Tort & Insurance Practice Section
Membership includes tort and insurance trial and coverage lawyers on both sides of the docket, corporate risk managers and in-house insurance industry lawyers. CLE presentations offer competing views on cutting edge issues and explore the intricacies and interwoven nature of tort and insurance law. The section also offers a variety of opportunities to join with colleagues in serving the Dallas community.
Meeting Schedule:
The Section generally meets at noon on the 1st Tuesday of each month on the first floor of the historic Belo Mansion in the Winstead Sechrest Ballroom in the Pavillion.
Upcoming Section Meetings will be as follows:
- Tuesday, June 5, from noon until 1:00 p.m. at the Belo, Jes Alexander will present a CLE program on “Hot Insurance Coverage Topics” in Texas. Mr. Alexander focuses his practice on insurance matters for both policyholders and insurers. He will discuss recent developments on substantive issues such as selection of counsel, the use of extrinsic evidence in adjudicating an insurer’s duty to defend, policy buybacks, and new decisions applying Mid-Continent Insurance Co. v. Liberty. Mutual Insurance Co. Mr. Alexander will also discuss procedural considerations impacting insurance coverage litigation under The Federal Courts Jurisdiction and Venue Clarification Act of 2011.
- Wednesday, June 13, the Tort and Insurance Practice Section will be staffing LegalLine at the Belo from 5:20 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. LegalLine is a community service sponsored by the DBA in which lawyer volunteers anonymously answer legal questions over the phone from the general public. It is is a very convenient way to provide pro bono legal services (taking cases is not allowed). Calls typically span a range of legal areas, and all legal specialties are helpful and welcome. Many callers can be helped with just some general practical advice or referrals to other DBA services, which are provided on a reference sheet for the volunteers. Food, drinks and desserts are provided. Please come out and support LegalLine in June. We need 10 volunteers. Please contact Eric Bowers at ebowers@thompsoncoe.comto volunteer or for more details.
Section News:
Section Officers:
Name: Rachelle (Shelley) Glazer
Officer Position: Chair
Firm: Thompson & Knight, LLP
Firm Address: 1722 Routh Street, Suite 1500
Firm City, State, Zip: Dallas, TX 75201
Business Phone: 214-969-1236
Email: rachelle.glazer@tklaw.com
Name: Frank Giunta
Officer Position: Vice Chair
Firm: Demarest & Giunta, P.L.L.C.
Firm Address: 4040 N. Central Expressway, Ste. 850
Firm City, State, Zip: Dallas, TX 75204
Business Phone: 214-370-5200
Email: frank@lofglaw.com
Name: Micah Skidmore
Officer Position: Programs Vice-Chair
Firm: Haynes & Boone, LLP
Firm Address: 2323 Victory Avenue
Firm City, State, Zip: Dallas, TX 75219
Business Phone: 214-651-5654
Email: micah.skidmore@haynesboone.com
Name: Lisa Songy
Officer Position: Secretary/Treasurer
Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller, L.L.P.
Firm Address: 901 Main Street, Suite 4600
Firm City, State, Zip: Dallas, TX 75202
Business Phone: 214-245-3063
Email: lsongy@shannongracey.com
Name: Robert L. Tobey
Officer Position: Immediate Past Chair
Firm: Johnston & Tobey P.C.
Firm Address: 3308 Oak Grove Avenue
Firm City, State, Zip: Dallas, TX 75204
Business Phone: (214) 741-6260
Email: rtobey@johnstontobey.com
Name: Rob Crain
Officer Position: DBA Board Advisor
Firm: Crain Lewis, L.L.P.
Firm Address: 3400 Carlisle Avenue, Suite 300
Firm City, State, Zip: Dallas, TX 75204
Business Phone: (214) 522-9404
Email: rcrain@crainlewis.com
Resource Links
Section Membership
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Tort & Insurance Practices Section, please send a letter of request and a $20.00 membership fee to:
DBA
2101 Ross Ave
Dallas TX, 75201
Please note that you must be a member of the Dallas Bar Association to join a section. If you have any questions regarding sections membership, please contact the membership department at the Dallas Bar.
Section Admin-Mass E-mail/Roster
Section Downloads:
Spring Training--Jurisdiction Summary (Hart)
Spring Training--Insurance Basics for Trial Lawywers PowerPoint(Dedman)
Spring Training--E-Discovery PowerPoint (Kent)
Spring Training--Maximizing Your Mediation (Zelesky)
Spring Training--Documentary Evidence PowerPoint (Schmidt)
Spring Training--Voir Dire PowerPoint (Moody)
Spring Training--Avoiding Malpractice and the Grievance Committee PowerPoint (Tobey)
Workers Compensation Non-Subscribers Case Law Update, by Jerry Fazio (June 2007)
Top 10 Commercial Hurricane Damage Claims Disputes
Selection Process for Private Investigator Services
Why Do Jurors Blame the Victim?
Why Do Jurors Blame the Victim? Powerpoint Presentation
Ethical Issues in Litigation by Professor Linda Eads
Adventures in Error Preservation
Fifth Circuit Update (11/2/10)
Digging Up the Dirt: Skills for Effective Preparation and Taking of Depositions (11/19/10)
What Every Lawyer Should Know About Liability Insurance (11/19/10)
Tips to Avoid Malpractice (11/19/10)
Motion and Hearing Advocacy (11/19/10)
E-Discovery, 2010: How to Find It, Use It, and Produce It, by David Kent (11/19/10)
