Meet the 2015 DTCI board of directors

At the November annual meeting of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana, the following officers and directors were elected. They assumed office Jan. 1, 2015.

Officers

Thomas C. Hays

Tom Hays, the 2015 president, is a partner of the firm of Lewis Wagner LLP in Indianapolis. Mr. Hays focuses his practice on litigation and defense in the areas of tort law, product liability and commercial litigation. He received his B.A. in 1973 from Indiana University and J.D. from Woodrow Wilson College of Law in 1977. He was admitted to the bar in 1977 and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana, and the state of Georgia.

In addition to DTCI, Mr. Hays is a member of the American Bar Association, Indiana State Bar Association, Indianapolis Bar Association, Georgia State Bar Association, DRI, International Association of Defense Counsel and the American Board of Trial Advocates. He served as the 2006 president of the Indiana chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. In 2009, he was installed as Diplomat in DTCI. He received the Indiana State Bar Association’s Civility Award in 2005. He is also a certified mediator.

James W. Hehner

Jim Hehner, the DTCI president-elect, is a member of the Indianapolis law firm of Hehner & Associates LLC. He graduated from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 1980 with distinction and Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 1983. Mr. Hehner frequently serves as a civil mediator and is admitted to practice in Indiana, the U.S. District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. For many years, he was chair of the Trial Tactics Section of DTCI. He is also a member of DRI.

Mr. Hehner is active in numerous civic organizations and currently serves on the board of trustees of the Carmel Clay Public Library. He has authored several articles on insurance defense issues and frequently speaks on insurance defense and trial advocacy issues. He and his wife, Darcy, live in Indianapolis with their three children.

Michele S. Bryant

Michele Bryant, vice president, is a graduate of DePauw University and Indiana University Maurer School of Law. She is a partner with Wooden & McLaughlin LLP in its new Evansville office. Ms. Bryant’s practice is focused on the defense and trial of medical negligence claims, representing both individual health care providers and hospitals. Her practice also includes health care and hospital law, employment litigation and commercial litigation.

Ms. Bryant served for many years on the Indiana Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program, which is a committee of the Indiana Supreme Court providing assistance to judges, lawyers and law students suffering from impairments affecting their ability to practice law. She continues to chair the Evansville Bar Association’s Lawyers Assistance Committee. Ms. Bryant is also a member of DRI and the American Health Lawyers Association. She has been included on the Indiana Super Lawyers list since 2011 in the area of medical malpractice defense and has achieved an AV rating in Martindale-Hubbell. In 2010, she received the Indiana State Bar Association Women in the Law Committee Recognition Award.

Ms. Bryant is an active member of her church, Aldersgate United Methodist, and volunteers as a youth basketball coach. She is also a board member for Meals on Wheels and on the Kiwanis Club of North Side Evansville Foundation, serving as president for many years. She and her husband, John, live in Newburgh with their two children.

Robert B. Thornburg

Rob Thornburg, the 2015 secretary of the association, is a member of Frost Brown Todd LLC and concentrates his practice in the areas of products liability, commercial and business litigation, breach of warranty and tort litigation. He routinely represents manufacturers against products liability and breach of warranty claims in suits throughout Indiana and the Midwest. He has experience in Indiana’s state and federal courts and has defended clients in states throughout the Midwest, Mid-south, South and Southwest.

Mr. Thornburg is a member of DRI and the Indianapolis Bar Association. He received his B.S. degree, cum laude, from Ball State University and his J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Renee Mortimer

Renee Mortimer, the new treasurer, is the partner-in-charge of the Indiana office of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. She is a leader of the firm’s personal injury and property damage practice group and is a member of the firm’s executive committee.

Ms. Mortimer received the Indiana State Bar Association’s Defense Lawyer Civility Award for 2012. She was selected for the honor by the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, which recognizes one Indiana defense attorney each year for outstanding civility and professionalism in dealings with fellow judges, attorneys, parties, witnesses and the public.

In 2011, Ms. Mortimer was one of only 11 women to receive the Influential Women of Northwest Indiana Award. She was honored for her influence in the legal industry category.

Ms. Mortimer is a fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America, and a member of the Calumet American Inn of Court, the Council on Litigation Management, DRI and International Association of Defense Trial Counsel.

