The CLM Litigation Management Task Force brings together leading voices for meaningful conversations to address the pressing challenges facing claims and litigation management. Recognizing that together we are stronger when facing mounting pressures, the Task Force is addressing issues such as counsel value, performance metrics, managing costs, professional skills development, and talent recruitment and retention.
Please reach out to Ainsley Stephens for further information about getting involved.
Thank you to the following organizations for their commitment to innovation and collaboration with this Task Force.
CLM Knowledge Hub
CLM Magazine Coverage
Keeping Our Eye on the Ball
CLM Magazine June 11, 2025
CLM’s Litigation Management Task Force is broken up into subcommittees that each focus on specific areas of concern to claims and litigation professionals. Previously, online and here in CLM Magazine, we have shared perspectives from members of the Task Force Steering Committee that oversees the subcommittees, and the leaders of the Cost Management Subcommittee. In this edition, Rondiene E. Novitz, managing partner of Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston & Zimet LLP; and Rhonda Thompson, partner at Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons LLP, share some thoughts on the work of the Professional Skills Subcommittee, which they lead.
The Elephant in the Room
CLM’s Litigation Management Task Force quickly zeroed in on some of the toughest challenges facing claims and litigation professionals. While subcommittees tackle issues like AI, recruitment, and retention, candid conversations about billing have stood out as especially impactful. Steering Committee members, including Cayce Lynch, national managing partner at Tyson & Mendes; Bob Kopka, founding partner at Kopka Pinkus Dolin; and Krista Glenn, EVP and chief claims officer at Westfield Specialty, credit the Task Force with fostering honest dialogue about misaligned incentives and outdated models. With consensus that change is overdue, members see this as an opportunity to rethink not just billing, but broader industry dynamics.
Insights From the Litigation Management Task Force
CLM Magazine April 15, 2025
CLM’s Litigation Management Task Force has been hard at work in 2025, with subcommittees meeting on a range of key industry topics from billing, to recruitment and retention, to AI and technology. At this year’s Annual Conference, Task Force Steering Committee members briefed attendees on what the task force has been up to and what can be expected going forward. Panel members at the conference included moderator Cayce Lynch, administrative partner, Tyson & Mendes LLP; JD Keister, attorney, McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC; Steven Donnelly, chief service officer, Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company; Cathleen Rebar, partner, Rebar Kelly; Krista Glenn, executive vice president and chief claims officer, Westfield Specialty; and Matt Morrison, vice president of litigation, American Family Insurance.
Setting Sail to Define Litigation Management
CLM Magazine February 19, 2025
Our Litigation Management Task Force brings everyone to the table to tackle the biggest challenges. The Task Force is led by a Steering Committee of industry and law firm experts. In this issue of CLM Magazine, we talk to the leaders of the Cost Management Strategies Subcommittee — Russ Goudelock, attorney at McAngus Goudelock & Courie; and Dana Marie Applegate, senior vice president, claims at Coaction Global — who hit the ground running in 2025 and were quick to schedule meetings and dive into their subcommittee’s key topics. Read more with the link above.
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the CLM Litigation Management Task Force is to identify strategies and actionable ideas that address these challenges, bring outside defense counsel, claim organizations, and industry partners into greater operational alignment, and to create opportunities for all parties to work together toward increased effectiveness.
Guiding Principles:
🔹 Desired Outcomes with Appropriate Costs
🔹 Combat Nuclear Verdicts and Legal System Abuse
🔹 Talent Development and Retention
Steering Committee
Kathryn Anderson, KPA Law, Founder
Chris Butler, Bowhead Specialty, Regional Sales Executive
Chris Carucci, Gallagher Bassett, Senior Vice President, Construction Claims
Dan Costello, Costello Ginex & Widelkis, Managing Partner
Tad Eckenrode, Eckenrode Maupin, Managing Principal
Krista Glenn, Westfield Specialty, EVP & Chief Claims Officer
Collin Hite, USAA, Associate General Counsel
Becky Hudzik-Presson, American National, Chief Claims Officer
JD Keister, MGC, Attorney
Bob Kopka, Kopka Pinkus Dolin PC, Founding Partner
Steve Lokus, Sompo International, Vice President, Casualty Construction Claims
Cayce Lynch, Tyson Mendes, National Managing Partner
Jerry Hamilton, Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, Managing Shareholder
Donna Markus, Kopka Pinkus Dolin, Chief Operating Officer
Matt Morrison, American Family Insurance, Vice President of Litigation
Flavia Pemberton, Everspan, Chief Claims Officer
Cathleen Kelly Rebar, Rebar Kelly, Partner
Laura Schoefer, NBIS Construction and Transportation Insurance, Senior Vice President, Claims
Dan Winkler, Westfield, Director - Claims Legal Support