Nicole Brunson, Head of Litigation & Disputes, Arrival

In this global role, Nicole practices general litigation, product liability, and commercial litigation with a focus on risk mitigation. She also advises on various corporate matters. Before joining Arrival in 2021, Nicole served as Associate General Counsel with Trane Technologies and an associate at Swanson Martin & Bell, LLP, a boutique litigation firm in Chicago, Illinois. 

Nicole is a 2006 graduate of Indiana University School of Law- Bloomington (n/k/a/ Maurer School of Law) and 1998 graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana (BS Biochemistry). Nicole obtained an MBA in Marketing and Management from Christian Brothers University in 2002.

Nicole serves the business in mitigation of risk, management of litigation costs and the provision of legal insight on business decisions ranging from strategy execution to relationship management. Nicole’s varied background in physical science and sales and management provides a strong foundation for her role as a dispute resolutionist and business partner to her clients. Nicole was awarded the Charlotte Business Journal’s Rising Star in 2014 and named a 2019 nominee for Outstanding Corporate Counsel.

Heidi Darling, Claims Manager, Beazley Group

Heidi began her career in the insurance industry in 2014 when she began working at Chubb Insurance as an Attorney Auditor. She quickly moved into a new role at Chubb as a Claim Examiner handling Employment Practice Claims. Heidi managed a variety of complex matters from demand letters to class action Wage & Hour matters. In 2019, Heidi joined the Employment Practice team at Beazley Insurance. At Beazley Heidi continues to handle a variety of exposure claims, working closely with Insureds and Defense Counsel to achieve the best outcome for each individual matter. Most recently, she has begun to handle claims specifically for PEO Insureds and their Client Companies.

In practice, Heidi worked at Evans & Dixon in St. Louis, MO, as defense counsel for Worker’s Compensation matters. Prior to moving to Missouri, Heidi practiced in Boston, MA at a small firm handling mainly Real Estate matters.

Heidi obtained her law degree from New England School of Law in Boston, MA. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Connecticut. Heidi is a member of the Massachusetts Bar, and is retired from the Missouri Bar.

Heidi has been married to Chester Darling for 18 years. They have 3 children –
Grace, 16; Jack, 15; and Emmett, 9. Heidi and her family reside in Northern CT.

Beth Fitch, Founding Partner, Righi Fitch Law Group

Beth Fitch is a founding member of Righi Fitch Law Group. She is a trial attorney with over 33 years of civil defense experience and has the AV Preeminent Rating. Beth has defended numerous multimillion-dollar cases, ranging from catastrophic injuries to construction defect cases. She has represented all types of professionals, from lawyers to real estate appraisers. Because of her defense of insureds under general liability insurance policies, Beth has successfully handled the entire gamut of complex tort cases, ranging from construction mishaps to products liability. In 2017, Beth was selected as a Business Insurance Women to Watch Honoree, and in 2021 she was recognized again as a Southwest Super Lawyer, which makes that her ninth year in a row.

Beth is certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals. The CIPP/US certification is the preeminent privacy credential in the US private sector. Beth counsels companies and insureds on cyber hygiene and data privacy, as well as cyber security best practices. She serves as a breach coach for cyber exploits and data breaches. Beth serves as the Co-Dean of the CLM School of Cyber Claims. She advises clients on privacy and cyber security involving PII, PHI, and PCI; serves as a breach coach; and leads the firm’s data response team.

The nature of complex civil and cyber litigation not only requires experience and knowledge about the substantive law but also requires sophistication in addressing the interrelated contractual and complex insurance issues. Beth has developed expertise in risk management and assists clients with risk transfer strategies.

Beth focuses her time working with clients on mitigation of cyber risks and strategic planning for the complex cases. Recognizing that clients are best served by quick case resolutions, at the outset of every case, she looks for innovative solutions to bring about the client’s desired result in an economical and expedient manner.

Beth is a third-generation Arizonan and comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. Her family started several successful retail businesses and owned cattle ranches. As a result, she understands the business needs of clients and applies entrepreneurial principles to her practice.

Courtney Koch, Vice President, Healthcare & Casualty Claims, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty
Courtney Koch joined Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance in July 2014, a company established in April 2013, providing commercial property, casualty, healthcare professional liability, executive and professional lines insurance and programs for customers across the U.S. and internationally. Courtney serves as a Vice President managing a team of seasoned professionals who handle casualty and healthcare high severity complex matters. Prior to joining Berkshire, Courtney served as a Senior Claims Director at ACE American Insurance (Chubb) and a Paralegal at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Courtney obtained her BA from Fordham University and JD from New York Law School. Courtney is a regular speaker at business seminars and conferences.

