Jonathan Beiser, President, is the Principal of Beiser Law Firm. Mr. Beiser attended the University of Maryland, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Business and Management, and attended the University of Baltimore, where he received his Juris Doctor degree. He is licensed in the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia, where he has tried thousands of cases before juries, judges and workers’ compensation commissioners. He has built a successful reputation over the last 26 years for representing the rights of those injured in workplace accidents in Maryland, on docks nationally, and as defense contractors overseas. Mr. Beiser advises clients and provides insights about workers’ compensation which has earned him industry awards and accolades, such as an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell and being voted a Maryland and District of Columbia Super Lawyer Since 2007. In addition, Mr. Beiser is frequently asked by organizations such as Labor Unions, Lawyers Associations and vocational rehabilitation groups to speak at their events concerning workers’ rights as they relate to workers’ compensation. Mr. Beiser is a Board Member of the Workers’ Injury law and Advocacy Group, Department of Labor Joint Bar Association and Kid’s Chance of Maryland.
Tally R.P. Perez, President Elect and former Secretary, is an attorney in the Houston law firm of Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea & BenMaier P.L.L.C. where she practices in the areas of employer liability defense, the defense of claims brought under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (and its extensions), and the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act. Ms. Perez has been named a “Rising Star” in the field of workers’ compensation by Super Lawyers magazine. Ms. Perez earned her B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, and Women in Law.
Brian Karsen, Esquire, Vice President and former Treasurer, is a partner in Barnett, Lerner, Karsen & Frankel, P.A., having joined the firm in 2010. Mr. Karsen attended the University of Florida where he earned his Bachelors degree in Political Science, a Juris Doctor and a Masters degree in Business Administration. He began practicing in 1998and has significant litigation experience in handling both civil and criminal matters, having served as lead counsel in numerous jury and non-jury trials and evidentiary hearings. Mr. Karsen has tried cases before County and Circuit Court Judges and Judges of Compensation Claims throughout the State of Florida and before Federal Administrative Law Judges across the Untied States.
Mr. Karsen began his career with the Public Defender’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Florida. In that capacity he represented hundreds of indigent clients in criminal matters, including first degree felony cases punishable by up to life in prison. While serving in the Public Defender’s Office, Mr. Karsen was twice recognized for outstanding performance at trial. Additionally, during this time Mr. Karsen represented a client featured on the national television program “America’s Most Wanted” and the trial was featured on an episode which aired in 2001.
Beginning in 2001, Mr. Karsen began representing employers and insurance carriers in defending workers’ compensation claims throughout the South Florida region. In 2004 his practice shifted to dedicated counsel for large, self-insured companies in defending workers’ compensation claims throughout the State of Florida. In this capacity he dealt directly with corporate risk managers, adjusters and case managers in directing and coordinating the defending of claims across all aspect of the litigation process.
Mr. Karsen sits on the Board of Directors and is the Chief Legal Officer for Patriot Placements, a non-profit organization serving military veterans by working with business to provide job placement and economic independence to aid in the transition from military service to civilian employment. Mr. Karsen has an extensive speaking resume, providing educational lectures on workers’ compensation, Defense Base Act, Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act and other maritime claims. He also currently serves on the Planning Committee for the Florida Workers’ Compensation Institute’s Education Conference for the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation and Defense Base Act Breakout.
Jon B. Robinson, Secretary, is the owner of Strongpoint Law Firm in Mandeville, LA. Mr. Robinson represents injured employees in their Defense Base Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act claims. Mr. Robinson has been honored as a Super Lawyer “Rising Star,” a Top Attorney of New Orleans, and, for the past five years, as one of the Top Injured Workers’ Attorneys by the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group. He earned his B.A. from Louisiana State University and his J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.
Jim McCready, Treasurer.
Gregg Anderson
Patrick J. Babin, is a member attorney with Mouledoux, Bland, Legrand & Brackett. Mr. Babin attended Tulane University where he earned his Bachelor’s degree majoring in Political Economy & Philosophy and his Juris Doctor from Loyola University College of Law in 2008. Mr. Babin’s areas of practice include Workers’ Compensation, Maritime Liability and defense and representation of employers and insurance carriers under Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, Section 905 (b), Defense Base Act, War Hazards Compensation Act, Jones Act, Louisiana State Workers’ Compensation claims and hearing loss matters.