James D. Johnson

Jim Johnson, DTCI immediate past-president, is a member of Jackson Kelly PLLC in Evansville, where he focuses his practice on commercial and civil litigation, appellate and insurance law, and products liability. Mr. Johnson earned his B.S. in criminology from Florida State University in 1984 and his J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 1987. He served as chair of the DTCI Amicus Committee for several years and was named Defense Lawyer of the Year by the DTCI in 2007. He is a member of the Evansville, Indiana State and American bar associations, DRI and the Brooks American Inns of Court. He was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Practice, 2012-2014.

Directors

David A. DeMoss

David DeMoss is the managing attorney for State Farm Litigation Counsel in Indianapolis. Mr. DeMoss focuses his practice on first- and third-party personal injury defense and insurance coverage litigation. He serves as the chair of the DTCI Legislative Committee and is a member of the Trial Tactics and Insurance Coverage sections.

Mr. DeMoss received his B.A. from Purdue University and is a 1987 graduate of Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. He also received his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation in 1995. He is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association and the Indiana State Bar Association. Mr. DeMoss is active in the community, currently serving on the local advisory board for Indianapolis Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

Marian Drenth

Marian Drenth is a partner with O’Neill McFadden & Willett LLP in Schererville. She concentrates her practice in civil litigation with an emphasis in health care law and medical malpractice defense. In addition to representing physicians, hospitals and other health care providers in medical negligence claims, Ms. Drenth’s practice areas also include general liability, employment law, professional liability and insurance defense. She has successfully defended clients in numerous jury trials in matters involving general negligence and medical malpractice claims.

Ms. Drenth received her B.A. from Loyola University, cum laude, in 1992 and her J.D. from Valparaiso University School of Law in 1995. She has served as vice-chair of the Health Law Section of DTCI. She is currently a member of the Indiana State Bar Association, the Porter County Inn of Court, and she is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Ms. Drenth previously served as a board member for the Porter County Inn of Court from 2006 to 2010, serving as president from June 2009 to June 2010.

Greg J. Freyberger

Greg Freyberger is a native of Jasper, Indiana, and is a partner with Wooden & McLaughlin LLP in Evansville. He is a trial attorney whose practice is concentrated on employment law, commercial litigation, products liability, insurance litigation, personal injury defense and municipal law.

Mr. Freyberger served as chairman and co-chair of DTCI’s Trial Tactics Section in 2009 and 2010 respectively, and was named a 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Rising Star for Indiana Super Lawyers. He was also named one of Evansville’s 20 rising leaders under 40 years old for 2011. He is active in the community and served as the president of Leadership Evansville and is the president-elect of Brooks American Inns of Court in Evansville. He is a member of the Evansville and Indiana State bar associations, as well as DRI.

J. Curtis Greene

Curt Greene is a partner in the litigation department of Barnes & Thornburg LLP’s Indianapolis office. Mr. Greene represents private and publicly traded companies regionally and nationally in a variety of civil litigation matters, including defending numerous market leaders and serving on multiple regional and national litigation teams. His practice focuses on business and commercial disputes and products liability defense. In addition to his litigation experience, Mr. Greene has nearly 10 years of experience in both the public and private sectors serving in various operational and executive business management roles. This experience serves as a foundation for his legal practice.

Mr. Greene served on DTCI’s Long-Range Planning Committee for 2014, serves on DTCI’s Business Litigation Section Executive Committee, where he was chair for four years, and serves on the Indianapolis Bar Foundation’s board of directors. He is a graduate of Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Philip E. Kalamaros

Phil Kalamaros is a partner with Hunt Suedhoff Kalamaros LLP. He works mostly out of his car, as he is licensed in Indiana and Michigan, and he divides his practice between the two states at the local, federal and appellate levels. He has a broad litigation practice, including all types of professional malpractice, D&O, E&O, EPL, coverage, premises, products, trucking, dram shop general tort defense, workers’ compensation and business planning. He is a two-time graduate of the University of Notre Dame. Mr. Kalamaros is a past Amicus Committee chairman and director of DTCI, and a past director of ICLEF. He is a life fellow of the Indiana Bar Foundation. He also serves on the Amicus Committee and is an editor of the Indiana Civil Litigation Review. In addition to DCTI, he is a member of DRI, Claims & Litigation Management Alliance, Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, National Council of Self Insurers, Notre Dame Law Association and the 7th Circuit, St. Joseph County, Berrien County, Indiana State and Michigan State bar associations.

He is included in Indiana Super Lawyers and Michigan Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers in America (1995-2007), and is Martindale-Hubbell rated AV.

Most importantly, he is the husband of Lynn and father of Hunter, Anna and Rachel.

