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
Our Premier Course and THE Ultimate Resource
Held every two years, this program is the best CLE event for Workers' Compensation practitioners and judges. Dive into dynamic sessions packed with the latest developments, strategic litigation insights, invaluable practice tips, and comprehensive updates to keep you at the forefront of your field.
This year's topics include:
- Recent Developments
- Hot Tips
- Director of Adjudication Update
- AI Issues
- Gig Workers- Employee vs. Independent Contractor
- Is Yellow Freight Dead?
- Zombie Kachinsky: Back from the Dead?
- Should I Fear the Modification?
- Piercing Immunity & the 3rd Party Case
- Bureau Documents/EDI Impacts on Practice
- Practice Tips before the Bench
- Plus More!
Join us for the latest edition of the ultimate resource for workers' compensation attorneys. Don't miss this opportunity to stay at the forefront of your field and continue building your legacy of success.
Recorded in Philadelphia in May 2024.
Faculty
Hon. Leah M. Lewis
Judge Lewis is a workers’ compensation judge hearing cases in the Harrisburg and York hearing offices. She previously worked for the Office of Chief Counsel for the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Department of Labor and Industry in addition to several years in private practice in the Harrisburg area in workers’ compensation defense. Judge Lewis graduated cum laude from Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg with a Bachelor of Arts degree from La Salle University.
Leah B. Cilo, Esq.
Leah Cilo is an associate at Martin Law. She focuses her practice exclusively on Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Cilo was an associate with two workers’ compensation firms, handling workers’ compensation defense litigation in Pennsylvania. She brings more than ten years of workers’ compensation experience to the firm. Ms. Cilo also served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Doris A. Smith for the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In 1997, Ms. Cilo earned her law degree from Temple University School of Law. During law school, she worked as an executive legal assistant for the Adoption Resource Center in Philadelphia. She received her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Bryn Mawr College in 1988. In 1993, she earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from Temple University in film and video.
Hon. Joseph J. DeRita
On November 12, 2018, Secretary of the Department of Labor & Industry Jerry Oleksiak appointed Joseph DeRita as the Director of the Workers’ Compensation Office of Adjudication. Director DeRita was formerly a Workers’ Compensation Judge at the Allentown hearing office adjudicating and mediating cases in Allentown, Easton and Doylestown. Prior to that, Mr. DeRita represented injured workers for 30 years as a partner at the firm of Shor, Levin and DeRita, PC in Jenkintown, Pa. and later as a sole practitioner before assuming the bench. He graduated from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia with a B.A. in Industrial Relations in 1983. He earned his J.D. from Widener University School of Law in 1987, and an LL.M. in trial advocacy from the Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2005 and was presented with the Faculty Achievement Award. He chaired the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers (now the Pennsylvania Association for Justice) from 1997-1998. He co-chaired the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association in 2002 and served on its Executive Committee from 2001-2003. Before taking the bench, he earned the Workers’ Compensation Law Certified Specialist designation in 2013 from the PBA Workers’ Compensation Law Section. He has served as a member of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Annual Conference Planning Committee since 2019 and has been a frequent presenter. He has co-chaired, with Matt Wilson, the Planning Committee for the the biennial WC Section Bench/Bar CLE presentation. He is on the executive committee of the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute, a member of the International Association of Industrial Accidents Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) and the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary. In March, 2022, he was inducted into the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers (CWCL).
Barbara Hollenbach Esq.
Since 1999, Ms.
Hollenbach 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 has
over 40 years of experience in defending workers’ compensation matters on
behalf of insureds and self-insureds and is a frequent writer and lecturer on
workers’ compensation topics. For a number of years, she served on the
Workers’ Compensation Rules Committee, appointed by the Secretary of Labor
and Industry. Ms. Hollenbach has been selected as a Super Lawyer in the field
of workers’ compensation and selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in
America, published by Woodward & White, for the last several years.
She has served as a member of the faculty of PBI’s Medicine for Lawyers
series and PBI’s program Tough Problems in Workers’ Compensation. A past
president of the Northampton County Bar Association (1991), Ms. Hollenbach is
also a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She currently serves on
the PBA’s Council on Judicial Independence, is a past chair of the Workers’
Compensation Law Section, and has served on the Review and Certifying Board.
