Engaging Experts

In this episode... 

Our guest today on Engaging Experts is Teena Sankoorikal, whose work in technology related litigation has kept her consistently fascinated and inspired throughout her career.  

Whether it be her early work on copyright related MP3 music software cases, or newsworthy trade secret and anti-trust cases, our conversation with Teena explores some of the cases that propelled Teena into a successful career in law. 

On this episode, David Seeley interviews Teena, who is a Partner at Covington & Burlington. David and Teena explore early career opportunities, technology litigation, the perfect expert witnesses, and empowering Asian American leaders through the Don H. Liu Scholars Program.  

Teena Sankoorikal Bio... 

Teena Sankoorikal is a commercial litigator who has handled numerous high-profile, complex civil litigation, and intellectual property disputes. Teena is a member of Covington & Burlington’s Evaluation Committee, and she serves as the Ombudsman for the New York Office. Teena has advised multinational companies on a variety of matters relating to trade secrets, business torts, breach of contract, trademark infringement, and more.  

In this episode... 

Our guest today on Engaging Experts is Teena Sankoorikal, whose work in technology related litigation has kept her consistently fascinated and inspired throughout her career.  

Whether it be her early work on copyright related MP3 music software cases, or newsworthy trade secret and anti-trust cases, our conversation with Teena explores some of the cases that propelled Teena into a successful career in law. 

On this episode, David Seeley interviews Teena, who is a Partner at Covington & Burlington. David and Teena explore early career opportunities, technology litigation, the perfect expert witnesses, and empowering Asian American leaders through the Don H. Liu Scholars Program.  

Teena Sankoorikal Bio... 

Teena Sankoorikal is a commercial litigator who has handled numerous high-profile, complex civil litigation, and intellectual property disputes. Teena is a member of Covington & Burlington’s Evaluation Committee, and she serves as the Ombudsman for the New York Office. Teena has advised multinational companies on a variety of matters relating to trade secrets, business torts, breach of contract, trademark infringement, and more.  

In this episode... 

Our guest Steve Chappelear was inspired by literature to start a career in law at a young age. From King Arthur and His Knights of The Round Table to To Kill a Mockingbird, Steve found a unique correlation between what excited him in these books and what excited him about the potential of working in law. 

During this episode, Steve details how his love of reading naturally evolved into a love for writing, which has become a defining attribute of his nearly forty-four year career. He also explores the importance of public interest work and how providing legal services to the indigent can be elevated through Bar Foundations and grant programs. Finally, Steve discusses how the process of finding the right expert has changed throughout his career. 

Steve Chappelear, Of Counsel at Eastman & Smith LTD., is interviewed by Dan Rubin on this episode of Engaging Experts.

Steve Chappelear Bio... 

With more than 40 years of experience handling complex litigation, Stephen E. Chappelear, of counsel, knows the value of presenting evidence and arguments in a manner that is understandable and compelling, whether that is to a jury, judge or arbitrator.  He has represented clients in many industries, such as financial, real estate, energy, manufacturing, education and government, on a range of legal issues.

In this episode... 

Our guest Steve Chappelear was inspired by literature to start a career in law at a young age. From King Arthur and His Knights of The Round Table to To Kill a Mockingbird, Steve found a unique correlation between what excited him in these books and what excited him about the potential of working in law. 

During this episode, Steve details how his love of reading naturally evolved into a love for writing, which has become a defining attribute of his nearly forty-four year career. He also explores the importance of public interest work and how providing legal services to the indigent can be elevated through Bar Foundations and grant programs. Finally, Steve discusses how the process of finding the right expert has changed throughout his career. 

Steve Chappelear, Of Counsel at Eastman & Smith LTD., is interviewed by Dan Rubin on this episode of Engaging Experts.

Steve Chappelear Bio... 

With more than 40 years of experience handling complex litigation, Stephen E. Chappelear, of counsel, knows the value of presenting evidence and arguments in a manner that is understandable and compelling, whether that is to a jury, judge or arbitrator.  He has represented clients in many industries, such as financial, real estate, energy, manufacturing, education and government, on a range of legal issues.

