This program is eligible for 4 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states. In 50-minute states, this program is eligible for 4.8 hours of CLE credit. Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.
Overview
Make today's challenges tomorrow's opportunities with this program designed to explore some of the trickiest issues in a lively point/counterpoint style.
Designed specifically by and for the experienced workers’ compensation practitioner, this webcast highlights select challenges in workers’ compensation practice and offers techniques for managing them. Developments, practices, strategies, and preferences are discussed by your colleagues, your opponents, and judges to help you avoid making mistakes that could negatively affect your client’s claim. Delve into best practices for overcoming obstacles during case preparation and presentation.
Program highlight: Included is a fast-paced review of recent decisions from the Commonwealth and Supreme Courts and how they may affect you, your clients, and your practice.
The panel zeroes in on the topics that are trending.
- Update from WCOA Director Holly A. San Angelo
- Traumatic Brain Injury: The Science and Litiation Strategies
- Medicare and Social Security Disability
- Surveillance and Using Social Media to Win Your Case
- Hearings and Mediation: Virtual versus In-Person
- New Legislation and How It Will Impact Your Practice
Recorded in June 2025.
Faculty
Hon. Angela M. Lorenz
Judge Lorenz graduated from the University of Pittsburgh- Johnstown in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies. In 2004, Judge Lorenz graduated from Widener University School of Law and became a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars. While in practice with various firms in the Philadelphia region, Judge Lorenz represented employers, governmental agencies, insured and self-insured entities throughout Pennsylvania. In 2020, Judge Lorenz was certified by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Law Section as a specialist in the practice of worker’s compensation law. On May 23, 2022, she was appointed as a Workers Compensation Judge in Workers’ Compensation Office of Adjudication. She currently hears cases in the Reading Worker’s Compensation Office of Adjudication. Outside the courtroom, Judge Lorenz is active in the community as a member of the Our Lady of Good Counsel CYO Board and serves as a volunteer coach for the school’s JV and Varsity Volleyball teams. She is a past co-chair of the Worker’s Compensation Section of the Bucks County Bar Association, and served as a volunteer attorney for the Bucks County Bar Association and Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania in representing clients in Protection from Abuse proceedings.
Hon. Kevin C. Allen
Judge Allen is a workers’ compensation judge in the middle district, holding hearings in Harrisburg, Chambersburg, and Gettysburg. Prior to his appointment in January 2021, Judge Allen was in private practice for over 30 years, first as a partner in the Philadelphia firm of Seitzinger, Habib, Allen & Randazo, P.C. from 1989 to 2002 and most recently with Crystle-Allen Law, LLC from 2002 through 2020 in Lancaster, PA. Judge Allen’s law practice focused on civil litigation, representing claimants in workers’ compensation matters, plaintiffs in personal injury and property damage matters, and plaintiffs in civil rights matters involving police misconduct and prisoner rights litigation. He regularly appeared in administrative proceedings as well as the State and Federal Courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Judge Allen is a member of, and has presented on matters involving workers compensation and civil rights litigation before, the Lancaster Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He is a past chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Lancaster Bar Association and past board member of the Lancaster Law Foundation. Judge Allen graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy in 1980 and still maintains his licensure in Physical Therapy. He is a 1989 graduate of the Temple University School of Law.
Michael V. Quatrini, Esq.
Michael Quatrini is an attorney with Quatrini Law Group, P.C., working out of the firm’s offices in Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Latrobe, and Altoona. He exclusively represents individuals in claims for Workers’ Compensation, VA Service-Connected Disability, and Social Security Disability/SSI Mr. Quatrini is a current faculty member and presenter for several Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s publications, including “Workers’ Compensation: Practice and Procedure”, “Social Security: Advanced Issues”, and “Social Security: The Basics.” He is a member of the PBA Workers’ Compensation Section Council and is a past- President of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association. Mr. Quatrini is admitted to practice before the courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Social Security Administration, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is an active member of, and speaker for, national organizations including the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) and the Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG).
Stephen S. Bloomburg, Esq.
