SPEAKERS

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

ANDREW SCHNEIDERMAN, Esq., Councilmember, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing Council

Andrew Schneiderman serves as a  Member of the California Fair Employment and Housing Council and as Vice Chair to the Board of Directors of Imagine LA a nonprofit that provides mentoring services to families emerging from homelessness.   Mr. Schneiderman recently retired as General Counsel, Vice President and Corporate Secretary for the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. Before becoming General Counsel at Commerce Casino, Mr. Schneiderman was a Partner in the Labor and Employment Law Department at Parker Milliken Clark O’Hara & Samuelian. Mr. Schneiderman performs pro bono work for Public Counsel Law Center’s Community Development Project. Mr. Schneiderman has served as President of the California Gaming Association, Member of the California Gaming Policy Advisory Committee and Member of the Advisory Board to the California Office of Problem Gambling. Mr. Schneiderman earned his Juris Doctor degree from Washington University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from the Ohio State University.

DEREK W. LI, Esq., Sr. Trial Attorney, EEOC

Derek W. Li is a Senior Trial Attorney for the Los Angeles District Office of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”).  He is responsible for litigating cases for the EEOC in Central and Southern California, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, and the Mariana Islands.  He has conducted a number of trainings and presentations on Title VII and other anti-discrimination laws for both employees and employers.  He is the Law Student Coordinator overseeing law students working at the Legal Unit of the EEOC.  He also has overseen the work of other attorneys and has provided guidance and support to EEOC investigations of class and systemic cases.

Mr. Li received his Juris Doctorate from the UCLA School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies from U.C. Berkeley.  He was a civil rights litigator for the civil rights law firm formerly known as Litt & Stormer.  He was also a Deputy Federal Public Defender practicing in federal district and appellate courts.  Then, he was a consumer rights litigation attorney for Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a non-profit law office serving low-income residents of Los Angeles County.

Mr. Li has been active in the community and various bar associations.  The Asian Pacific American Legal Center honored him with its pro bono award for his commitment to pro bono work.  He had been a board member of the Southern California Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and the Japanese American Bar Association.  He had served on the California State Bar’s Advisory Law Commission on Criminal Law.  He is a member of the California State Bar and Los Angeles County Bar Association’s employment and litigation sections.  He had also been a board member for the Center for Asian Pacific Family, a non-profit community organization providing services to victims and families of domestic violence.  Additionally, he had been a student mentor for the Fulfillment Fund, a program to encourage at-risk high school students to graduate from high school and to go to college.

JACOB BARAK, Esq., Staff Counsel, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing 

Jacob Barak is a Staff Counsel at the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, where he litigates cases of discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Before becoming Staff Counsel, he was a Civil Rights Fellow at the Department. He graduated from the University of California, Irvine School of Law in 2013.

STEVE JONES, Deputy Labor Commissioner, California Department of Industrial Relations

Steve Jones has been with the Labor Commissioner’s office for 15 years, 9 as a Hearing officer.

He also has 10 years of experience in workers compensation, having worked at State Compensation Fund for 5 years and at the Workers Compensation Appeals Board as a consultant for 5 years.

Prior to governmental service, he managed several retail outlets in the private sector.

SPEAKERS

AMANDA A. MANUKIAN, Esq.

Amanda A. Manukian has been with the Law Office of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, LLP since 2003.  She is a partner in the Pasadena Office and the Managing Attorney of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

She also served as the Fraud Liaison with State Compensation in 2002 and part of 2003.  Prior to her time with State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF), she worked with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office from 1998 to 2002.  She started as a law clerk in the Appeals and Writs Division, SIU working on numerous Appellate Briefs before California Appellate Courts.  Subsequent to that, she was a certified senior law clerk conducting preliminary Hearings and co-chairing misdemeanor trials at Central Trial in Downtown Los Angeles.  Over the last two years of her tenure with the District Attorney’s Office, she co-chaired in death penalty evidentiary Hearings and assisted with appellate work defending various fraud convictions.

ARMEN YEDALYAN, Esq.

Armen Yedalyan is an associate attorney with the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren, & Kelly, LLP in our firm’s Pasadena office location. Mr. Yedalyan earned his bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. He earned his law degree from Trinity International University, School of Law, where he participated in moot court and a mediation and negotiation summer program in China. Additionally, he was a winter law clerk with the San Fernando Public Defender’s Office. Prior to joining our firm, he gained experience with workers’ compensation matters and practiced civil litigation in state and federal courts, representing clients in suits involving employment law, financial services, and lender liability. Before beginning his legal career, he negotiated the purchase and sale of mortgage notes and trust deeds on behalf of investors as vice president of an investment firm. Mr. Yedalyan is a member of the American Bar Association, Armenian Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the California Federation of Business & Professional Men and Women. He is admitted to practice law in the State of California and the United States District Court for the Central, Eastern, and Northern Districts.

