Invited Faculty

Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes concentrates her practice on personal injury, medical negligence, and wrongful death cases.  Mrs. Baker-Barnes is Chair-Elect of the Board of Directors of the Young Lawyers Section of the Florida Justice Association.  She is with the firm of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA in West Palm Beach, Florida.

David Ball, Ph.D., author of three best-selling trial advocacy books, is a nationally recognized consultant on damages, focus groups, jury selection, and case strategy and presentation.  Dr. Ball has taught thousands of attorneys from coast to coast and in Canada, and received the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers’ 2002 Charles L. Becton award for excellence in teaching trial advocacy.  His newest book, David Ball on Damages, The Essential Update provides step-by-step practical guidance for plaintiff’s personal injury and wrongful death practice.  Dr. Ball is a partner with Miller, Malekpour & Ball in Durham, North Carolina.

Nancy J. Turbak Berry is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and a specialist in civil advocacy certified by the National Board of Trial Advocates.  Ms. Turbak Berry is the 1997 South Dakota Trial Lawyer of the Year and a Diplomate of the AAJ’s National College of Advocacy.  She is a Past President of the South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association and has just completed her first term as a member of the South Dakota Senate.  The Turbak Law Office is in Watertown, South Dakota.

Donald H. Beskind, Course Advisor, concentrates in plaintiffs’ tort litigation.  He is a senior lecturer at Duke University School of Lawand director of trial skills education at Duke.  Mr. Beskind is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, International Society of Barristers, and the American Board of Trial Advocates.  He is a member and former cochair of AAJ’s National College of Advocacy (NCA) Board of Trustees and a frequent CLE speaker throughout the country.  Mr. Beskind is a partner with the law firm of Twiggs, Beskind, Strickland & Rabenau, PA, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Steven L. Langer concentrates his practice in Plaintiff's medical malpractice law. He is a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association. In 2003, he received the Consumer Advocate of the Year award. In 2004, he received the Trial Lawyer of the Year award from the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association. He is a member of the College of Fellows of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association. He has published numerous articles on medical negligence.  Mr. Langer is a partner at the law firm of Langer & Langer in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Debra Miller concentrates her practice in the art of communication, advertising, and market research.  Ms. Miller specializes in developing core communication strategies for civil plaintiffs and criminal defendants throughout the United States and Canada.  She is a senior partner in the trial consulting firm Miller, Malekpour & Ball in North Carolina.

Jerome F. O’Neill concentrates his practice in litigation on behalf of injured persons and their survivors, commercial litigation, and white collar criminal defense.  He serves on AAJ’s Board of Governors, is a member of AAJ’s Exchange Advisory Committee, and is a past cochair and current member of AAJ’s NCA Board of Trustees.  He is a past president of the Vermont Trial Lawyers Association, is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and is the chair of the Vermont Supreme Court Evidence Rules Committee.  Mr. O’Neill is a partner in the firm of O’Neill Kellner & Green in Burlington, Vermont.

Thomas D. Penfield concentrates his practice in personal injury, class actions, civil and environmental law.  He serves as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego Law School and was awarded the Environmental Lawyer of the Year Award for the Sierra Club’s San Diego Chapter.  He was placed in the top 5% in his area by Super Lawyer Magazine in the Personal Injury-General category.  Mr. Penfield is a partner with the firm of Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield, LLC in San Diego, California.

Ernest F. Teitell has over 30 years of trial experience and concentrates his practice on the representation of individuals who have suffered life-altering injuries as a result of medical malpractice, defective products, catastrophic motor vehicle collisions, or sexual abuse.  He is Past President of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association and Ernie has taught Trial Practice and Advanced Trial Practice as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Quinnipiac University School of Law since 1987.  Mr. Teitell has been inducted as a fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and is a partner with Silver Golub & Teitell in Stamford, Connecticut.

Charles J. Zauzig, III concentrates his practice on personal injury, medical negligence, products liability and trucking accidents.  He is President of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and a member of AAJ’s Board of Governors.  Mr. Zauzig is listed as one of Washington’s “Top Lawyers” by Washingtonian Magazine and is listed in Best Lawyers in America.  He is involved in a number of organizations including the Virginia State Bar, the Prince William County Bar Association, the Fairfax County Bar Association, and the Southern Trial Lawyers Association.   Mr. Zauzig is a principal in the firm of Nichols Zauzig Sandler, P.C., with offices in Woodbridge and Tysons Corner, Virginia.