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Mark E. Miller

With over 25 years of litigating and settling insurance claims, aand prior Fortune 500 executive experience before that, Mr. Miller bring clients seasoned business-oriented solutions to virtually any kind of insurance issue.

His experience ranges from settling some of the largest property damage and business interruption claims in the world, to litigating coverage for some of the biggest fraud losses ever suffered by businesses.

Prior to co-founding Miller Friel, PLLC, Mr. Miller was a principal shareholder at the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig LLP, where he, along with Brian Friel, managed the firm's Insurance Recovery and Advisory Practice Group.

His views on insurance have been published in many prominent publications, including Forbes, Business Insurance, Legal Times, Treasury and Risk Management, Risk, and The National Law Journal, and he is a frequent speaker on insurance issues for PLI. Mr. Miller received his B.S. from Allegheny College, his M.S. from the University of Cincinnati, his M.B.A. from Houston Baptist University, and his J.D. from South Texas College of Law, where he was an Editor of the South Texas Law Review.

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MillerM@MillerFriel.com vertLine TEL: 202-760-3161 vertLine FAX: 202-459-9537
Brian G. Friel

Miller Friel, PLLC | Managing Partner

For over 25 years, Mr. Friel has appeared on behalf of corporate policyholders in numerous state and federal courts throughout the country, where his litigation and arbitration skills consistently have led to five successful court verdicts and arbitration awards over the years.

Mr. Friel has negotiated some of the largest D&O insurance settlements ever reached in the United States. Brian's negotiating skills and keen understanding of business issues have also resulted in numerous other settlements on behalf of oil and gas companies, electric utilities, retailers, and financial institutions, without the need for expensive litigation.

Prior to co-founding Miller Friel, PLLC, Mr. Friel was a shareholder at the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig LLP, where he, along with Mark Miller, managed the firm's Insurance Recovery and Advisory Practice Group. Brian Friel is a graduate of Boston College magna cum laude and a graduate of St. John's University School of Law cum laude, where he was an Editor of the St. John's University Law Review.

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FrielB@MillerFriel.com vertLine TEL: 202-760-3162 vertLine FAX: 202-459-9537
Bernard P. Bell

Bernie Bell represents insureds in disputes with their insurers and is a nationally recognized leader in his field. He serves as lead counsel pursuing insurance recovery across a full range of disputed claims, from property damage and business interruption losses to claims arising from directors and officers (D&O) liabilities, as well as employment, environmental, fiduciary (ERISA), intellectual property, management, product, professional, representations and warranties (R&W), tax position, and toxic tort liabilities.

His recent representations include engagements to recover property damage and business interruption losses caused by catastrophic events at refineries, petrochemical plants, oil and gas pipelines, golf courses, and hospitality venues. He regularly pursues recovery under liability policies for the costs of defending and resolving government subpoenas and investigations, and various breach-of-duty claims. Other recent representations include claims under pollution legal liability coverage for environmental clean-up costs. Bernie regularly appears in courts, arbitration tribunals, and mediations throughout the United States and in London arbitration under the Bermuda Form.

Bernie is a Fellow of the American College of Contractual and Extracontractual Counsel, and is the co-chair (policyholder side) of the College’s First-Party Insurance Committee. He wrote or co-wrote chapters in the Appleman insurance law treatise on Commercial Property Insurance and Time Element (Business Interruption) Insurance, and is a frequent writer and speaker on insurance coverage issues.

Mr. Bell is a graduate of Colgate University cum laude and a graduate of Fordham University, where he was an Editor of the Fordham Law Review.

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BellB@MillerFriel.com vertLine TEL: 202-760-3158 vertLine FAX: 202-459-9537
Benjamin W. Massarsky

Benjamin Massarsky’s practice focuses on representing corporate policyholders in complex insurance disputes in federal and state court. His experience extends to numerous types of insurance coverage, including commercial general liability, directors and officers, errors and omissions, political risk, and music tour non-appearance policies. Benjamin’s clients have spanned the manufacturing, real estate, technology, and entertainment sectors.

Benjamin has an active pro bono practice in which he represents students with special education needs and assists them in obtaining appropriate educational services in public and private schools. He has also drafted writs of certiorari for criminal defendants appealing to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Benjamin earned his B.A. from Cornell University and his J.D., magna cum laude and order of the coif, from the American University, Washington College of Law.

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MassarskyB@MillerFriel.com vertLine TEL: 202-849-8053 vertLine FAX: 202-459-9537
Stephen R. Mysliwiec

Steve is recognized as one of the leading insurance recovery lawyers in the country, representing some of the largest and best-known companies in the world with respect to all lines of commercial insurance. Steve was previously a partner in the Washington, DC office of DLA Piper, one of the world’s largest law firms, where he was a partner for over 30 years. Steve has litigated numerous insurance coverage disputes involving policyholders in the real estate, construction, banking, healthcare, life insurance, hotel, assisted living, computer, transportation, steel, commodities, and food service industries. Steve also represents trade associations, builders, and owners regarding various insurance coverage and liability issues arising from claims of defective workmanship and defective building materials. He has submitted numerous amicus briefs in appellate courts around the country on these issues. Steve is currently representing a number of companies in connection with their business income losses caused by COVID-19.