BERNADETTE M. O’BRIEN, Esq., SPHR

Bernadette M. O’Brien is the managing attorney of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, LLP’s employment law department and a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She provides advice and counsel to employers, human resource administrators, risk managers and claims adjusters on numerous workplace topics including policy development and implementation; employee discipline/workplace investigations; the prevention of workplace claims for discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and/or wrongful termination; wage and hour compliance; the crossover issues related to workers’ compensation and the Family and Medical Leave Act/Americans with Disabilities Act. Ms. O’Brien also conducts Human Resource Training and Development sessions throughout California. Ms. O’Brien is author of the popular LexisNexis publication Labor and Employment in California: A Guide to Employment Laws, Regulations and Practices and co-author of California Unemployment Insurance and Disability Compensation Programs, which is a helpful treatise on California unemployment insurance and disability laws. Ms. O’Brien is a frequent contributor to, and reporter for, the LexisNexis employment law newsletter Bender’s California Labor & Employment Bulletin and she is editor of FS&K employment related websites www.employmentlawweekly.com, and www.worklawreport.com, which cover the latest court cases and legislation related to employment law. She has been a speaker on a variety of employment law topics for numerous organizations including CalPelra, PIHRA, CWC, Ag-Safe, EAC, Northern California Workers’ Comp Forum, Intercare, National Interstate Insurance, and the Employer’s Fraud Task Force.

DAVID L. JIMENEZ, Esq. (Moderator)

David L. Jimenez is currently a partner with Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, at our firm’s Westlake Village office location.  Mr. Jimenez earned his Undergraduate Degree from California State University, Northridge, before attending law school and earning his Juris Doctorate Degree from Loyola Law School.  Prior to joining the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly in 2002, Mr. Jimenez obtained several years of litigation experience in the field of workers’ compensation.

Mr. Jimenez represents third party administrators, insurance companies, self-insured entities and employers as well as uninsured employers in all standard workers’ compensation issues including §132(a) discrimination claims and serious and willful misconduct allegations. Mr. Jimenez is also a member of several professional associations including the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the American Bar Association.

Compensation courses for both NBI and Sterling Education Services.

DAVID W. O’BRIEN, Esq., Workers’ Compensation Administrative Law Judge, Retired

David W. O’Brien, a member of the California and New Hampshire bars, received his Bachelor of Education from Plymouth State University in 1950 and the degree of Doctor of Law from the University of San Francisco in 1960. He is admitted to the U.S. District Courts, Districts of New Hampshire and California. He is also a member of the American Bar Association.  Retired Workers’ Compensation Administrative Law Judge (WCALJ) O’Brien served as a Workers’ Compensation Judge with the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, as an Administrative Law Judge with the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, as a Deputy Commissioner of Corporations for the State of California, and as a Senior Counsel for the State Compensation Insurance Fund. He has also devoted many years to the private practice of law as both a defense and plaintiff attorney, serves as an expert witness in civil cases and is a Certified Administrator for Self-Insurance Plans.  During the Korean War, Judge O’Brien served as a special agent in the Counter Intelligence Corps.

DONA LEE SKEREN, Esq.

Dona Lee Skeren is the assistant managing attorney of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly’s employment law department. She provides advice and counsel to employers on a variety of employment related matters ranging from discrimination, harassment and/or retaliation to general human resources matters such as employee handbook development and employer notice obligations under federal and state law. Ms. Skeren’s focus is on assisting employers with understanding and converging the return-to-work cross-over issues related to federal and state leave laws, more specifically, the nuances associated with California workers’ compensation laws and the FEHA/ADA/ADAAA disability discrimination laws. She also conducts employment law related seminars and training sessions throughout California and is co-editor of www.fskemploymentlaw.com, www.employmentlawweekly.com and www.employmentlawacademy.com . After finishing her undergraduate education at California State University, Fullerton, Ms. Skeren obtained her Juris Doctorate degree at Golden Gate University School of Law, where she was a law review staff member, received several academic awards and spent a summer term as a law clerk for an Administrative Law Judge at the Fair Employment and Housing Commission, in San Francisco, California. In 1995 Ms. Skeren began her career with the Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, representing employers, insurance entities, and third party administrators in workers’ compensation matters, including standard defense of claims, 132a discrimination allegations, serious and willful allegations and all other employment related issues. Additionally she assisted in the editing and publication of Judge David W. O’Brien’s California Workers’ Compensation Claims and Benefits handbook and his unemployment insurance treatise.

