CHICAGO, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- DRI - The Voice of the Defense Bar chose new leaders for its Board of Directors last week as the 22,500-member organization held its 14th Annual Meeting and 50th anniversary commemoration in Chicago.
The new DRI National Directors include:
Donna L. Burden - Founder and Partner, Burden Gulisano & Hickey, LLC,
Buffalo, New York
John E. Cuttino - Attorney, Turner Padget Graham & Laney P.A., Columbia,
South Carolina
David E. Chamberlain - Partner, Chamberlain McHaney, Austin, Texas
Neva G. Lusk - Member, Spilman Thomas & Battle PLLC, Charleston, West
Virginia.
The new DRI Regional Directors include:
Southern - James D. Holland, Attorney, Page, Kruger & Holland, P.A.,
Jackson, Mississippi
Southwest - Kevin Driskill, Partner, Driskill Law Firm, Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma
Atlantic - John J. McDonough, Director, Cozen O'Connor, New York, New York
North Central - Steven R. Schwegman, Shareholder, Quinlivan & Hughes,
P.A., St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Full background information on the officers appears below.
"We have selected the very best in our profession. These lawyers have already provided DRI with exemplary leadership and are ready now to spearhead our ongoing and expanding efforts to effectively represent the best interests of the business community," said John R. Kouris, Executive Director of DRI.
Donna L. Burden, founder and partner of the Buffalo-based law firm Burden Gulisano & Hickey, LLC, has been an active member of DRI since 1985. With over 20 years of experience as a defense trial attorney, Ms. Burden specializes in the practice areas of product liability, premises liability, transportation and trucking litigation and labor law. She currently serves as the vice chair of DRI's Counsel Meeting Task Force. Ms. Burden has been active in other professional organizations as well, including the ABA and the Trucking Industry Defense Association. In addition to her affiliation with those associations, she is a member of the Western New York Defense Trial Lawyers Association, the Western New York Trial Lawyers Association, the New York State Bar Association, the Transportation Lawyers Association, and the Canadian Transport Lawyers' Association.
John E. Cuttino, shareholder with Turner Padget Graham & Laney P.A. in Columbia, S.C., has over 25 years of legal experience. His practice consists primarily of defending construction defect, major personal injury, and pharmacy liability suits. Mr. Cuttino joined DRI in 1985 and chaired its Construction Law Committee. In addition, he is a member of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association, the South Carolina Bar Association -- previously serving in its House of Delegates and twice chairing its Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section -- the American Judicature Society, and IADC. Mr. Cuttino is also a U.S. Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference Permanent Member.
David E. Chamberlain, partner of the Austin-based law firm Chamberlain McHaney, has 31 years of experience as a defense attorney. He focuses his areas of practice primarily in personal injury, product liability, construction, and commercial litigation. Mr. Chamberlain joined DRI in 2000 and was the DRI State Representative for Texas. He received DRI's 2006 Fred Sievert Outstanding Defense Bar leader award and has chaired DRI's Law Student/Law School Initiative Committee for two years. Additionally, Mr. Chamberlain served for one year on DRI's Public Policy Committee. A former president of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Mr. Chamberlain is currently secretary of the Austin Bar Association and a member of the FDCC, the ADTA, and the State Bar of Texas.
Neva G. Lusk, member of Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC, practices law out of Charleston, W.Va. A defense attorney with 19 years of experience, Ms. Lusk focuses her practice in the areas of product liability, white-collar crime, toxic torts and complex litigation. She joined DRI in 1995 and is the DRI State Representative for West Virginia. She also serves on the DRI Public Policy Committee. Ms. Lusk is a member of Lawyers for Civil Justice. She is a past president of the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia, a past member of the West Virginia State Bar board of directors, and a current member of the West Virginia Bar Foundation board of directors.
James D. Holland, attorney at the Jackson, Mississippi-based law firm Page, Kruger & Holland, P.A., has over 28 years of legal experience. Mr. Holland's trial work specializes in the areas of products liability, commercial, premises liability, construction, and personal injury litigation. He served as the president of the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association in 2007 and has been listed as one of the Mid-South Super Lawyers since 2007. He has also been a member of several of DRI's substantive law committees. Mr. Holland recently held the position of Vice-Chair of the Business Court Committee commissioned by Delbert Hoseman, Secretary of State, State of Mississippi. He was chair of the Mississippi Bar's Summer School for Lawyers held in July. In addition, he is Vice Chairperson of the Civil Jury Instruction Task Force of the Mississippi Supreme Court. Mr. Holland is also an active member of the Mississippi Claims Association and International Association of Arson Investigators. He was selected this year as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
Kevin Driskill, partner at Oklahoma City-based Driskill Law Firm, practices in the areas of medical malpractice defense, employment law, premises liability, and matters of general liability. He is actively involved in state and national defense organizations. Mr. Driskill has previously served in a number of positions with the Oklahoma Association of Defense Counsel (OADC). These positions include Chair of the Legislative Committee as well as Vice President and President of the organization. Additionally, Mr. Driskill served as the State Representative from OADC to DRI. Mr. Driskill has also served on a number of committees with the Oklahoma Bar Association. These committees include the Legal Intern Committee, the Legal Ethics Committee, and the Civil Procedure Committee. He was also on the Board of Directors of the Young Lawyers Division from 1991 through 1993. In addition to DRI and OADC, Mr. Driskill is a member of the Trial Attorneys of America and the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel.
John J. McDonough, member of Cozen O'Connor's Board of Directors and Vice Chair of its General Litigation Department, focuses his practice, both nationally and internationally, on general litigation and complex insurance defense matters, including directors' and officers' liability, errors and omissions litigation, complex product liability matters, and mass tort litigation. He specializes in catastrophic injury cases arising from toxic exposures. Mr. McDonough's practice includes advice on complex insurance and reinsurance matters for major foreign reinsurers and involvement in complex insurance and reinsurance disputes. In addition to DRI, he is a frequent author and lecturer for many organizations, including the Torts and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) of the New York State Bar Association, the Defense Association of New York (DANY), and the American Conference Institute. Mr. McDonough is a former president and chairman of the board of directors of the Defense Association of New York. He has taken over 200 matters to trial in various states.
Steven R. Schwegman, shareholder of the St. Cloud, Minnesota-based law firm Quinlivan & Hughes, P.A., practices in the area of professional liability and general casualty law. Mr. Schwegman's experience in trial has resulted in his involvement in catastrophic personal injury, hospital liability and medical malpractice cases. His medical malpractice trial experience includes cases involving obstetrics, emergency medicine, orthopedics, urological, and family medicine as well as hospital liability. In addition, Mr. Schwegman has also represented health care professionals before their respective professional Boards. He has been listed as a Minnesota Super Lawyer since 2003. Mr. Schwegman also served as the DRI State Representative for Minnesota.
About DRI
DRI - The Voice of the Defense Bar is the national organization of more than 22,500 defense trial lawyers and corporate counsel. DRI provides numerous educational and informational resources to members and offers many opportunities for liaison among defense trial lawyers, Corporate America, and state and local legal defense organizations. DRI also has an international presence, seeking to enhance understanding of the law among members of the defense community who have reason to be concerned with the expanding globalization of litigation defense. The organization can be reached at www.dri.org.