Michelle Krause, Sr. Litigation & Claims Administrator PetSmart
Michelle Krause is the Sr. Litigation and Claims Administrator for PetSmart, the leading specialty provider of products, services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. Michelle has been in the legal field since 2009, starting her career at trial law firms where she played a key role in legal proceedings, such as in-depth research, legal writing, and attending trial. Michelle joined PetSmart’s Risk Management team in January 2019.

Leveraging her prior legal experience around liability cases, she oversees PetSmart’s general liability claims and litigation matters for all 1,650 retail stores within U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Michelle strategizes with PetSmart’s TPA and outside Counsel to reduce the company’s liability exposure and mitigate claims. Her intimate involvement with these claims enables her to engage with internal partners to facilitate business efficiencies and improve processes.

Michelle resides in sunny Phoenix, Arizona where PetSmart’s Home Office is located and is a proud pet parent of two Goldendoodle brothers named Sonic & Tails.

Joel Lasky, CPCU, RPLU, ASLI, Vice President and Chief Claims Officer, Nautilus Insurance Group

Joel has been at Nautilus for the last five years and has been Chief Claims Officer for the last three years. Prior to joining Nautilus, Joel worked at Nationwide E&S for 21 years where he held multiple roles, the most recent of which was Director of Casualty Claims. Prior to joining Nationwide E&S, Joel worked as a field claims adjuster in Indiana.

Joel is a graduate of Purdue University and holds the CPCU, RPLU, and ASLI designations. Joel has been married to his wife, Suzanne, for 28 years. Joel and Suzanne have one adult son, Zachary, who also works at Nautilus.

Leslie Leazer, Vice President of Claims and Litigation, Knight-Swift Transportation

Leslie Leazer is currently the Vice President of Claims and Litigation for Knight-Swift Transportation in Phoenix, Arizona. She possesses 34 years of experience in the insurance industry, primarily handling Commercial Auto Liability. She has additional, prior experience with self-insured companies as well as extensive expertise in coverage issues. Prior to her employment with Knight-Swift Transportation, Mrs. Leazer was the Claims/Litigation Manager at Knight Transportation Co., Inc., Swift Transportation Company, Inc., Budget Rent-A-Car and Midland Risk Insurance Company. She also worked at Transamerica Insurance Company, American Family Insurance and Scottsdale Insurance Company.

Mrs. Leazer grew up in Chicago, Illinois and attended college at Bradley University. She has been married to her husband Gregory Leazer for 28 years and they have one son, named Sean.

Guy Perrier, Founding Partner, Perrier Lacoste LLC

Guy D. Perrier is a native New Orleanian and founding member of Perrier & Lacoste, LLC. Specializing in the defense of national and local companies facing casualty and property claims, as well as general liability, he has received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV rating with a 5.0/5.0 peer rating and has been recognized as one of New Orleans Magazine Top Lawyers. Guy has also been selected to the Louisiana Super Lawyers List 2009-2021.

Since graduating from Tulane University Law School in 1990, Guy has practiced general liability defense, transportation litigation, construction litigation, insurance defense, products liability and premises liability before all levels of state and federal courts. As a trial lawyer, Guy has successfully litigated complex cases involving multi-million dollar catastrophic losses.

Guy is a member of various bar associations including the New Orleans Bar Association, the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, New Orleans Association of Defense Counsel, and the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. He is also a member of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, the International Association of Defense Counsel, the Defense Research Institute, the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, and is a founding member of Themis Advocates Group, a national networking organization of elite insurance defense litigators.

Guy is also involved in many civic and charitable organizations including the American Cancer Society, Grace at the Green Light, Lighthouse Louisiana, St. Jude, De La Salle High School, Hogs for the Cause, Kelly Gibson Foundation, and St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

Marianne Trost, The Women Lawyers Coach 

Charlie Wendland, Head of Claims, Branch Insurance 
Charlie Wendland is the Head of Claims at Branch Insurance, a Columbus-based insurance company that pioneered instantly-bundled home and auto insurance. He is also President of Branch’s nonprofit organization, SafetyNest.

Charlie has spent 18 years in both highly technical and executive leadership roles at Fortune 500 and startup insurance carriers. He earned his MBA from Cleveland State University, Senior Claim Law Associate and Certified Claims Professional designations and is a licensed adjuster and agent. Charlie is President and serves on the board of the Northeast and Central Ohio chapters of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance. Charlie also serves as Chair of the Insurance Executive committee for Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys and was awarded Committee Chair of the Year in 2018. He has authored several publications on claims and litigation and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences across the country.