Christopher D. Lee

Chris Lee is a partner in the Evansville office of Wooden & McLaughlin LLP. Mr. Lee is a trial attorney and has been recognized by his peers for his representation in insurance defense and commercial litigation matters. He manages complex litigation cases and is a frequent speaker on trial practice and trial advocacy. He is also an active member in DRI.

Jason M. Massaro

Jason M. Massaro is the owner of The Massaro Legal Group in Fishers, where he focuses his practice primarily on complex business, commercial, contract and real estate litigation. His experience includes counseling emerging, small, local and mid-sized businesses in a variety of matters including contract issues, real estate matters, closely held and minority shareholder disputes; limited-liability company and partnership disputes, negotiations, corporate and partnership structuring; and corporate compliance.

Mr. Massaro has been in practice for almost 20 years and is consistently recognized for both his legal ability and ethics. He has earned an AV Distinguished Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell and is also listed as one of Indiana’s Top Rated Lawyers. He chairs DTCI’s Business Litigation Section and the Litigation Section of the Indiana State Bar Association. He is a barrister in the Indianapolis American Inn of Court and is an active committee member of Fishers Rotary and the Fishers Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Massaro received his B.S., with distinction, in economics from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Valparaiso University School of Law.

Kori L. McOmber

Kori L. McOmber is associate general counsel (litigation) with Indiana University Health Inc. She received her B.A. in international studies from Miami University in 1998 and received her J.D. in 2001 from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. She manages medical professional and general liability claims for IU Health Risk Retention Group Inc., which insures IU Health facilities and health care providers, as well as other practitioners throughout Indiana.

In addition to being a board member of DTCI, Ms. McOmber is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association and is a past chair of the Young Lawyers Division. In 2008, Ms. McOmber was named Young Lawyer of the Year by the Indianapolis Bar Association. In 2009, DTCI named Ms. McOmber Young Lawyer of the Year for her leadership qualities in service to the Indiana defense bar, the national defense bar and the community. Ms. McOmber has been appointed by both Govs. Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence to the board of the Indiana Commission for Women.

Libby Valos Moss

Libby Valos Moss is a partner with Kightlinger & Gray LLP. She is a trial attorney who concentrates her practice in the areas of employment law and defense of employers before the Indiana Worker’s Compensation Board. She is a frequent speaker on the issues employers face when confronted with workers’ compensation claims. She is admitted to practice in Indiana and before the U.S. District Court’s Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana.

Ms. Moss has served as the chair of the DTCI Worker’s Compensation Section and is currently the vice-chair for the Worker’s Compensation Committee of DRI. In addition to being an active member of DTCI and DRI, she is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association, Indiana State Bar Association and Litigation Counsel of America. Ms. Moss was recognized as a Rising Star by the Indiana Super Lawyers for 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Jaime M. Oss

Jaime Oss is a partner at Huelat Mack & Kreppein P.C. in Michigan City. Her preparatory education at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis earned her a B.A. in psychology in 2000. She obtained her J.D. at Valparaiso University in 2003, where she was a member of the Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity. Ms. Oss was admitted to practice law in Indiana and before the U.S. District Court in the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana in 2003. She was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States in 2012.

Her practice centers on insurance defense, civil litigation, personal injury and insurance coverage. She has served as a judge pro tem for Hon. Kathleen Lang, LaPorte Superior Court No. 1, since 2012. Ms. Oss is the 2015 president of the LaPorte County Bar Association and was on its board of governors from 2011-2012 and 2014 as the immediate past-president.

She is a member of DRI. Ms. Oss is a graduate of the Indiana State Bar Association’s Inaugural Leadership Development Academy. She is currently the District 2 Council Member for the Litigation Section and is a member of the Legal Ethics Committee, the Improvements in the Judiciary Committee, the Service Committee (chair, 2012-2014) and the Nominating Committee of the Indiana State Bar Association. Ms. Oss is also on the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra’s board of directors. She recently received the 2014 Most Influential Woman of Northwest Indiana in the Law award.

Donald S. Smith

Don Smith is a partner in the Indianapolis law firm of Riley Bennett & Egloff LLP. He limits his practice to representing employers in employment matters. Mr. Smith graduated with honors from DePauw University in 1978 and Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 1981. Since then, he has defended employers before state and federal courts, the National Labor Relations Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Indiana Civil Rights Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, Indiana Worker’s Compensation Board, various arbitrators, and at the collective bargaining table, in addition to advising them concerning day-to-day employment issues.