Stephen S. Bloomburg is Principal and Co-Vice Chair of the firm’s Workers’ Compensation Department, as well as Managing Principal of the firm’s Pittsburgh, PA office. In his practice, he represents a wide array of clients, from national corporations to small, locally-owned businesses. While attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Mr. Bloomburg served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Alan S. Bloch, Senior United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Post & Schell, P.C., Mr. Bloomburg worked for a Pittsburgh-based plaintiff’s firm, where he represented the interests of individuals and corporations throughout the State and Federal courts of Pennsylvania. Mr. Bloomburg also focuses on representing the airline industry, including the representation of national and regional airline carriers, aircraft and avionics manufacturers, and businesses servicing the in-flight and ground operations of the airline industry. The Best Lawyers in America™ recognized Mr. Bloomburg in its 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions in the Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers category. He was selected for inclusion in 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 editions of “Pennsylvania Super Lawyer – Rising Stars.”
Christian M. Petrucci, Esq.
Attorney Christian M. Petrucci is the founder and owner of the Law Offices Of Christian Petrucci with offices in Philadelphia and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Serving clients throughout Pennsylvania since 1995, Mr. Petrucci devotes his practice to workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability law. Since 2003, Mr. Petrucci has served as a monthly columnist for The Legal Intelligencer, where he writes extensively on a variety of topics concerning workers’ compensation. He has also served as co-chair for the workers’ compensation section of the Philadelphia Bar Association, where he still acts as legislative liaison and is a past member of the Bar Association’s Board of Governors. Mr. Petrucci has been selected every year since 2008 as one of Pennsylvania’s Super Lawyers / Rising Stars, in the Super Lawyers insert of Philadelphia Magazine. He also has been consistently recognized by U.S. News and World Report in both the Best Lawyers and Best Law Firms editions. Other awards include receiving a Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Rating™ Review of Preeminent, which is the highest possible peer rating for legal knowledge and experience and ethical standing, and a perfect rating from the lawyer directory, Avvo. He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and Widener University Delaware Law School.
Patrick J. Cummings, Esq.
Patrick Cummings exclusively handles workers’ compensation matters for insurance carriers, third party administrators, and employers for Weber Gallagher. Handling a wide variety of claims for a diverse client base — including trucking/transportation companies, casinos, higher education institutions, small family-owned businesses, food processing facilities, and convenience stores — provides Patrick with the dexterity and adaptability to deal with a wide range of matters. He has successfully litigated cases involving complex insurance coverage issues and obtained dismissals on behalf of insurance carriers in cases involving the Uninsured Employers Guaranty Fund. Patrick has extensive experience handling matters before the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board. Additionally, he has recovered considerable awards from the Supersedeas Fund Reimbursement. Patrick has lectured on the topic of the management of Pennsylvania’s Construction Workplace Misclassification Act before the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Patrick was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for his workers’ compensation practice. “Ones to Watch” awards recognize extraordinary lawyers who have been in private practice for less than 10 years in the United States and is based entirely on peer review. After law school, Patrick was a clerk for the Honorable Trish Corbett, Court of Common Pleas, and a part-time clerk for the Honorable Richard Saxton and the Honorable Harold Thomson, SeniorJudges, Court of Common Pleas. Patrick subsequently practiced workers’ compensation defense for a large firm.
Jennifer R. Cromer, Ph.D., ABPP-CN
Jennifer Cromer, PhD, ABPP-CN, is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist who has been working at Concussion Services of Sports Medicine of Central PA – UPMC for the past four years. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology with a neuropsychology concentration from the University of Connecticut including an internship at the Yale University School of Medicine. She then completed her postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at Harvard Medical School before working at a rehabilitation hospital in Connecticut for a decade. Dr. Cromer’s clinical interests include care for those who have sustained a traumatic brain injury/concussion, neurorehabilitation, and nonpharmacological approaches to behavioral and emotional disorders. She is a member of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology and the American Psychological Association. Outside of her professional life, Dr. Cromer enjoys spending time with her three children and husband exploring nature, playing sports, reading, and cooking for others.
Christopher M. Fox, Esq.