ERIC E. OSTLING, Esq.

Eric E. Ostling is the Managing Attorney of the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly’s Sacramento office location. Mr. Ostling earned his Undergraduate Degree from the University of California, Davis, before attending the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctorate Degree. Not being satisfied with a Juris Doctorate Degree, Mr. Ostling continued and obtained his Master of Law and Taxation, Degree also from the University of the Pacific.

Prior to joining the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, LLP in 2007, Mr. Ostling spent twenty years litigating both civil and workers’ compensation issues before various Federal District Courts, California Superior Courts as well as the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB). As a result of this litigation experience, Mr. Ostling brings with him a breadth of knowledge on subrogation and civil litigation matters to supplement his ability to represent the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly’s clients before the WCAB.

Currently, Mr. Ostling represents employers, insurance entities, self-insured entities and third party administrators before the WCAB on standard workers’ compensation defense, §132(a) discrimination claims and serious and willful misconduct allegations. Mr. Ostling also represents clients in State Court civil proceedings including subrogation and other civil litigation. Mr. Ostling also has a published article in the Pacific Law Journal.

GEORGE CRUZ, Battalion Chief, Los Angeles County Fire Department

George Cruz is a battalion chief with the Los Angeles County (CA) Fire Department, where he also oversees the department’s Return-to-Work section. He has been in the fire service for 30 years. He previously held the positions of medical liaison and wellness and fitness coordinator and has worked as a firefighter, a paramedic, an engineer, and a captain. He is a master instructor for the IAFF/IAFC/ACE Peer Fitness Trainer Certification Program and Fireground Survival Program.

JOHN B. FLOYD, Esq.

The Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, LLP was established in 1987 by John B. Floyd.  Since then, the firm has experienced significant and steady growth.  Today, the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly has 12 offices throughout California.  Mr. Floyd is a Certified Specialist and has devoted many years in the workers’ compensation field representing insurance companies, self-insureds, municipalities and employers in §132(a) claims and serious and willful actions.  He has served as an Arbitrator, Mediator, and Judge Pro Tem, as well as being an expert witness in bad faith claims and is a Certified Administrator for Self-Insurers. Mr. Floyd is involved in numerous committees, including California Chamber of Commerce Amicus Committee, State Bar Workers’ Compensation Executive Committee and the Employers’ Fraud Task Force.  Additionally, Mr. Floyd is nationally recognized, AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been ranked as a Super Lawyer since 2009. He is also a member of the California Association of Joint Powers Authorities (CAJPA). Mr. Floyd helped publish Retired Judge David W. O’Brien’s treaties on California Workers’ Compensation Claims and Benefits, California Unemployment and Disability Compensation Programs and the pamphlet entitled California Workers’ Compensation Insurance Employee Rights and Responsibilities.

JOHN M. LANGEVIN, Esq.

John M. Langevin is a partner with the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, LLP in the Long Beach office location.  He is a Certified Specialist in workers’ compensation law by the State Bar of California. Mr. Langevin began his career in workers’ compensation defense at State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) in the State Contracts Unit where he was responsible for representation of the State of California.  He was quickly promoted to senior counsel and regularly assigned complex cases, including catastrophic claims, discrimination complaints and multi-forum litigation.  After twelve years at SCIF, he joined the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly and has since overseen the growth of its practice on a statewide basis.  As a former nurse, his background in medical issues has proved to be an invaluable asset to achieving favorable results for his clients and that of his colleagues.

KYLE R. UEBELHARDT, Esq.

Kyle Uebelhardt is an associate attorney in our firm’s Westlake Village office. Mr. Uebelhardt was a valedictorian and graduated from Dartmouth College, majoring in Government and Political Theory. While at Dartmouth, Kyle played quarterback on the school’s football team and was a member of the dance ensemble. He is currently a member of the Dartmouth Alumni Club Los Angeles and serves as an interviewer for the Dartmouth Admissions Committee.