In this episode... 

Matt Morr and Mudaser “Mo” Khan, commercial litigators at Ballard Spahr, reflect on expert persuasiveness (both reports and on the stand) and credibility (from body language to ensuring story consistency). They note that their favorite experts shine in two areas: first, they continually work on their writing and speaking skills, keeping at the forefront in the art of persuasion; and secondly, they work closely with the attorney team to ensure consistent themes in the stories they are telling at trial.

Mo and Matt also discuss Ballard Spahr’s commitment to pro bono work and their own interest in prisoners’ rights. This intensity has been transformative for clients like Robert Francis, whose life sentence was overturned thanks to the firm’s dedication to his case. They discuss whether trial penalty is common, and what is at the root of this controversial concept. They also go into detail on the power of organizations like the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and Ballard Spahr’s commitment to this organization, sharing advice for those moved by the work being done in this area and who want to get involved with commutation or prisoner’s rights work.

Matthew Morr

Matt Morr is a trial attorney at Ballard Spahr, representing a wide range of companies in their most important litigation matters, from prominent public organizations to start-ups in emerging industries. Matt has litigated and tried cases in front of judges and juries in federal and state court, and before arbitration panels.

Mudaser Kahn

Mudasar "Mo" Khan is a member of Ballard Spahr's Litigation Department. His practice focuses on complex corporate and commercial litigation in both state and federal courts. Mo's experience includes managing electronic discovery, drafting discovery requests and responses, arguing at hearings to resolve discovery disputes, taking depositions, preparing fact and expert witnesses to give testimony, negotiating settlements, and briefing dispositive motions.

In this episode... 

Matt Morr and Mudaser “Mo” Khan, commercial litigators at Ballard Spahr, reflect on expert persuasiveness (both reports and on the stand) and credibility (from body language to ensuring story consistency). They note that their favorite experts shine in two areas: first, they continually work on their writing and speaking skills, keeping at the forefront in the art of persuasion; and secondly, they work closely with the attorney team to ensure consistent themes in the stories they are telling at trial.

Mo and Matt also discuss Ballard Spahr’s commitment to pro bono work and their own interest in prisoners’ rights. This intensity has been transformative for clients like Robert Francis, whose life sentence was overturned thanks to the firm’s dedication to his case. They discuss whether trial penalty is common, and what is at the root of this controversial concept. They also go into detail on the power of organizations like the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and Ballard Spahr’s commitment to this organization, sharing advice for those moved by the work being done in this area and who want to get involved with commutation or prisoner’s rights work.

Matthew Morr

Matt Morr is a trial attorney at Ballard Spahr, representing a wide range of companies in their most important litigation matters, from prominent public organizations to start-ups in emerging industries. Matt has litigated and tried cases in front of judges and juries in federal and state court, and before arbitration panels.

Mudaser Kahn

Mudasar "Mo" Khan is a member of Ballard Spahr's Litigation Department. His practice focuses on complex corporate and commercial litigation in both state and federal courts. Mo's experience includes managing electronic discovery, drafting discovery requests and responses, arguing at hearings to resolve discovery disputes, taking depositions, preparing fact and expert witnesses to give testimony, negotiating settlements, and briefing dispositive motions.

In this episode... 

With over 35 years of experience as a litigator, Kirk Watkins has positioned himself as a nationally recognized lawyer. His experience in the industry has provided countless career lessons, and on this episode of Engaging Experts, he was generous enough to share some of his valuable insight.  

Kirk discusses the launch of his career at Troutman Sanders and how he evolved over the years. Throughout this time, Kirk has worked a number of notable cases and collaborated with a range of expert witnesses. The lessons that Kirk has picked up range from the importance of confidence, the attributes of a great expert witness, and the power of persuasive writing.  

On this episode, Dan Rubin interviews Kirk, who is Of Counsel at Davis, Zipperman, Kirschenbaum and Lotito, a certified mediator, and a board member of the Atlanta International Arbitration Society.  