Mr. Smith was the chairman of the DTCI Worker’s Compensation Section in 2012.

James Strenski

Jim Strenski is a partner at the Indianapolis firm of Cantrell Strenski & Mehringer LLP. He concentrates his practice in the areas of insurance bad faith, insurance coverage and third-party defense of insureds. He received his B.S., cum laude, from Georgetown University in 1990 and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 1994.

Mr. Strenski is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association, Indianapolis Bar Association and DRI, and he served as the 2013 chair of DTCI’s Insurance Section. He has been repeatedly recognized as a Super Lawyer in the area of insurance coverage.

Mr. Strenski is on the board of directors at Broad Ripple Haverford Little League and has been involved in Catholic Youth Organization athletics for a number of years.

Stacy F. Thompson

Stacy F. Thompson, a partner at Clendening Johnson & Bohrer P.C., graduated from Indiana University in 1999 with a B.A., high distinction, in public health. In 2002, she graduated from Indiana University Maurer School of Law. Stacy concentrates her practice in the representation of health care professionals, including individual physicians and nurses, hospitals, physicians’ practice groups and health care-related organizations, in a variety of health care law matters. She also has experience in criminal law, employment law, general litigation and insurance defense.

In 2010, DTCI named Ms. Thompson the Young Lawyer of the Year for her leadership qualities in service to the Indiana defense bar, the national defense bar and the community. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, she was named a Rising Star by the Indiana Super Lawyers publication list. Ms. Thompson also served DTCI in the past as the chair of the Health Law Section. She is also a member of DRI and the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys.

Kevin C. Tyra

Kevin Tyra is the principal in The Tyra Law Firm P.C. in Indianapolis. The primary focus of the firm’s practice is insurance defense and insurance coverage litigation.

Mr. Tyra graduated from Purdue University in 1978 and Vanderbilt University Law School in 1981. After serving in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps from 1981 to 1987, he has practiced civil litigation in Indianapolis. His experience includes four years as in-house counsel for a medical malpractice insurance carrier in Indianapolis. He has extensive experience at both the trial and appellate levels in general liability insurance defense, product liability defense, workers’ compensation defense, medical malpractice defense, insurance coverage and insurance fraud investigation.

Mr. Tyra is a member of DRI and the National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators (Indiana board of directors, 2010-present). He was chair of the DTCI Insurance Section for 2008-2009. He is a registered civil and family mediator and is also the founder and director of the Frederick Ozanam Free Legal Clinic, a permanent project of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Louis Voelker

Lou Voelker, now of LaPorte, Indiana, was born in Gary and grew up in Columbus. He attended Purdue University, graduating in 1991. He attended law school at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, graduating cum laude in 1995. He started as an associate with Eichhorn & Eichhorn LLP in 1995 and today is a general partner with the firm, working in the firm’s Hammond and Mishawaka offices. Mr. Voelker was selected Defense Lawyer of the Year for 2012 and is a member of the Indiana chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. His practice is focused upon civil litigation generally and professional liability defense including medical malpractice defense. He has successfully represented clients at the trial and appellate levels.

DRI State Representative

Scott Kyrouac

Scott M. Kyrouac, the Indiana state representative to DRI, is a partner in the Terre Haute firm of Wilkinson Goeller Modesitt Wilkinson & Drummy LLP. Mr. Kyrouac’s practice areas include alternative dispute resolution, insurance defense, medical malpractice defense, product liability, motor vehicle accidents, trucking and transportation law, environmental law, employment law and municipal law.

Mr. Kyrouac received his B.S. in business administration, with high honors, from the University of Illinois in 1982 and his J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 1985. He is a member of the Terre Haute and Indiana State bar associations and the DRI, and he is president of the Indiana chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, where he enjoys the rank of advocate. Mr. Kyrouac was president of DTCI in 2011. He is an invited member of Association of Defense Trial Attorneys. He has published extensively for the DTCI, Indiana Continuing Legal Education, National Business Institute, Thompson Reuters and other organizations. Mr. Kyrouac was Defense Trial Counsel of the Year for Indiana in 2008, and he has been recognized as one of the highest-rated lawyers by AVVO from 2009 to the present. He offers pro bono services to the Terre Haute Humane Society, Clay County Humane Society, Miss Softball America and St. Joseph’s Church.

Mr. Kyrouac is a registered civil and domestic mediator.•