DTCI: Meet the 2023 DTCI Board of Directors

Officers

Christopher D. Lee, the new president of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana, is a partner in the Indianapolis office of Dinsmore & Shohl. 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 of DRI and the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel.

Anna Mallon, president-elect, is an attorney in the Indianapolis law firm of Paganelli Law Group. Her practice is focused on insurance coverage, insurance bad faith, third-party defense of insureds and personal injury defense. She received her J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, is a former chair of DTCI’s Insurance Coverage Section, and regularly speaks on insurance coverage and bad faith.

Scott B. Cockrum, the new secretary, is a partner in the Northwest Indiana and Indianapolis offices of Lewis Brisbois. He has extensive experience handling professional liability claims in state and federal courts in Indiana, including ones involving the defense of architects, engineers, lawyers, accountants, surveyors, property managers and realtors. He also frequently represents physicians and nursing homes in medical malpractice claims.

Norris Cunningham, the 2023 treasurer, is a member of Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC and represents health care providers in various capacities including litigation and regulatory matters. He is an arbitrator certified by the American Arbitration Association and the American Health Lawyers Association. Mr. Cunningham is a frequent presenter on long-term care at national and regional seminars and conferences. Mr. Cunningham received his B.A. from Aurora University in 1988, his M.S. from Central Michigan University in 1991, and his J.D. from IU McKinney in 1996.

Elliott I. Pinkie, the immediate past president, is the owner of Pinkie Law LLC in Indianapolis. He specializes in civil litigation for the defense with a concentration in medical malpractice, licensing litigation, health care litigation, and products and premises liability defense. He earned a B.S. in criminal justice and criminology from Ball State University and his J.D. from the Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law. He is an active member of DRI, local bar associations and the American Bar Association.

Directors

David Beach is a partner with Eichhorn & Eichhorn LLP. His practice areas include defense of commercial and professional negligence claims in both state and federal court and before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. David graduated from Southern Methodist University with a B.A. in 1991 and a J.D. in 1995. He was named the Indiana Defense Lawyer of the Year in 2018.

BJ Brinkerhoff is a partner in Jeselskis Brinkerhoff and Joseph LLC in Indianapolis. BJ focuses his practice on business disputes and also litigates products liability cases, restaurant and retail liability, civil rights matters, contract disputes, insurance matters and appeals. He represents clients in the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana and in many other state and federal courts around the country. BJ graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in political science and U.S. history and received his J.D. from the IU Maurer School of Law.

Lauren Dimmitt is a partner in Dinsmore & Shohl LLP’s Bloomington office. She focuses her practice on personal injury defense, insurance coverage and medical malpractice defense. Ms. Dimmitt received a B.S. in health services administration and business marketing from the University of Evansville and her J.D. from IU Maurer. Lauren was named a Rising Star by Indiana Super Lawyers for 2014-2022.

Lucy Dollens is a co-founding partner of the Indianapolis office of Quarles & Brady LLP. She is a commercial litigator and appellate practitioner. Licensed in both Indiana and West Virginia, her practice encompasses a wide array of complex commercial issues, including commercial contracts, distribution, supply chain, warranty, commercial real estate issues, risk mitigation, False Claims Act, business torts, employment restrictive covenants, unfair competition and trade secrets litigation. Ms. Dollens serves as the chair of the DTCI Amicus Committee.

Marian Drenth is a partner with O’Neill McFadden & Willett LLP in Schererville. She concentrates her practice on civil litigation with an emphasis on professional liability including health care law, medical malpractice defense and legal malpractice defense. Ms. Drenth received her B.A. from Loyola University cum laude and her J.D. from Valparaiso University School of Law. She holds an AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, has been selected as an Indiana Super Lawyer multiple times and was recently accepted into the Indiana Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Kyle A. Lansberry is the Indiana representative to DRI. He is a partner in the Indianapolis office of Lewis Wagner LLP. Kyle regularly advises and represents insurance companies across the country on environmental and agricultural insurance coverage. He is an active member of DRI and immediate past chair of its Litigation Skills Committee.

Beverly J. Mack is a partner in the LaPorte firm of Huelat & Mack P.C. She has been with Huelat & Mack for 26 years, practicing insurance defense litigation including product liability, industrial accidents, trucking, construction defect, dental malpractice, premises liability and commercial actions. Ms. Mack obtained her B.A. from Eastern Illinois University and her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law. She is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, the LaPorte County Bar Association and Women Lawyers Association of Indiana.

