Otto Cipolla, Jr., Founder, President, Managing Partner
Otto Cipolla, Jr. has been an attorney since 1984. Mr. Cipolla completed his undergraduate work at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. He earned his Juris Doctor at Pepperdine University. After becoming a member of the California State Bar, he co-authored the book How to Pass the Multi-State Bar Examination. Mr. Cipolla has devoted his practice exclusively to Workers’ Compensation Defense for the past 24 years. He also has experience in Longshore & Harbor claims. Mr. Cipolla has taught, lectured and given seminars in all aspects of Workers’ Compensation law for employers, insurance carriers and third party administrators. Mr. Cipolla has been a Judge pro-tem not only at the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board but also in Civil Court.
Ed Calaba, Partner, Co-Managing Attorney
Edward Calaba has been an attorney since 1988. Mr. Calaba completed his undergraduate work at Northern Arizona University after serving with the U.S. Army in Vietnam. He later earned his Master’s Degree of Social Work at the University of Washington. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Puget Sound. Mr. Calaba worked 13 years as a contracts administrator for the Dept. of the Navy in shipbuilding, naval weapons systems and the naval construction battalion. Mr. Calaba has practiced Workers’ Compensation Defense for the past 25 years, including Longshore and Harbor claims. He joined the firm in 1996 and is a Managing Partner at our main office in Agoura Hills.
Deidre Wollman, Partner
Deidre Wollman has been an attorney since 1996. Ms. Wollman completed her undergraduate work at University of Southern California. She later earned her Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School. Ms. Wollman’s Workers’ Compensation experience dates back to 1988. She previously worked as a Claims Adjuster and Claims Supervisor. Ms. Wollman joined the firm in 2002 and is a Partner at our main office in Agoura Hills.
Lisa Voce-Backos, Partner
Lisa Voce-Backos received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her Juris Doctor degree from Whittier College of Law in 1991 Ms. Backos has been representing insurance carriers, self-insured and employers in all aspects of Workers’ Compensation Defense since 1991. Her vast experience as a Workers’ Compensation defense attorney gives her the upper hand in addressing all issues with which she is presented. She is aggressive and most effective in all areas of Workers’ Compensation Defense including representing employers with Serious & Willful allegations, Labor Code §132(a) claims, physician/expert witness examinations and has filed numerous appellate level documents.
Ronald Stillman, Co-Managing Attorney
Ronald Stillman has been an attorney practicing Workers’ Compensation law since 1974. Mr. Stillman’s strong practice emphasis has been in the representation of self-insured municipalities, school districts and in the manufacturing sector. He is also frequently called upon to represent defendants in Labor Code §132(a) and Serious and Willful Misconduct cases. Mr. Stillman has spent many years involved in local community activities, including spending many years as a Public Safety Commissioner for the City of Calabasas and as chairman of that Commission. He is an AV rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and was recently chosen as one of the Top Lawyers of 2013 by his peers.
Sandra Best, Attorney
Sandra Best obtained her undergraduate degree from UCLA, and her Juris Doctor from UCLA in 1993. Ms. Best is licensed to practice in both California and New York. She has exclusively practiced in the Workers’ Compensation area since 1993. Ms. Best has extensive experience in all aspects of Workers’ Compensation Defense including trials, cross-examinations of doctors and defending serious and willful and §132(a) claims. It is Ms. Best’s philosophy to be proactive to affect the most expeditious and advantageous resolutions possible.
Shannon Cornay, Attorney
Shannon Cornay earned her undergraduate degree in political science at Louisiana State University and her Juris Doctor at Whittier College School of Law in 1994. She practiced civil litigation, defending employers and insurance companies in premises liability and personal injury claims, trying 7 jury trials to verdict. She has practiced exclusively in Workers’ Compensation for 11 years. Ms. Cornay aggressively handles all aspects of Workers’ Compensations claims including subrogation, §132(a) claims and Serious and Willful claims.
Charles Linton, Attorney
Charles Linton obtained his undergrad Bachelor of Arts from Pepperdine University and his Juris Doctor from Northrop University School of Law in 1989. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1989. He started practicing law in the field of plaintiff personal injury. He spent a part of his career working on two major mass toxic tort cases, representing Plaintiffs and Wrongful Death Beneficiaries. Mr. Linton has been practicing Compensation Defense for the past 10 years. He joined our firm in 2013 at our main office in Agoura Hills.
Aaron Moreno, Attorney
Aaron Moreno is an Associate Attorney at the Agoura Hills office. He graduated with a degree in Political Science at California State University-San Bernardino before earning his Juris Doctor at Pepperdine Law 2010. Aaron has spent the past several years in workers’ compensation defense, litigating various complex issues such as coverage per Labor Code 5412, death claims, arbitration on contribution/reimbursement, and public safety officer cases. Aaron prides himself on intimate knowledge of medical treatment and conditions, and develops litigation plans from referral of the claim through trial on the case in chief, and can advise at all stages as to risk mitigation, cost/benefit analysis, and reserve retention.
Todd Pierce, Attorney
Todd D. Pierce is an attorney in our Agoura Hills office. Mr. Pierce graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern California and thereafter obtained his Juris Doctorate at The Colleges of Law Ventura. Mr. Pierce is a certified mediator who has mediated in both the Los Angeles and Ventura County Courts. Mr. Pierce began his Workers’ Compensation Defense career with this firm in 2007. He has served the firm in numerous capacities since then as a law clerk, paralegal, EAMS administrator, lien specialist, hearing representative, and attorney.
Amy Sklar, Attorney
Amy Sklar is an attorney in our Agoura Hills office. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, majoring in Finance. She later earned her law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2012, graduating with honors. While in law school, she worked on the Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary and earned a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute. Ms. Sklar has worked in workers’ compensation defense since 2013 and joined our firm in 2016
Daniel Ter Veer, Attorney
Daniel L. Ter Veer has been an attorney practicing solely in the Workers’ Compensation area for over 19 years. Mr. Ter Veer completed his undergraduate work at Cal State University Northridge and then went on to earn his Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology at Cal State University Dominguez Hills and his Juris Doctor from the Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Mr. Ter Veer has practiced solely Workers’ Compensation Defense for his entire legal career. He lectures at Claims College seminars for new adjustors at the Sedgwick Claims College.
W. Matthew Dombrowski, J.D., Hearing Representative
Matthew Dombrowski is a graduate of California State University Northridge. He also has his Juris Doctor from ALU School of Law. Matthew has held various positions in the insurance industry including claims adjuster, claims supervisor, regional claims supervisor, hearing representative and litigation supervisor. Matthew has vast experience in front of the WCAB from regular appearances and trials to depositions and briefs. Matthew has also acted as a presenter at Employers School. Various carriers and self-insureds use Matthew for advice on claims handling procedures and reserves. He has been in the Workers’ Compensation field since 1990.