors of the South Plains Council of the Boy Scouts of America from 2000-2014, and served as the President of the Texas Tech School of Law Alumni Association from 2012-2013.

During his career, Peter Perlman has worked toward making a safer society by challenging defective and dangerous products. His cases have received national exposure, and he has won more than 60 multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients.

On April 27, 2017, Peter was inducted into the “National Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame” at ceremonies held in Las Vegas. This honor is presented to five individuals “who have defended the right to trial by jury as well as the integrity of American jurisprudence with their exceptional actions in the courtroom throughout the United States.”

He has served as a former President of AAJ, Public Justice, the Civil Justice Foundation, and the Litigation Counsel of America. The “Peter Perlman Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award” is given annually by the Kentucky Justice Association. He has received the highest honors given by many national trial lawyer organizations, including the AAJ “Leonard Ring Champion of Justice Award”; the Kentucky Justice Association Lifetime Achievement Award (the only person to be so honored); and the Fayette County Bar Association annual “Henry T. Duncan Lifetime Achievement Award.” In addition, he received the “Compassionate Gladiator Award” from the Florida Justice Association.

He has been inducted into many invitation-only professional associations including the Inner Circle of Advocates, International Academy of Trial Lawyers, International Society of Barristers, American Board of Trial Advocates, and the Melvin M. Belli Society. He also served two terms as a Trustee of the National Judicial College.

The Southern Trial Lawyers Association has honored Peter with its “Warhorse Award” and with the prestigious “Tommy Malone Great American Eagle Award.” Additionally, he was the 2015 recipient of the “W. McKinley ‘Mickey’ Smiley, Jr. Lighthouse Award.”

He has written many publications including Opening Statements Annotated. Peter served as an adjunct professor at the U.K. College of Law for 25 years, and has been inducted into the Law School Hall of Fame. His endowment has provided scholarships for 40 students. He has also established memorial scholarship funds arising out of successful litigation.

In 2015, Peter was inducted into the University of Kentucky Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

Peter serves on the Board of the National Chorale at the Lincoln Center. The National Chorale is devoted to inspiring diverse audiences through education and performance, and increasing awareness of music’s power to engage and inform through artistic expression.

In his community and state, Peter has been involved in numerous charitable activities. He chaired a fundraising effort to build a specialized playground for handicapped children at Cardinal Hill Children’s Hospital in Lexington. He was president of Junior Achievement, and has served on many civic boards.

Peter is married to the former Lana Coyle. They have three daughters: Pam, Patrice and Penne, four grandchildren, and an American Eskimo dog named Puff.

Emma Regev is a civil trial advocate handling catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases as well as business litigation cases. To Emma, the practice of law is about compassion, passion, creativity, and determination. Emma believes strongly in remaining personally available to her clients.

Emma is a native of Israel. After moving to South Florida in high school, Emma attended high school at Dr. Michael M. Krop, obtained her bachelor’s degree from University of Miami in Florida where she graduated cum lauda, and her law degree from Notre Dame Law School where she was a Clive Schmitthoff Scholarship Recipient. After interning at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office in New York Emma clerked for Indianapolis firm Cohen and Malad and devoted the majority of her time to a large toxic exposure case impacting United States troops overseas. After law school Emma became a shareholder and Chief Legal Officer (CLO) of a Tennessee-based firm before finally transitioning to a full-time trial lawyer. Helping injured clients and their families through the biggest challenge they’ve encountered is nothing short of a calling for Emma.

Robert L. Pottroff is the managing partner of Pottroff & Karlin, LLC, in Manhattan, Kansas, where he has practiced law since 1979. Though he is well qualified to practice law in many fields, Mr. Pottroff has chosen to limit his practice to railroad law. His leadership and perseverance over the last two decades have had an immeasurable impact on railroad safety in the United States.

Mr. Pottroff is an outspoken advocate for the rights of victims and a proponent of railroad safety. He has been invited to speak throughout the U.S. and internationally. Mr. Pottroff is an active member of the American Association for Justice and the Kansas Association for Justice. He has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers and recognized in Super Lawyers magazine for his excellence in litigation. Mr. Pottroff€’s involvement in railroad litigation dates back to the 1980s, but space does not permit an exhaustive account of all his contributions in this area of law. Since the millennium alone, his accomplishments are unparalleled.

Tom Girardi is the past president of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (an organization limited to 500 lawyers in the country) and is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates (an organization limited to 100 lawyers in the country). He was the past national president of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He has been listed as one of the top 100 lawyers in California by the Daily Journal legal newspaper – one of four lawyers listed since the list started 16 years ago. Mr. Girardi is also the first trial lawyer to be appointed to the California Judicial Council, the policymaking body of the state courts.

Widely regarded by his peers as one of the nation’s top trial lawyers and with nearly fifty years of experience representing victims, Thomas V. Girardi has obtained numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements, handling claims involving wrongful death, commercial litigation, products liability, bad faith insurance, and toxic torts.

He serves as a trustee appointed by the Senate for the Library of Congress. He was inducted into The American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame-2014. 2015 Super Lawyers – 65,000 California lawyers were polled…he was voted #1…the same in 2016, 2017, and 2018. President for the Litigation Council of America in 2016 and currently president of the National Trial Lawyers. Recently awarded “Best Lawyer” and “Man of the Year” as well as “Lawyer of the Decade” and “Business Innovator of the Year” by the International Association of Top Professionals.