Christopher M. Fox, an attorney with Gross & Kenny LLP, counsels and represents Pennsylvania’s injured workers in all phases of litigation. Since graduating from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2002, Mr. Fox has concentrated his practice on workers’ compensation. For the first decade of his career, he represented employers and insurance carriers. This background provides him with a unique perspective and an advantage in analyzing issues and formulating a winning strategy for his clients. Mr. Fox has lectured on Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law before diverse audiences, including law students, bar associations, paralegals, lawyers, unions, and business professionals. Mr. Fox is certified, and was recently recertified, as a specialist in the practice of workers’ compensation law by the Pennsylvania Bar Association, as authorized by the Supreme Court of Philadelphia. He is an active participant in the workers’ compensation sections of the Philadelphia, Delaware County and Chester County Bar Associations. He previously served as a co-chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section. In 2024, he completed his second three-year term as a hearing committee member of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.. In this role, he and other panel members received evidence involving lawyer misconduct or ethics violations, apply the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct, and make recommendations to the Disciplinary Board. Mr. Fox received his undergraduate degree in Labor Studies and Industrial Relations from Pennsylvania State University in 1999. During his freshman year at Penn State, he was a walk-on member of the varsity football team as a quarterback and strong safety. He continued his studies at Widener University Delaware Law School in 1999-2000, before transferring to and receiving his law degree in 2002 from Temple University Beasley School of Law. Mr. Fox resides in the Philadelphia suburbs, with his wife and children and has devoted much of his spare time to volunteering as a coach for various youth sports, and he also serves as a board member on the St. Anastasia School Endowment Fund. He is a huge baseball fan and has seen the Phillies play in 16 different ballparks, and counting.
Dennis R. Kergick, Jr., Esq.
Dennis practices with Schmidt Kramer, P.C., in Harrisburg, where he focuses on workers’ comp and personal injury practice. He is an active member of the Pennsylvania Association of Justice, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Schuylkill County Bar Association, and a member of the Pennsylvania Elks. He attended undergraduate school at Bloomsburg and earned his J.D. from Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University. He also stays active in the local community by coaching youth sports teams through his involvement with the YMCA and the Central Dauphin Area Basketball Association. When Dennis is out of the office, he enjoys playing basketball, golfing, being active along the Susquehanna River, and spending time with his parents and two sisters.
Michael R. Duffy, Esq.
Michael is an Associate with Marshall Dennehey, P.C. He is an experienced workers’ compensation attorney who focuses his practice on defending employers and insurance carriers in matters related to workers’ compensation. He counsels clients on all aspects of workers’ compensation claims management to help minimize their exposure. He has successfully defended employers in many industries, including trucking, construction, landscaping, manufacturing, hospitality and assisted living facilities. Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The Pennsylvania State University and his juris doctor from Widener University Delaware Law School. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. An active member of the legal community, Michael is a member of the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Coalition, Brehon Law Society, Philadelphia Bar Association and Judge Alexander F. Barbieri Workers’ Compensation Inn of Court.
Rachel M. Maldonado, Esq.
Rachel M. Maldonado is a Partner in the Medicare Compliance practice group at Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, concentrating on Medicare compliance issues that arise in workers’ compensation and general liability settlements. Prior to joining the firm, Rachel’s practice involved Social Security disability and workers’ compensation litigation as an Attorney Representative at a clinical and claims management services company and as an Associate at a solo practice. A registered attorney with the United States Social Security Administration, she has vast knowledge of and experience with Medicare, Medicare Set Asides, and workers’ compensation law in Pennsylvania. She received a J.D. from Duquesne University in 2009, where she held a Public Interest Association Law fellowship assisting low-income clients with custody matters. Additionally, she received the CALI award in Taxation. She received a B.S. in Psychology, cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh Honors College in 2006.
Barbara E. Holmes, Esq.
Since 2013, Ms. Holmes has been a member of the course planning committee, the team that plans and presents the biennial PBI program Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Practice & Procedure and writes the manual. She previously was a planner for the Handling the Workers Compensation Claim program and has participated in other PBI programs and the Bureau of Workers Compensation Conference. She is a partner in the law firm of Blaufeld Schiller & Holmes LLP in Pittsburgh, where she practices on behalf of injured workers in workers’ compensation claim and disability applicants in Social Security claims. She is a member of the American, Pennsylvania, and Allegheny County Bar Associations, and a former chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Council for the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association. Ms. Holmes was elected to the College of Workers Compensation Lawyers in 2011, and has participated in CWCL presentations at the annual meeting. She is admitted to practice before all courts of the Commonwealth and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fourth, and Sixth Circuits. Ms. Holmes is a graduate of Chatham University in Pittsburgh and received her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. In 2019, Ms. Holmes was awarded the Irvin Stander Memorial Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Section. Ms. Holmes can be reached by phone at 412-391-0776, ext. 202, or 1-800-343-9384, and by email a bholmes@bshlaw.net.
