Total Credits: 7.0 MCLE, 1.0 Ethics, 1.0 Elimination of Bias
8:30-9 a.m. | Registration and continental breakfast
9-10:15 a.m. | Update from the division and commission
Speakers: Rodney J. Campbell, Chairman, Missouri Labor and Industrial Relations Commission, Jefferson City; Hon. Melissa L. Gilliam, Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation, St. Charles; Hon. Ben Qualls, Acting Director, Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation, Jefferson City; Hon. Jason A. Tilley, Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation, St. Louis; Hon. Edwin J. Kohner, Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation, St. Louis
10:15-10:30 a.m. | Break
10:30-11:20 a.m. | Specialized losses – What workers’ compensation practitioners need to know
Discussion of some of the more specialized or unusual types of disabilities in worker's compensation cases, including vision loss. Discussion of the governing law regarding vision loss and how to calculate workers' compensation vision loss.
Speakers: Ashley S. Grace, Andersen & Associates, Overland Park, KS; Rachel R. Harris, Missouri Attorney General's Office, Cape Girardeau; Cheryl P. Hom, Hall Ansley, P.C., Springfield
11:20-11:35 a.m. | Break
11:35 a.m.-12:25 p.m. | Differentiating arm pain - Is it my neck or is it my shoulder?
This topic will center around differentiating between referred extremity pain and primary spine pain. Dr. Sylvester and Dr. Young will specifically evaluate and discuss how to go about understanding if the patient’s symptoms are cervical origin versus shoulder origin. The mechanism of injury, pattern of pain, exacerbating factors, and physical findings will be thoroughly discussed. The physicians will review the appropriate imaging techniques used to complete the evaluation of these pathologies as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic tools that can be used to aid in the diagnosis when both cervical & shoulder issues exist.
Speakers: Dr. Thomas J. Sylvester, MD, Motion Orthopaedics, St. Louis; Dr. Jason P. Young, MD, Motion Orthopaedics, St. Louis
12:25-1:15 p.m. | Lunch (provided)
1:15-2:30 p.m. | Case law update
Speakers: Kevin M. Johnson, Wallace Saunders, Overland Park, KS; Patrick J. Platter, The Law Firm of Neale & Newman LLP, Springfield; Adam T. Sandberg, Missouri Attorney General's Office, St. Louis
2:30-2:45 p.m. | Break
2:45-3:35 p.m. | Medical school for lawyers
Case-based presentation to discuss how to identify the intersection between legal and medical viewpoints.
Learning objectives:
Speakers: Da-Niel A. Cunningham, St. Louis County Counselor's Office, St. Louis; J. Thomas Cunningham, Texas A&M College of Medicine, Ft. Worth, TX
3:35-3:50 p.m. | Break
3:50-4:40 p.m. | AI ethics and bias (qualifies for 1.0 ethics | 1.0 bias hours)
Speakers: Michael P. Downey, Downey Law Group LLC, St. Louis; Paige A. Tungate, Downey Law Group LLC, St. Louis
4:40 p.m. | Adjourn
Opinions and positions stated by presenters of MoBarCLE programs are those of the presenters and not necessarily those of The Missouri Bar. This program is intended as information for lawyers in Missouri, in conjunction with other research they deem necessary, in the exercise of their independent judgment.
Rodney Campbell currently serves as the chair of the Missouri Labor and Industrial Relations Commission. Rodney was appointed to the Commission in April 2022, and he was appointed as chair in July 2022. Rodney previously served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Labor Division of the Missouri Attorney General's Office. He then practiced workers' compensation law at Archer & Lassa and The Petraborg Law Firm before joining the Commission. Rodney is a graduate of Missouri State University and Saint Louis University School of Law.
Da-Niel currently works as part of the St. Louis County Counselor's Office Risk/Work Comp team. Prior to that she worked at the Missouri Attorney General's Office in both the Public Safety and Labor Divisions.
J. Thomas Cunningham, PhD, is Senior Associate Dean for Research at Texas A&M College of Medicine. Masters and PhD in Biopsychology from University of Iowa, postdoctoral training in Neuroscience at McGill University and University of Ottawa. Research Fellow at Cardiovascular Center, University of Iowa.