Kirk Watkins

As an experienced trial lawyer in intellectual property, complex business disputes, and arbitration, Kirk’s strategic approach stresses careful planning and flexibility to achieve the client’s objective without waste. Over his 35 years as a litigator, Kirk has regularly been listed as a best lawyer and super lawyer, both in Georgia and nationally. Kirk is also a certified mediator, having served as past president of the Atlanta International Arbitration Society, where he currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.  

In this episode... 

With over 35 years of experience as a litigator, Kirk Watkins has positioned himself as a nationally recognized lawyer. His experience in the industry has provided countless career lessons, and on this episode of Engaging Experts, he was generous enough to share some of his valuable insight.  

Kirk discusses the launch of his career at Troutman Sanders and how he evolved over the years. Throughout this time, Kirk has worked a number of notable cases and collaborated with a range of expert witnesses. The lessons that Kirk has picked up range from the importance of confidence, the attributes of a great expert witness, and the power of persuasive writing.  

On this episode, Dan Rubin interviews Kirk, who is Of Counsel at Davis, Zipperman, Kirschenbaum and Lotito, a certified mediator, and a board member of the Atlanta International Arbitration Society.  

Kirk Watkins

As an experienced trial lawyer in intellectual property, complex business disputes, and arbitration, Kirk’s strategic approach stresses careful planning and flexibility to achieve the client’s objective without waste. Over his 35 years as a litigator, Kirk has regularly been listed as a best lawyer and super lawyer, both in Georgia and nationally. Kirk is also a certified mediator, having served as past president of the Atlanta International Arbitration Society, where he currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.  

Jonathan Schwartz is a partner at Goldberg Segalla and chair of the firm’s Cyber Risk Coverage Practice. Jonathan was the former chair of the 2019 Insurance Roundtable and currently serves as the vice-chair of the Insurance Law Committee at the Defense Research Institute. In addition, He is a top-rated lawyer by Super Lawyers, he has the highest peer rating standard by Martindale Hubbell, AV preeminent, and he has been recognized as a best lawyer in America consecutively from 2018 to 2021.

In this episode...

The path to a career in law is a challenging yet rewarding one. Our guest on this episode of Engaging Experts is Jonathan Schwartz, who looks back most fondly on defining moments in his career and sheds light on how he has achieved success.
 
Jonathan reflects on the importance of influential mentors in his life, and the advice that they shared. Now, Jonathan is able to offer advice and mentorship through the form of thought leadership, which is a primary focus of his. Whether it's publishing his writing, or hosting Goldberg Segalla's Timely Notice podcast, Jonathan is looking to offer insight and help professionals in the industry.  
 
On this episode, David Seeley interviews Jonathan, who is a partner at Goldberg Segalla, the vice-chair of the Insurance Law Committee at the Defense Research Institute and has the highest peer rating standard by Martindale Hubbell. 

Jonathan Schwartz is a partner at Goldberg Segalla and chair of the firm’s Cyber Risk Coverage Practice. Jonathan was the former chair of the 2019 Insurance Roundtable and currently serves as the vice-chair of the Insurance Law Committee at the Defense Research Institute. In addition, He is a top-rated lawyer by Super Lawyers, he has the highest peer rating standard by Martindale Hubbell, AV preeminent, and he has been recognized as a best lawyer in America consecutively from 2018 to 2021.

In this episode...

The path to a career in law is a challenging yet rewarding one. Our guest on this episode of Engaging Experts is Jonathan Schwartz, who looks back most fondly on defining moments in his career and sheds light on how he has achieved success.
 
Jonathan reflects on the importance of influential mentors in his life, and the advice that they shared. Now, Jonathan is able to offer advice and mentorship through the form of thought leadership, which is a primary focus of his. Whether it's publishing his writing, or hosting Goldberg Segalla's Timely Notice podcast, Jonathan is looking to offer insight and help professionals in the industry.  
 
On this episode, David Seeley interviews Jonathan, who is a partner at Goldberg Segalla, the vice-chair of the Insurance Law Committee at the Defense Research Institute and has the highest peer rating standard by Martindale Hubbell.