David G. Greene, Esq.
Mr. Greene is a partner at Weber Gallagher, where he serves as co-chair of the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Group. In his law practice, Mr. Greene counsels employers, insurance companies, and third-party administrators on how to best manage their Pennsylvania workers’ compensation claims. He works closely with his clients to provide appropriate risk management advice, whether that involves litigation or nonlitigation services. Mr. Greene is a frequent lecturer for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, where he taught the Tough Problems in Workers’ Compensation course for 15 years before being appointed to the faculty of PBI’s Practice and Procedure Manual. Mr. Greene’s recognitions include an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and being named to Pennsylvania Super Lawyers each year over the past decade along with being named to the top 100 lawyers in Philadelphia and in all of Pennsylvania in 2019. Mr. Greene is a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association and the National Restaurant and Retail Defense Association (NRRDA). He is also a fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. Mr. Greene is a 1988 cum laude graduate of Duke University and a 1991 graduate of the Villanova University School of Law. Mr. Greene can be reached at dgreene@wglaw.com.
Katherine E. Bavoso, Esq.
Katherine E. Bavoso is a Partner at Chartwell Law in the Camp Hill office. She concentrates her practice exclusively in the defense of workers’ compensation claims for carrier’s, TPA’s, and self-insured employers. With over twenty years of experience, she has practiced before most of the Judge’s statewide, the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board, and the Commonwealth Court. Ms. Bavoso is a 2002 graduate of the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University where she was a member of both the appellate and trial moot court boards. She was also on the environmental law review. While at Dickinson, she clerked for Judge Geoffrey Berry of the 9th Judicial District in Goshen, New York and clerked for an insurance defense firm. Prior to Dickinson, Ms. Bavoso graduated from the University of Florida summa cum laude. She was a sister with the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Ms. Bavoso is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell. She was listed as a Super Lawyers Rising Star and was chosen as a Select Lawyer and a Local Legal Leader. Ms. Bavoso was named a Lawyer of Distinction in the practice of Workers’ Compensation and as one of Pennsylvania’s “Top 10” Workers’ Compensation Attorneys. Ms. Bavoso was Chair of the Worker’s Compensation Section statewide through the Pennsylvania Bar Association from May 2019 to May 2020. She also sat/sits on the Certification Committee, Membership Committee, Fall Section Meeting Planning Committee, and Stanley Siegel County Bar Award Committee. In 2020 she was chosen to sit on a multi-practice committee with the Pennsylvania Bar Association to discuss and implement policies during COVID. Ms. Bavoso has presented at numerous seminars including the Pennsylvania Bureau Conference, Fall Section Meeting, Tough Problems in Workers’ Compensation, and Best Practices in Workers’ Compensation. She is also a member of the Dauphin County Bar Association.
Kimberly A. Zabroski, Esq.
Ms. Zabroski is a partner in the Pittsburgh office of Chartwell Law. Her practice is dedicated to representing self-insured employers and insurance companies in workers’ compensation litigation in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Ms. Zabroski is a member of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Allegheny County Bar Association and has served on the ACBA Workers’ Compensation Section counsel. She is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania and Western District of North Carolina, and the State of North Carolina. Ms. Zabroski has been named to The Best Lawyers in America since 2010, in the specialty of workers’ compensation law. Ms. Zabroski was also selected to Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2015 and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers 2010 and was elected to the College of Workers Compensation Lawyers in 2019. In 2019, Ms. Zabroski was appointed to the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation Certification Committee and is currently serving her second three-year term. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Slippery Rock University and her J.D., cum laude, from Duquesne University.
Alfred J. Carlson III, Esq.