Steve’s practice also involves advising clients with respect to the insurance aspects of transactional matters. He helps developers, contractors, owners, lenders, landlords, tenants and other clients in the real estate, construction and financial services sectors deal with insurance and indemnity issues in complex real estate and construction transactions. He also advises clients regarding the insurance aspects of mergers and acquisitions, insurance issues in bankruptcy proceedings, trade credit insurance, reps and warranties insurance, and environmental insurance.

Steve received his B.A. magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa; his M.A. from the University of Notre Dame; and his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was Notes Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Steve was a law clerk in the Fifth Circuit for the renowned Judge John R. Brown.

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MysliwiecS@MillerFriel.com vertLine TEL: 202-760-3160 vertLine FAX: 202-459-9537
William T. O'Neil

Since 1990, Mr. O'Neil has been at the forefront of insurance coverage issues at several of the most prestigious corporate policyholder law firms in the country. His prior experience at such firms as Covington & Burling and Swidler & Berlin, includes litigating some of the largest and most complex insurance cases in the country. In addition, Mr. O'Neil has held senior legal positions for the Federal Government. His experience in both private and public sectors allows him to offer a unique perspective to resolving business insurance disputes.

Mr. O'Neil graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1985 and from Duke University School of Law in 1990 where he was a Senior Editor of Law and Contemporary Problems.

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OneilW@MillerFriel.com vertLine TEL: 202-760-3160 vertLine FAX: 202-459-9537
Tab R. Turano

Tab Turano has over 15 years of experience counseling clients on insurance issues, and handling insurance claims. Having negotiated D&O insurance language for literally hundreds of clients, Mr. Turano's advice on D&O insurance is particularly valued.

In addition, Mr. Turano has successfully litigated and settled a wide variety of D&O, E&O, Crime, Property, and General Liability insurance claims. He has authored published articles on various insurance topics ranging from D&O to Cyber Liability insurance.

Tab Turano is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, magna cum laude, and a graduate of the George Washington University Law School, where he was a member of the George Washington Journal of International Law & Economics.

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TuranoT@MillerFriel.com vertLine TEL: 202-760-3163 vertLine FAX: 202-459-9537
Kristen P. Schumacher

Kristen Schumacher has over 15 years of experience assisting in the resolution of complex litigation, arbitration, mediation, and settlement matters. She is proficient at virtually every aspect of research, litigation support, and project management.

Kristen Schumacher's skills were particularly valuable in a recent $20 million D&O insurance arbitration hearing, where she acted as lead paralegal.

Kristen Schumacher has studied abroad, and graduated with honors from Catholic University.

SchumacherK@MillerFriel.com vertLine TEL: 202-760-3159 vertLine FAX: 202-459-9537
Sharon McDermott

With over 25 years of experience, Sharon facilitates the firms’ practice with a wide range of administrative and paralegal assistance that includes document management, research, and court filings.

In addition, she collaborates with the attorneys to coordinate and prepare for mediations, arbitrations, and hearings.

Prior to joining Miller Friel, she worked with practices specializing in construction, white collar criminal, and communications law.

Sharon received her B.A. from Ripon College and her M.A. from American University.

Natalie Seales

Prior to joining Miller Friel, Natalie Seales was in-house counsel for a nonprofit media organization in Washington DC, working with industry leaders on a broad spectrum of issues including litigation, legislation and public policy.

Natalie earned her B.A. in journalism with a minor in English from the University of Mississippi where she was also awarded the university’s highest academic honor—the Taylor Medal. She then earned her J.D. from George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, where she was the Vice Chair of Membership on Moot Court Board and the Notes Editor on the Civil Rights Law Journal.

Sara Moghadam

Sara Moghadam brings more than twenty years of commercial litigation experience to her insurance recovery practice. Her trial and appellate work spans state and federal courts across the country. Her seasoned business judgment is honed from a career at DLA Piper LLP (US), where she was a partner in the Litigation group prior to joining Miller Friel. She has extensive experience resolving insurance coverage disputes under general liability, property and business interruption, D&O, E&O, professional liability, and excess policies.

Sara is a magna cum laude graduate of Bucknell University and an honors graduate of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, where she served as an Associate Editor of the Maryland Law Review.

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Our attorneys are recognized as leaders in the field of insurance.

They are some of the most experienced former large-firm insurance coverage lawyers in the world, practicing in a setting that allows them to be responsive, nimble, resourceful and efficient. Every attorney at Miller Friel practices exclusively in the area of insurance coverage, and all of our attorneys previously practiced as coverage attorneys at prestigious large law firms.

Our clients represent nearly every business segment from banking to technology to retail to oil and gas. We routinely handle claims involving all lines of insurance ranging in value from $1 million to $5 billion or more.

We know the law, the policies, and the insurance industry. Our clients appreciate the efficiencies realized by this level of experience, which directly translates into significant client savings.

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