Mr. Uebelhardt obtained his Juris Doctorate Degree from Ventura College of Law, earning a Certificate of Concentration in Business Law. While attending law school in the evenings, Mr. Uebelhardt worked full time in the areas of Real Estate Law, representing common interest developments, and in addition, served as legal assistant to international expert Alvaro Pascotto, Esq., drafting transactional documents in the fields of Business Aviation, Tax Planning, Private Equity and Wealth Management. Kyle is also knowledgeable on employment and labor related matters, advising clients as a member of FS&K’s Employment Law Litigation team.

Mr. Uebelhardt is a trained mediator through the Ventura Center for Dispute Settlement, a news broadcaster with WorkCompAcademy Weekly News, member of the Employers’ Fraud Task Force, and serves as an event guest speaker.

LAURA B. BANKER, Esq.

Laura Banker is an associate attorney in our Orange County office and the Assistant Manager of the firm’s Special Projects Unit. She earned her undergraduate degree from the California State University, Sacramento and her Juris Doctorate Degree at New England School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated cum laude from both schools. Ms. Banker became a member of both the California State Bar and Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers in 1996. Ms. Banker practiced Civil Litigation for many years and began practicing Workers’ Compensation law in 2000. Her experience includes litigating cases as exclusive in-house counsel and specializing in Workers’ Compensation and subrogation matters for various sized employer insured companies. Ms. Banker has also represented third party administrators, insurance companies, employers, self-insured entities, and public entities, including cities, school districts and water districts, in all aspects of Workers’ Compensation defense and Subrogation matters, including standard workers’ compensation defense, §132a discrimination claims, and serious and willful misconduct allegations.

LAURA CLIFFORD, Executive Director, Employers’ Fraud Task Force

Laura Clifford is the Founder and Executive Director of the Employers’ Fraud Task Force and past President of the Southern California Council of Self-Insurers. For more than 20 years, Ms. Clifford has united industry leaders on task forces and advisory boards in the development of numerous products and services for Workers’ Compensation Professionals. The Employers’ Fraud Task Force is a California based organization, committed to combating workers compensation fraud, waste and abuse. The task force, chaired by The Walt Disney Company, was founded in 1998 when visionary industry leaders from some of the Nations most prominent employers came together with concerned law enforcement officials. Together they work to identify the many participants of workers compensation fraud, waste & abuse and deliver anti-fraud tools, solutions and resources to the industry. Today, the Employers Fraud Task Force is an organization that studies, develops and communicates methods of combating workers comp fraud and abuse. The task force also serves as a general resource for education, outreach and communication forum for the industry and facilitates communication among concerned parties such as employers, law enforcement, legislators, insurers and consumer groups.

LESLIE DILBECK, Vice President, Sales and Marketing for iRatings

Leslie Dilbeck, WCCP, CIR, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for iRatings, is a Workers’ Compensation Claims Professional who has worked in the California Workers’ Compensation system since 1995. She received her Bachelors of Arts degree in Speech Communications from Point Loma Nazarene University where she had a successful career as a National Speech and Debate competitor. She began her career in workers’ compensation as a claims adjuster handling both State and Federal workers’ compensation claims. She has been awarded the State of California Self-Insurance Certificate, Workers Compensation Claims Professional and Certified Impairment Rater. After a 5 year career in the claims industry Ms. Dilbeck went on to work for Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group in San Diego where she was responsible for training over 60 multi-specialty care physicians in report writing for workers’ compensation and long-term disability. She has extensive experience as a Certified Impairment Rater by providing training to physicians, attorneys and claims professionals on the Guides. As an expert in the field of impairment assessment, Ms. Dilbeck has authored several publications on the Guides. Additionally she has reviewed and rated hundreds of cases utilizing the 4th, 5th and 6th Edition AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment.

RENE T. FOLSE, J.D., Ph.D.

Rene Thomas Folse, J.D., Ph.D. is affiliated with the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, LLP in an of counsel position working closely with many of the firm’s office locations. Mr. Folse earned his Undergraduate Degree from California State University, Long Beach, before going on to earn his Juris Doctorate Degree from the San Fernando College of Law. Mr. Folse also has the distinction of having earned his Masters of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology as well as his Juris Doctorate Degree in clinical psychology.
Prior to joining Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, Mr. Folse had the distinction of co-founding one of Southern California’s most reputable law firms, Miller & Folse, in 1974.
Throughout his career, Mr. Folse has focused his attention on all aspects of workers’ compensation litigation. Mr. Folse has acted as a Judge Pro Tem with the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, has been appointed to numerous faculty and teaching positions and has co-authored a leading treaty discussing psychological injury claims.
In addition to his many other accomplishments, Mr. Folse is a highly sought after speaker.
Mr. Folse currently works with Floyd, Skeren & Kelly in an of counsel position assisting the firm in matters of complex litigation in all aspects of workers’ compensation.