Libby Valos Moss is a senior partner with Kightlinger & Gray LLP who concentrates her practice in employment law and defense of employers before the Worker’s Compensation Board of Indiana. She is admitted to practice in Indiana and before the U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana. Ms. Moss headed DTCI Worker’s Compensation Section and the Worker’s Compensation Committee of DRI. She is a member of the Litigation Counsel of America and is a fellow in the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. Ms. Moss was recognized as a Rising Star by Indiana Super Lawyers Magazine for 2010-2013. She has also been named to the Super Lawyers List each year for the years 2014–2021.

Maryanne Pelic is a partner in the Bloomington law firm of Bunger & Robertson, focusing primarily on insurance defense and medical malpractice defense. She attended IU Bloomington for both her undergraduate and law school degrees. She worked as a prosecutor in Monroe County until she joined Bunger & Robertson in 2005.

Bradley Schulz is an attorney with State Farm Litigation Counsel in Indianapolis. He is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association as well as the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is a graduate of Butler University and received his J.D. from IU McKinney. Mr. Schulz volunteers with Church at the Crossing, Habitat for Humanity and Camp Challenge Indiana, and he enjoys reading, baseball, auto racing, and spending time with his wife and children.

Richard K. Shoultz is a partner at Lewis Wagner LLP and focuses his practice on fire loss, construction, product liability, insurance and commercial litigation along with serving as a mediator. He is a graduate of Hanover College and received his J.D. from IU McKinney. Mr. Shoultz is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, DRI, ABA, ISBA and the Indianapolis Bar Association. He has been selected as an Indiana Super Lawyer for the past 12 years and has been included in The Best Lawyers of America for the last 10 years.

Jordan Slusher is a senior associate at Frost Brown Todd LLC, where he litigates complex product liability and tort cases in state and federal courts in Indiana and across the United States. Jordan is a co-editor for DTCI’s quarterly e-newsletter, “The Dispatch,” and vice chair of the Product Liability Section. He has previously chaired the Young Lawyer Committee and the Publications Subcommittee of the Product Liability Section. Jordan was awarded The Outstanding Young Lawyer Award by DTCI in 2021, and he has been recognized as an Indiana Super Lawyers Rising Star every year since 2021. Jordan received his B.A in criminal justice from IU and his J.D. from IU McKinney.

Charles Smith is a partner at Schultz & Pogue LLP in Indianapolis. Charley focuses his practice on personal injury defense and insurance coverage. He has been the Trial Tactics chair for DTCI and the chair of the Litigation Section of the Indianapolis Bar Association. He currently serves on the board of the IndyBar Foundation. He received his B.A. in philosophy from Ball State University and his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law. He has been an Indiana Super Lawyer for six years and is a member of the Sagamore Inn of Court.

Todd Spurgeon is a partner in the New Albany office of Kightlinger & Gray LLP, handling a wide range of insurance defense matters. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a past president of the Indiana State Bar Association. He is active in the ABA, previously serving in the House of Delegates and on various section committees. In addition to involvement in other legal and professional organizations, he is a member of the board of directors of Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana and a member of the Lions Club of New Albany.

Jim Strenski is an attorney in the Paganelli Law Group in Indianapolis. He is active in the Georgetown University Alumni Association, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and the Indianapolis Bar Association, where he sits on the association’s Insurance Coverage Section Executive Committee. He also serves on the boards of Hoosier Burn Camp and Broad Ripple Haverford Little League.

Elizabeth Trachtman is a partner in the Indianapolis office of Quarles & Brady LLP, where she focuses on general commercial litigation. She is also heavily involved in Quarles & Brady’s pro bono program and law student recruitment efforts. She was named the 2017 Outstanding Young Lawyer by DTCI and has been recognized as a Rising Star by Indiana Super Lawyers. She previously served as the chair of the Trial Tactics Section of DTCI.

Germaine Winnick Willett practices in Ice Miller LLP’s Workplace Solutions Group. She advises employers on a broad range of employment-related questions. She graduated from DePauw University and received her J.D. from IU Maurer. She was included in The Best Lawyers in America (employment law) in 2023, was co-recipient of the John Morton Finney Jr. Award for Excellence in Legal Education in 2011, and received the IndyBar Women and the Law Division Mentorship Award in 2020. Ms. Willett served as the chair of DTCI’s Women in the Law Committee from 2017 to 2018 and remains an active committee member.•