Mr. Babin is a Member of the New Orleans Bar Association, Louisiana State Bar Association, RIMS, the Risk Management Society, which is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 3,500 corporate, industrial, service, nonprofit, charitable and government entities throughout the world dedicated to educating, engaging and advocating for the global risk community. He is also a member of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel.
Eric Gotwalt
Paul B. Howell was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1957. He attended undergraduate school at the University of Mississippi where he served as editor of the Daily Mississippian. Paul graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and political science in 1979. Subsequently, he attended the University of Mississippi Law School where he served as a member of the Moot Court Board. He graduated in 1981. Paul moved to Gulfport, Mississippi and joined Franke & Salloum in 1982. He is a partner in the firm and practices mainly in the areas of workers’ compensation defense under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act and the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Act. He is a member of the Harrison County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Fifth Circuit Bar Association, the Mississippi State Bar, the United States Supreme Court Bar, the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association and the Defense Research Institute. He is on the Benefits Review Board Service Advisory Board and lectures on Federal and State Workers’ Compensation issues.
Monica Markovich, Past President 2014, practices law as a Shareholder and Director of Brown Sims, P.C. in its Houston, Texas location. Brown Sims, P.C. was established in 1968 as an admiralty firm with the purpose of serving its clients in the Gulf Coast area and abroad. Since that time, the firm’s practice has expanded to include a broad range of legal services throughout the general scope of civil litigation. Ms. Markovich’s current practice focuses on the defense of claims brought under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (and its extensions including the Defense Base Act) and the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act, “non-subscriber” litigation, and other death and personal injury defense. Ms. Markovich is a member of the State Bar of Texas, and has been Board Certified in Workers’ Compensation Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2004. Ms. Markovich serves on the Board of Directors and previously served as a President of the DOL-Joint Bar Association, Inc. She has been serving on the Benefits Review Board Service Advisory Board since 2008. Ms. Markovich has lectured on legal subjects including at seminars presented by The University of Texas, Louisiana State University, Loyola Law School, URIMA, The State Bar of Texas and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Markovich received her Bachelor of Arts )1990) and Doctor of Jurisprudence (1993) from the University of Texas in Austin.
Stephen P. Moschetta, former President, and former Secretary, is a partner in The Moschetta Law Firm, P.C. based in Washington, Pennsylvania. Mr. Moschetta has been a member of the DOL-JBA since 2010 and has served on the Board of Directors since 2013. Mr. Moschetta earned his undergraduate degree from Washington & Jefferson College and graduated cum laude from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1998, where he served as an editor of the Law Review, and President of the elder law clinic. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, American Association for Justice, Pennsylvania and West Virginia Bar Associations, and is a Past President of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association and Academy of Trial Lawyers of Southwestern Pennsylvania. mr. Moschetta is a member of the Maritime Law Association of America and the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group. He is admitted to practice in all state and Federal Courts in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third and Fourth Circuits. Mr. Moschetta has a national Longshore and Defense Base Act practice. He has authored articles on admiralty and maritime law, and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, in particular. He has given presentations for continuing legal education on various subjects concerning automobile insurance law, civil procedure, trial practice/advocacy, professional responsibility, the Jones Act/General Maritime Law and the Longshore Act. In addition to his professional experience, Mr. Moschetta serves on the Board of rustees of Landmark College, a liberal arts institution of higher education in Vermont, serving students with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders.
Mick Thomas, former President Elect, received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Buffalo in 1987, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston in 1993. Until 1997, he represented plaintiffs in personal injury claims, but has since defended employers and insurance carriers in claims arising under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, Defense Base Act, Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, Non-Appropriated Funds Instrumentalities Act, War Hazards Compensation Act, California Workers’ Compensation Act and Jones Act. Mr. Thomas has been admitted to practice before all courts in the State of California, several Federal District Courts nationally, the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 9th Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Thomas is a contributing author for The Longshore Textbook and the Defense Base Act Handbook, has written a variety of articles, and lectured on numerous occasions on topics related to his practice.