ROBERT A. DUDLEY, Esq.

Robert Dudley is an associate attorney with the firm’s Beverly Hills office where he is a member of the criminal law department. Mr. Dudley holds a Juris Doctor (cum laude) degree from Pepperdine University School of Law where he was awarded the Order of Barristers. He also holds a Masters of Public Policy degree (emphasis in economics) from Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis (dual majors: economics and Spanish). During law school, Mr. Dudley was a member of two national championship moot court teams that took top honors at the Chicago Bar Association and the University of North Carolina School of Law moot court competitions. Mr. Dudley completed an externship with the Honorable Anthony J. Mohr in the Complex Litigation Division of the Los Angeles County Superior Court where he worked on a variety of complex civil matters involving corporate, insurance, and employment law. Prior to joining Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, Mr. Dudley was a law clerk at the Law Office of Joel Koury where he assisted with the defense of a capital murder case in addition to DUI, federal RICO, and drug trafficking cases. While completing his joint law and public policy studies, Mr. Dudley also performed legal and policy research on juvenile sentencing for Human Rights Watch in Los Angeles. He is fluent in Spanish (written and verbal).

ROBERT C. NICHOLS, Esq.

Robert C. Nichols is an associate and senior trial attorney with the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, LLP in the firms’ San Fernando Valley office. He is a graduate of Cal State University Northridge with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and was awarded a Juris Doctor Degree, Cum Laude, from the San Fernando Valley College of Law. For over thirty years, Mr. Nichols has specialized in the defense of all aspects of Workers’ Compensation matters including all standard issues, discrimination claims filed under Labor Code §132(a) and Serious and Willful Claims, at both the trial and the appellate levels. He has also handled subrogation matters and the defense of personal injury matters. Mr. Nichols has tried numerous cases before the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board and appeared before the California Courts of Appeal and Supreme Court. Mr. Nichols works closely with self-insured employers, third party administrators and insurance carriers. Mr. Nichols has been a lecturer at the California Self-Insurers Association, California Manufacturers Association and numerous claims organizations. He has also served as a Judge Pro Tem for the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board and the Los Angeles Superior Courts. In addition to his legal experience, Mr. Nichols has worked for over 23 years as a Certified Level I Reserve Officer with the Los Angeles Police Department and has worked uniform patrol, Special Problems Unit, Divisional Vice and Detective Headquarters Motorcycle Gang Unit. His experience has included representing officer in discipline matters at the trial and appellate levels and the representation of officers in civil rights matters.

SHADDI KAMIABIPOUR, Deputy District Attorney, Orange County

Shaddi Kamiabipour is a Deputy District Attorney with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. She has practiced criminal law since 1996 and has tried over 85 jury trials, 30+ court trials, and has conducted hundreds of hearings. She was assigned to the Insurance Fraud Unit in October of 2009. Her expertise is breaking down complex cases into simple understandable concepts so that they can be successfully presented to a jury. Two months after joining the Insurance Fraud Unit, she tried and successfully convicted the defendant in a multi-million dollar premium fraud case. She has taken multiple insurance fraud cases to the Grand Jury and in May of 2011, she received a quick indictment on a significant medical provider insurance fraud case. Since then she has developed a specialty in prosecuting complex medical provider fraud cases.

TERRY BODWIN, Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, Unified Grocers

Terry Bodwin is responsible for Labor and Employee Relations, Environmental Health & Safety and Loss Prevention functions in all of Unified’s regions.

Terry joined Unified Grocers in 2000 as the Director, Labor Relations. In 2006, Terry was promoted to Executive Director, Labor Relations. She was appointed Vice President, Labor and Employee Relations in 2012.

Terry has acquired a wide range of labor and employee relations experience within the retail food industry. Prior to joining Unified, Terry worked for the Ralphs Grocery Company in their Labor Relations Department and previous to that she was with the Food 4 Less/Alpha Beta organizations. She began her career with Alpha Beta, where she worked 15 years in retail operations, holding a variety of key positions including Store Director, before transiting into Labor Relations.

