Top Best Work Place Injury Lawyers | 7718 Available

Jason A. Heller focuses his Maryland and Washington, D.C. workers’ compensation practice on the defense of employers and insurance companies.  In Maryland, Jason has defended employers and insurers before the Workers’ Compensation Commission, Circuit Courts, and the Court of Special Appeals. In Washington, D.C., he has represented the interests of employers and insurers before the Office of Workers’ Compensation, Office of Hearings and Adjudication, Compensation Review Board, and the Court of Appeals.. Jason’s record includes defending employers and insurers against accidental injury and occupational disease claims and issues pertaining to the causal relationship of disabilities and claimants’ alleged temporary total and/or permanent partial disability. His practice has led to several multi-day jury trials before various Maryland Circuit Courts, many of which resulted in favorable verdicts for employer and insurers. Throughout his career, Jason has represented employers in the food-service industry, hospitals, municipalities, construction companies, hotels, assisted-living facilities, and family-owned establishments. He also shares his insights into developments in workers' compensation law and litigation trends through the firm's widely read and highly regarded Workers' Compensation Defense blog.. Prior to beginning his workers’ compensation defense practice, Jason gained valuable experience representing claimants before the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission.  He also handled automotive tort cases and assisted business owners in various general civil litigation matters.. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland, Jason attended the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he was an associate editor and contributor at the University of Baltimore Law Forum.

Henry John Wegrocki is an attorney at the Baltimore, Maryland law firm of Cohen, Snyder, Eisenberg & Katzenberg, P.A. He specializes in cases related to personal injury, car accidents, workers compensation, and criminal law.

Meredith L. Pendergrass focuses her practice on defending employers, insurance carriers, and third-party administrators in workers’ compensation matters throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia. She regularly appears in both Maryland and the District of Columbia at agency-level proceedings all the way through each jurisdiction’s highest court system on appeals. She is also co-editor of Goldberg Segalla's Workers' Compensation Defense blog.. Meredith previously clerked in the Office of the Attorney General in the Health Occupations, Prosecution and Litigation Division, and then for Administrative Judge Lenore R. Gelfman in the Circuit Court for Howard County, Maryland. In both clerkships she gained valuable understanding of contemporary issues in the dynamic field of health care, as well as behind-the-bench insights into judicial procedure and decision-making, both of which she applies effectively in her present workers’ compensation practice.. Beyond her handling of workers’ compensation agency and court proceedings, Meredith’s exceptional oral and written advocacy skills are reflected in her frequent authorship of briefs for submission to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and in her law school accolades. Meredith won the “Best Oralist” award in the 2014 National Moot Court Competition, competed on the Labor and Employment Trial Team and the Telecommunications Moot Court Team, and graduated summa cum laude from The University of Baltimore School of Law.

Pamela Broache has spent the past two decades trying cases in the state and federal jurisdictions of Maryland, where she has appeared as lead counsel in bench trials as well as before juries. She defends clients and insurers in complex matters involving product liability, personal injury, employment discrimination, and exposure to asbestos, vinyl chloride, silica, lead paint, and other toxic substances. She regularly obtains dismissals and summary judgment in complex mesothelioma cases in Baltimore City Circuit Court, and has successfully argued cases before the Court of Special Appeals. She was recently part of a team that prevailed in a $1.7 million lead paint exposure case. Additionally, Pam has experience handling construction design and defect claims, and recently led the successful defense of a subcontractor in a case involving substantial damages.. Pam also has extensive experience defending workers’ compensation claims. She spent many years litigating workers’ compensation matters as in-house counsel for a major insurance company. She then continued that practice for several years as senior counsel for a major workers’ compensation defense firm in the Mid-Atlantic region. Pam has represented employers of all types in the full range of accidental and occupational injury claims, from the initial response to the claim through all stages of litigation. She has defended employers, insurers, and independent adjusting companies in numerous hearings before the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission, and she has efficiently protected her clients’ interests in settlement negotiations and through appeals to the Circuit Courts of Maryland.

Kim Seabright is an insurance defense attorney focused on Workers' Compensation in the State of Maryland. Kim has been practicing before the Workers' Compensation Commission since her first day as an attorney, and is recognized by peers and commissioners as prepared and effective. Having practiced on both sides of the aisle, with previous experience as plaintiff's AND defense counsel, Ms. Seabright brings a nuanced perspective to each case and is an effective negotiator and litigator.. Ms. Seabright was born and raised in Maryland, graduating from Hagerstown Community College with two degrees before becoming a paralegal. While working as a paralegal in personal injury and workers’ compensation firms, she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Law and American Civilization from Towson University in 2017. After several years in the legal industry, Kim sought her Juris Doctor from Penn State Law, graduating in 2021 with concentrations in Advocacy & Litigation and Health Law. Prior to joining the team at Schmidt, Dailey & O'Neill, Ms. Seabright worked as both plaintiff's counsel for workers' compensation/general liability matters, and as a well-respected criminal defense attorney, awarded "Top 40 Under 40" by the National Trial Lawyers for her work.. Assisting clients in both Spanish and English, Ms. Seabright is admitted to practice in Maryland and a member of several professional organizations. She has experience litigating and co-chairing cases in almost every county in the State of Maryland and before the United States District Court. Ms. Seabright is member of the Maryland Bar Association, the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys’ Association, the Baltimore County Bar Association, the Anne Arundel Bar Association, the Montgomery County Bar Association and the Maryland LGBT+ Bar Association. She is also a public notary in the State of Virginia.

ExperienceMatthew LaFontaine is an associate in Franklin & Prokopik workers’ compensation team practice group and resident in the Baltimore office. Matthew previously worked at an injured workers’ firm where he represented individuals against insurance companies in front of the Workers’ Compensation Commission throughout the State of Maryland. By representing injured workers’, Matthew gained valuable knowledge of the claims and litigation process, which is crucial in defending employers and insurers.. Matthew was a Rule 16 Student Attorney at the University of Baltimore’s Family Law Clinic during law school. As a student attorney, Matthew handled all aspects of child custody cases and protective orders. Matthew was also part of the Truancy Court Program, which monitored student and parental compliance with court-ordered attendance.. Awards and DistinctionsSelected to Maryland Super Lawyers, Rising Star 2018-2023. ActivitiesMatthew is a lifelong native of Baltimore County and attended Loyola Blakefield High School. Matthew enjoys skiing, watching Nascar, and walking his dog Fred, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, during his free time.