Michael P. Downey is a legal ethics lawyer and founder of Downey Law Group LLC, a St. Louis law firm devoted to legal ethics, lawyer discipline defense, and the law of lawyering. Michael regularly advises lawyers at law firms and legal departments regarding legal ethics and risk management issues. Michael also assists lawyers responding to disciplinary complaints, and has defended lawyers in civil litigation and disciplinary cases in both Missouri and Illinois. Michael has taught legal ethics at Washington University and St. Louis University, published 180 articles, and presented more than 700 times on legal ethics. Learn more about Michael and his practice at www.DowneyLawGroup.com, or contact him at (314) 961-6644 or mdowney@DowneyLawGroup.com.
Administrative Law Judge Melissa Gilliam spent the first seventeen (17) years of her legal career as a prosecuting attorney in the Colorado Springs District Attorney’s Office and the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. She briefly practiced family, civil, and criminal law in private practice before being elected as the St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney in 2018. She spent four (4) years in that office before starting as an Administrative Law Judge in January of 2023.
Ashley Grace is Counsel at Andersen and Associates where she practices workers' compensation law on behalf of Travelers and its insureds. In the fall of 2022, Ashley was an adjunct professor at the University of Kansas School of Law and taught Lawyering Skills I. Ashley previously practiced at the Missouri Attorney General's Office and was a law clerk to the Honorable Janette K. Rodecap in Jackson County Circuit Court. Ashley earned her law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.
Rachel graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law in 2013. After three years in private practice, she joined the Labor Division of the Missouri Attorney General's Office in 2016. She is currently the Labor Division Unit Leader in the Cape Girardeau Office and handles workers' compensation cases exclusively.
Kevin M. Johnson is a Practicing Partner with the firm, and he has practiced with Wallace Saunders since 2002. He earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude in 1998 from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and his law degree in 2001 from the University of Missouri at Columbia School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois, and his practice focus is on workers’ compensation and employment litigation.
Patrick J. Platter is a partner with the law firm of Neale & Newman, L.L.P. of Springfield, Missouri. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia with undergraduate and law degrees. He specializes in workers’ compensation law, local government law, administrative law, and employment law. He has tried hundreds of workers’ compensation claims before the Division of Workers’ Compensation and appeals before the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission and appellate courts. His appeals in workers’ compensation claims have spanned a wide range of subject in The Workers’ Compensation Law. Mr. Platter is a certified mediator under Rule 17. He is a member of the Mo Bar Fee Dispute Resolution Committee. He is published in the Journal of the Missouri Bar and speaks to many professional and trade organizations in workers’ compensation and employment law. He is recognized in Super Lawyers® in workers’ compensation law and The Best Lawyers of America© in local government law.
Ben joined the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) in 2004, holding various roles in the Self-Insurance Unit and then moving on to a Senior Research/Data Analyst role which included supporting both the statewide COVID Fusioncell response effort and DWC Modernization Project. He became Deputy Director of DWC in June of 2022. Ben holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance and Banking and a Minor in Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia, as well as industry certifications Professional Scrum Master I – PSM I and Professional Scrum Product Owner I – PSPO I (issued by Scrum.org), Certified Change Practitioner (issued by Prosci, Inc.) and EDI Claims Professional (issued by IAIABC).
Dr. Sylvester is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in spine surgery. Dr. Sylvester completed a residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL.
Paige earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Webster University, where she and her twin sister were stars on the Women’s Tennis Team, helping it qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2010 (and again in 2012).
Paige then attended the University of Missouri School of Law, where she was an associate managing editor of the Journal of Dispute Resolution.
Since joining Downey Law Group in May 2017, Paige has worked on a wide range of legal and professional ethics matters. These matters include virtually all practice areas of Downey Law Group.
Dr. Young is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon who specializes in treating a wide range of orthopaedic and sports medicine conditions. Dr. Young is Fellowship Trained in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Denver, Colorado.
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