Terry is very active on several Boards and Trusts. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross-Greater LA Chapter and on the Board of Directors of the Transportation Opportunity Program. She is a Trustee of the Western Conference Teamster Pension Plan, and a Trustee on other significant Taft-Hartley Health and Welfare Trusts. Terry is a member of the Network of Executive Women, Southern California. In 2004 she was awarded the “Women at Work” Medal of Excellence.

Terry Holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Labor Studies from California State University Dominguez Hills and a Master of Arts degree in Negotiation and Conflict Management from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

THOMAS M. SKEREN, JR., Esq.

Thomas M. Skeren, Jr. is presently the Managing Partner of the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, LLP having joined the organization shortly after the firm was founded in 1987 by John B. Floyd.     Mr. Skeren, a graduate of the University of Buffalo, began his career as a professional human resources and labor relations with Dresser Industries.  After completion of his legal studies at Western State University of Law, he left his post as Vice President of Human Resources and joined the Law Offices of John B. Floyd and commenced his legal career.     He has represented a variety of insured and uninsured clients defending regular aspects of the claims as well as handling discrimination and serious & willful misconduct claims before the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (WCAB) throughout California.  He has assisted in overall management and growth of our firm since its inception.

TIMOTHY D. MORGAN, Esq.

Timothy Morgan is an associate in the firm’s Westlake Village office. After obtaining an undergraduate degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, he attended the Ventura College of Law where he received the Witkin Award of Academic Excellence for his coursework in Constitutional Criminal Procedure. After clerking for then Presiding Judge in Ventura County, the Honorable Vincent J. O’Neill, Mr. Morgan began his career as a civil litigator defending doctors, hospitals and other medical professionals as a medical malpractice defense lawyer. Mr. Morgan recently joined the firm bringing his civil litigation experience and extensive background in the field of medicine to form a practice that will be dedicated to the defense of workers’ compensation matters of all types. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Leslie, herself a lifelong resident of Westlake Village, and his children, Makena and Mason.

TODD T. KELLY, Esq.

Todd T. Kelly is a senior partner with our firm. He represents employers, insurance carriers, and third party administrators in all aspects of workers’ compensation claims.

He is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation who has authored articles and spoken on behalf of Lorman Education Services, the Council on Education in Management, and the Employer’s Advisory Council. Mr. Kelly has acted as a Judge Pro Tem with the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board and serves as a guest speaker for various entities and organizations. He is licensed to practice before all State and Federal Courts in California and is a member of all applicable Bar Associations.

Mr. Kelly is a lifetime member of the Cambridge Who’s Who, is a designated Southern California Super Lawyer since 2009, and is the recipient of the 2011 Award of Excellence from the American Biographical Institute. Similarly, he is a Gold Congressional Awardee, is a Paul Harris Fellow with Rotary International, and sits on the Board of Directors for Ventura County Council, Boy Scouts of America.

TROY W. SLATEN, Esq.

Troy Slaten is a partner with the Law Offices of Floyd, Skeren, & Kelly, LLP. He is the managing attorney of the firm’s criminal defense practice.    Mr. Slaten earned his Bachelor’s Degree, with honors, in English Literature from The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He went on to earn his Juris Doctorate at Pepperdine University School of Law. While in law school, Mr. Slaten actively participated on the honors Trial Team winning awards at various trial competitions.     Before devoting his efforts to practice criminal defense, Mr. Slaten began his legal career working for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. At the DA’s office, he was involved in the prosecution of various felonies and misdemeanors ranging from complex fraud cases to drug, theft, and sex cases.     Mr. Slaten is certified to administer and evaluate Field Sobriety Tests (FSTs) by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). He is certified on the Alcosensor Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS) device commonly used in DUI investigations. He regularly attends seminars and lectures on criminal defense and DUI defense. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, National College of DUI Defense, California DUI Lawyers Association, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, Criminal Courts Bar Association, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Los Angeles Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.     Mr. Slaten is licensed to practice law in all the courts of The State of California, as well as in The District of Columbia.

VIC ALVARADO, III, Senior Manager, Risk & Compliance, Springfield Insurance Company.

Vic Alvarado III has over 29 years’ experience in Safety and Risk Control. Vic was previously president and owner of ARMORconsulting a Risk Management consulting firm. Vic started with the California State Compensation Insurance Fund and has managed Safety and Risk Management at Superior National Insurance Group, Great States Insurance Company, and currently with Springfield Insurance. Vic holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Southern California. Besides other certifications, he achieved an Associate of Risk Management (ARM) certification.