ABA Forum on Communication Law Conference
NEW ORLEANS, LA | FEBRUARY 2-4, 2023
TimothyJ. ConnerPartner | Jacksonville 904.798.7362
timothy.conner@hklaw.com
Timothy Conner is a trial lawyer who focuses on healthcare litigation, including disputes involving insurance coverage, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Affordable Care Act, contract disputes, antitrust, reimbursement and numerous other areas. In addition to healthcare litigation, Mr. Conner litigates in the areas of commercial disputes, local government contracting and bid protest, admiralty and maritime law, media and communications, product liability, and personal injury, including claims of toxic and occupational exposure. He has litigated and tried multiple matters in numerous types of proceedings from federal courts to state circuit and county courts, as well as a variety of administrative proceedings. He also has handled matters throughout the United States.
Judith M.Mercier Partner | Orlando 407.244.5151
judy.mercier@hklaw.com
Jennifer
A.Mansfield Partner | Jacksonville 904.798.7297
jennifer.mansfield@hklaw.com
Jennifer Mansfield is a commercial litigation attorney and a member of Holland & Knight's Healthcare & Life Sciences and Technology & Telecommunications industry teams. Ms. Mansfield has extensive experience in First Amendment law, insurance defense, ERISA litigation and managed healthcare litigation. She has broad experience in state and federal trial and appellate courts. Ms. Mansfield's healthcare litigation experience includes defense of ERISA welfare benefit plans, defense of managed healthcare plans, disability insurance defense and antitrust defense litigation. She also helps retirement communities navigate resident relations and contractual issues, avoiding litigation where possible, for both independent living and assisted living facilities. Part of her work has been advising facilities on compliance with Florida's statutes governing assisted living facilities, as well as providing independent incident analysis and advice during regulatory investigations.
Judith Mercier concentrates on complex business and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on class action litigation and arbitration, throughout Florida and the United States. Her practice focuses on contract disputes, business torts, intellectual property, invasion of privacy, defamation, First Amendment, defending consumer claims and compliance. Ms. Mercier has significant experience defending actions for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, negligence, and unfair and deceptive trade practices, as well as various statutory claims under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA). As a national counsel, she devises practical strategies for clients to navigate disputes and leads a team of diverse attorneys that handles trial court cases, appeals and arbitrations throughout the United States.
TrishaRich
Partner | Chicago and New York
312.578.6514, 212.513.3545
trisha.rich@hklaw.com
Trisha Rich is the national co-chair of Holland & Knight's Legal Profession Team and a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice. Ms. Rich also serves as a Professional Responsibility Partner for Holland & Knight's Chicago office. Her practice focuses on legal ethics and professional responsibility matters and complex commercial litigation. Ms. Rich is a national leader in the legal ethics community. She founded and coordinates the Attorney Defense Initiative, the nation's first privately sponsored pro bono initiative that focuses on assisting impaired lawyers facing disciplinary charges. In addition, Ms. Rich is the president of the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, the nation's largest legal ethics bar organization, and she is a frequent speaker and author on a variety of issues related to ethics and risk management.
christine.walz@hklaw.com
Christine Walz is a litigation and media attorney. Ms. Walz is routinely called on to assist media clients with a wide range of First Amendment issues, including defamation, privacy, newsgathering, reporters' privilege and access to public records. She also has extensive experience in federal and state court litigation, defending clients in civil enforcement actions and other complex litigation. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Walz worked on Capitol Hill as a congressional aide and as an intern at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the White House, where she coordinated communications between the White House and federal agencies.
Cynthia A. GierhartAssociate | Washington, D.C.
202.469.5416
cindy.gierhart@hklaw.com
Cynthia "Cindy" Gierhart is a litigation attorney whose practice is focused on media, trademark and entertainment law. Additionally, Ms. Gierhart has extensive experience representing developers in zoning appeals before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, as well as engaging in an all aspects of general commercial litigation, including numerous contract and property disputes. Ms. Gierhart has also defended clients responding to government investigations and litigation arising out of ERISA, including litigation involving employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).
LisaM. Kpor Associate | Chicago 312.715.5881lisa.kpor@hklaw.com
Lisa Kpor is a member of Holland & Knight's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice. Her litigation experience includes a broad range of legal issues, including shareholder oppression actions, labor and employment arbitrations, financial services litigation, product liability disputes, complex breach of contract suits and commercial landlord-tenant actions.