Ms. Hollenbach is a fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
and has been certified since 2013 as a specialist in the practice of workers’
compensation law by the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Section on Workers’
Compensation Law as authorized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She
received her J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law and her B.A. from the
Pennsylvania State University. A member of the firm of Norris McLaughlin,
P.A., Ms. Hollenbach is based in the firm’s Allentown, Pennsylvania, office
and can be reached by phone at 610-391-1800, ext. 2277, and by email at
bhollenbach@norris-law.com. The firm’s website is
https://norrismclaughlin.com.
Vincent Quatrini Jr., Esq.
Mr. Quatrini serves as chair of the course planning committee, the team that plans and presents the biennial PBI program Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Practice & Procedure, and writes the manual. He has served on the committee since 1989. Mr. Quatrini concentrates his practice in the representation of injured employees throughout western and central Pennsylvania. He is a past chair of the Workers’ Compensation Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and is a frequent speaker at section programs and the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation annual seminar. Mr. Quatrini served on the Workers’ Compensation Rules Committee.. Mr. Quatrini also served as course planner for PBI’s Medicine for Lawyers series, including Chronic Pain Syndrome, Orthopaedics for Lawyers, Lawyer’s Guide to Mild to Moderate Brain Injury, Analyzing and Using Medical Records, Defending the Back Injury Case, and Handling the Upper Extremity Injury Case. He authored “Traumatic Brain Injury and Workers Compensation Claims” as part of the ABA Medical-Legal Guides. The case of Pawlosky v. Latrobe Brewing Co., handled by Mr. Quatrini, has been recognized as the third most significant court decision since the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act was passed in 1915. Mr. Quatrini was among the first group in Pennsylvania to be certified as a Workers Compensation Specialist by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He is a member of the Westmoreland County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations, the Westmoreland County Academy of Trial Lawyers, past president of the Westmoreland County Bar Association, and a fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. In 2013, Mr. Quatrini received the Irvin Stander Memorial Award. He has been listed continuously in The Best Lawyers in America, published by Woodward & White, since 1997; was named in the Best American Lawyers in Workers’ Compensation; and has been recognized by Super Lawyers as one of the top 50 attorneys in the Pittsburgh area and one of the top 100 lawyers in Pennsylvania. Mr. Quatrini earned his law degree from Duquesne University and his undergraduate degree at St. Vincent College. He is a founding partner in the law firm of Quatrini Law Group, with offices in Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Latrobe, and Altoona. Mr. Quatrini can be reached by phone at 724-837-0080, and by email at vjq@qrlegal.com. The firm’s website is https://www.qrglaw.com.
Toni Williams Esq.
Since 2001, Ms. Williams 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 primarily represents insurance companies and self-insured employers in Pennsylvania and West Virginia workers’ compensation litigation. Ms. Williams is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association and a past chair of its Workers’ Compensation Section. She is a member of the American and Pennsylvania Bar Associations. She currently serves on the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Lawyers’ Assistance Committee and is the past Program Planning Committee Chair for the Workers’ Compensation Law Section. Ms. Williams has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, published by Woodward & White, since 2015, and was elected a fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers class of 2019. She serves on the board (emeritus) of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Pennsylvania, Inc., an organization committed to assisting addicted and impaired lawyers. She has lectured at and planned programs for the Allegheny County Bench Bar conferences and has also lectured on behalf of LCL for various ethics programs. Ms. Williams received her undergraduate degree from Duquesne University and her J.D. from its law school. She is the managing partner in the Pittsburgh law firm of SutterWilliams, LLC (formerly Thompson, Calkins & Sutter). Ms. Williams can be reached by phone at 412-904-4682, and by email at twilliams@sutterwilliamslaw.com.
Hon. Gerald W. Yanity
Since 2019, Judge Yanity 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. Judge Yanity is a Workers’ Compensation Judge in the Greensburg Office of Adjudication. He also conducts hearings in Indiana. Judge Yanity is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, and the Duquesne University School of Law, where he served on the Duquesne Law Review. Prior to his appointment as a Workers’ Compensation Judge in 2014, he was in private practice for 19 years at Yanity Law Offices, P.C., in Latrobe, where he concentrated his practice in representing employers and insurance carriers in workers’ compensation claims. He served as editor of the Westmoreland Bar Journal from 2011 until 2014. Judge Yanity is a member of the Westmoreland Bar Association and Pennsylvania Bar Association, and currently serves on the PBA Workers’ Compensation Law Section Council. He also serves as a member of the WCAIS Efficiency Committee.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Need help navigating your CLE requirements?
You have a lot on your plate. We’ll help you stay on top of your compliance — in PA and beyond.