Mr. Carlson is the managing partner of Martin Law in Philadelphia. He is also the Immediate Past President of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association. He has been a litigator in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law since passing the bar in 1992. Mr. Carlson initially practiced at a leading defense firm in Philadelphia, then joined his present firm in 2000 to represent injured workers in Pennsylvania and protect their rights. He has been voted a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer since 2005 and a Top 100 Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Super Lawyer on multiple occasions. Since 2013, Mr. Carlson has also been recognized in Best Lawyers of America. He was among the first class of attorneys to become a certified specialist in Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Law. In addition to maintaining an active caseload, Mr. Carlson lectures extensively in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law. He has also published numerous articles on the subject. Mr. Carlson served as Co-Chair for the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Section in 2008 and has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association since 2010. He received his J.D. in 1992 from Widener University School of Law, his MBA in 1992 from Widener University, and his B.S., magna cum laude, in 1989 from Villanova University.
Hon. Holly A. San Angelo
The Honorable Holly A. San Angelo was appointed the new Director of the Workers’ Compensation Office of Adjudication on December 20, 2024, by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Industry, Nancy Walker. Director San Angelo became a Workers’ Compensation Judge in May 2012 and then Judge Manager of the Southeastern District in March 2018.Director San Angelo was the 2014 Judge co-chair for the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association. During her tenure, she served as a member of the Bench Bar Association. The 2014 co-chairs were also the first to introduce philanthropy to the section, which has since evolved to make the section the most philanthropic amongst its peers. Director San Angelo has been a frequent panelist for the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Philadelphia Bar Association, as well as the WCOA Judge’s conferences/retreats. Director San Angelo is a strong advocate of the mediation program, and she has performed hundreds of mediations statewide each year. As Director, she will continue to perform this service for the stakeholders. Prior to becoming a Workers’ Compensation Judge, she was in-house counsel for Travelers Insurance Company at William J. Ferren & Associates for 17 years where she concentrated her practice in workers’ compensation. She graduated from the California Western School of Law where she was a published member of the Law Review. She also received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Foreign Service from the Pennsylvania State University.
Hon. Jean S. Wright
Judge Wright is a 1990 graduate of Duquesne University Law School, after which she worked for the law firm of Dallas W. Hartman, P.C. In 2007, she became a Workers’ Compensation Judge in Erie, where she continues to work and reside.
Stephen F. Moore, Esq.
Mr. Moore was born in Alston, England in 1963. He graduated from Wilkes University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. He graduated Cum Laude from The Dickinson School of Law in 1991. While attending The Dickinson School of Law, Mr. Moore was selected for membership in The Woolsack Honor Society by virtue of outstanding academic achievement. Upon graduation from The Dickinson School of Law, he joined Peters & Wasilefski as an associate. He is a shareholder in the firm. Mr. Moore has litigated cases at the trial, appellate and administrative levels of the Pennsylvania Judicial system, including cases of first impression. In addition to successfully representing the firm’s clients in formal judicial proceedings, Mr. Moore has used alternative dispute resolution procedures such as mediations and arbitrations when available and appropriate. He has also successfully litigated cases in the federal administrative system. Mr. Moore’s workers’ compensation practice is primarily focused upon representing the interests of insurers and self-insured employers. Mr. Moore is a member of the bars of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Moore is also a member of the Dauphin County Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, American Bar Association, Pennsylvania Defense Institute (where he serves as a chair of the Workers’ Compensation Committee), and the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Jenna L. King, Esq.
Jenna King is an associate with Martin Law and has exclusively practiced Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law since passing the bar in 2015. Prior to joining Martin Law, Ms. King worked at a regional defense firm representing employers and major insurance carriers in workers’ compensation litigation across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In the Spring of 2024, Ms. King became a certified specialist in Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation by the PA Bar Association’s Section on Workers’ Compensation Law as authorized by the PA Supreme Court. Ms. King is an active leader in the Workers’ Compensation Sections of both the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Bar Associations. She is the 2025-2026 Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Law Section and has served as a Council member since 2020. Ms. King was also the 2023 Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Section, served as the Co-Chair of its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee from 2019-2024, and has served as its PBA Liaison since 2020. She is a frequent presenter of Continuing Legal Education courses throughout Pennsylvania on various workers’ compensation topics. Ms. King earned her B.A., magna cum laude from Widener University in 2011. Before attending law school, she completed a year of service with the Americorps Program City Year, working with at risk youth at South Philadelphia High School. In 2015, Ms. King earned her law degree, magna cum laude, from Widener University School of Law, where she founded and served as the Inaugural President of the Youth Court League, served as the Vice President of the Moot Court Honor Society, and was an active member of the Trial Advocacy Honor Society.

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