Lawrence J. Feinstein is a native Floridian, born in Miami. He graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. While in undergraduate school, Larry served as a reporter for several publications in the Gainesville area. In 1983 Larry obtained his Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas. He then returned to South Florida where he began practicing in the field of workers’ compensation law.

For over 34 years, Larry’s practice has focused on workers’ compensation defense.  Prior to joining Vernis & Bowling, Larry served as in-house counsel for two large carriers, and also represented large self-insureds throughout the State of Florida. Larry provides an invaluable service to our clients, lecturing and conducting seminars on various topics relevant to the workers’ compensation practice.  After all of these years, Larry continues to enjoy working with the remarkable variety of people he comes  across in his practice—from claims adjusters to claimants to opposing attorneys.

Larry is a member of the Florida Bar, Workers’ Compensation Section and the Volusia County Bar Association. He and his wife, Candace, are the proud parents of two sets of twins!   In his spare time, Larry enjoys cycling (and not on a bicycle built for two!) and swimming.

2011-2014 Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Star

David W. Willis is originally from Pensacola, Florida and has practiced law in Georgia since 1999. Since 2001, his practice has focused on representing self-insured employers and insurers in workers’ compensation and employment related matters. He has successfully litigated many claims throughout Georgia from the administrative hearing level and throughout the appellate process. He has experience handling a variety of workers’ compensation issues, including complex medical claims, second injury recovery actions and subrogation cases.

Since 2011, David has been honored on the Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, voted by his peers as one of Atlanta’s best young lawyers. The honor is given to only 2.5 % of the lawyers in Georgia. He is also AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. In his practice, David has lectured throughout Georgia and across the country on workers’ compensation topics and presented papers to various employment groups and insurance organizations. He has spoken on such subjects as Medicare issues, occupational disease claims, light duty work issues and cumulative trauma injuries. He is also an approved speaker for the CEU Institute for continuing education credits.

David is a member of the State Bar of Georgia as well as the Florida Bar. He is also a member of the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Section, the Atlanta Bar Association, and the Atlanta Claims Association. David received his undergraduate degree in 1996 from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He earned his law degree in 1999 from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University.

David resides in Marietta, Georgia with his wife and three children. He is a participant and supporter of various community organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Kids’ Chance, and the Atlanta Food Bank. He is also a member of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church.

Maloree G. McDonough was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In 2005, she graduated magna cum laude from Arkansas State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Political Science in ASU’s Honors College. She then attended the University of Mississippi School of Law where she obtained her Juris Doctorate in 2008. Some of Maloree’s law school academic memberships and honors include: Non-Resident Alumni Award; member of the Moot Court Board; 2006 Appellate Oral Advocacy Competition Quarter-Finalist; and author of a Bench Memorandum published in the 2008 edition of Mississippi Review of First Impressions.

In 2009, Maloree moved to Birmingham where she began her legal career practicing civil defense litigation. Her current practice focuses primarily on workers’ compensation defense, both at trial and appellate levels. She is a member of the Alabama and Birmingham Bar Associations, the Birmingham Bar Young Lawyers Section, as well as the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association. Maloree is admitted to practice in both Alabama and Mississippi.

Outside of work, Maloree is an active member of the Rotaract Club of Birmingham and the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Young Supporter’s Board. She is also a member of the Birmingham Women’s USTA Tennis League and enjoys playing competitive and recreational tennis.

Nicole is an Ohio native, but has called North Carolina home since she was twelve years old. After graduating from UNC-Charlotte in 1992, Nicole taught world literature and served as community service coordinator in the International Baccalaureate program, which, at that time, was a newly integrated magnet program in the Charlotte Mecklenburg school district. Following the birth of her first son, Nicole attended law school at UNC-Chapel Hill, graduating in 2000. She has exclusively practiced workers’ compensation defense since that time. Prior to joining Vernis & Bowling in 2013, Nicole was a partner in the Charlotte office of Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog, LLP.

Nicole manages and defends cases through all stages of the workers’ compensation process, from the initial determination of compensability through settlement. Additionally, Nicole litigates cases at the hearing level and at various stages of appeal, including appeals to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Nicole has mediated well over 1000 cases and has taken dozens more to hearing. According to her, “My favorite part, though, is the initial appeal at the Full Commission. You have to be prepared to orally defend your position and ready to answer any question the three commissioners may have on the facts of the case, the statutes and any case either side has cited in briefs. It is a thrilling experience and an honor to be trusted with a case at this level.”

Nicole’s goal as a defense attorney is to provide consistent and responsive advice to clients, offering strategies and innovative solutions to meet clients’ different objectives in workers’ compensation claims. Nicole has worked for years to develop an in-house system using highly trained staff to prioritize client needs and guidelines, while maximizing outcome and minimizing cost to the client. Nicole has handled a wide variety of occupational disease and injury by accident claims for many industries, including retail, food processing, trucking, manufacturing, restaurant, nursing homes and construction.

Nicole often speaks at seminars for insurance companies, third party administrators and self-insured companies on topics such as successful claims handling, winning litigation, liens, Medicare set asides, social media, workers’ comp 101, annual updates on legislative changes and case law, and employment law issues in workers’ compensation claims. Nicole is also a certified mediator and enjoys the challenge of assisting parties in settlement.  Nicole mediates workers’ compensation claims and also volunteers as a mediator in employment disputes between the State and State employees.  Nicole has been asked to serve as a mediator in a newly designed program by the NC Department of Labor to resolve REDA claims, a position which she enjoys and which she gives her additional insight when REDA claims arise in her workers’ compensation cases.

Nicole resides in Union County and has five children. She and her family enjoy gardening, cooking, boating and fishing. Her dream is to retire on a farm and practice sustainable agriculture.

Michael (Mike) Barratt graduated from the University of North Alabama in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. Mike received his Juris Doctorate degree from Mississippi College School of Law in 2004.

Mike has focused his practice on Alabama Workers’ Compensation cases, representing employers, insurance carriers, and third-party administrators in all aspects of workers’ compensation including, but not limited to, issues of coverage, compensability, occupation disease, eligibility for benefits, indemnification, subrogation, Medicare Set-Aside Allocations, and appeals. His representation has extended to retaliatory discharge, outrage, and other employment related issues. He has represented clients from every county in Alabama and has obtained favorable outcomes in both trial and appellate levels.

Mike regularly speaks at seminars and conferences including: WCI, ASIA, AWCO, and Alabama DOL WC Seminars covering numerous topics and issues. He also welcomes opportunities to speak with adjusters, managers, and supervisors at facilities regarding the proper handling of employment incidents and injuries that occur on site as well as ways to prevent and avoid workplace injuries.

Although he grew up in Chicago, Mike moved to northern Alabama as a teen with his family and has made Alabama his home. After law school, he began his practice in Mobile, Alabama, until moving to Birmingham in 2008 where he has lived ever since. Mike still has family throughout the state and actively practices in all four corners of Alabama.

Outside of work, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and four children. In addition to being an avid woodworker, Mike has a true passion for working families affected by childhood cancer. He is a familiar face on the pediatric oncology floor of Children’s Hospital of Alabama where he provides support and assistance to patients and their families. He also works with multiple organizations directly dealing with childhood cancer research and community awareness.