Event Registation

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F&P Spotlight on Principal Jennifer Helsel

What is your practice area, and how did you choose it?
I handle Virginia Workers’ Compensation claims.  I began working for an insurance defense firm out of law school.  I knew very little about workers’ compensation but really enjoyed the cases.  I like the fast pace of workers’ compensation and the ability to come to a fairly quick resolution relative to liability cases.  I also enjoy the small state-wide workers’ compensation bar and the collegiality among the attorneys on both sides of the cases.

What is your favorite aspect of working at F&P?
I really enjoy the people here.  In our Herndon office, we get together as an office once a month for lunch.  It is a good chance to get to catch up with those I don’t work with on a daily basis.

What’s your favorite restaurant/show/event?
My family’s favorite restaurant is the Taqeuria el Poblano, near our house in Arlington, Virginia.  We have been going there after soccer and swim team practices for 20 years.  Every time my kids come home from school, it is their first dinner back.  They make the best margaritas and the restaurant holds many special memories for me.

Tell us something about you that few of your colleagues and clients would know.
We own a 15-year-old leopard gecko.

What do you like to do outside the office?
I enjoy hot vinyasa yoga and long walks.

Have you read any good books or seen any good movies this year that you would recommend?
As far as books, I really enjoyed “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr.  For movies, I loved “Coda.”

What is your favorite food?
Panazanella (Italian bread salad)

What is your all-time favorite city or town and why?
Duck, North Carolina.  We have been going there since 1991.  We love the peace of the beach.  Also, I enjoy walking along the boardwalk on the sound.

F&P Spotlight on Principal Lynn Fitzpatrick

What is your practice area, and how did you choose it?
Workers’ compensation chose me! I clerked for a trial court judge and learned what areas were not for me. There was an opening in a local firm after my clerkship, and it happened to be for a workers’ comp defense attorney. I was offered the position, and the rest is history.

Please describe a signature case or representation.
Thorpe v. Ted Bowling Construction
, 283 Va. 808 (2012) was my first reported Virginia Supreme Court case, dealing with the issue of proper calculation of an individual’s average weekly wage.

What do you find most satisfying about law practice?
I am grateful that I have developed a practice in which I am able to strike a work/life balance that suits both my professional aspirations and my family’s needs. The workers’ compensation bar in Virginia is a relatively small group of attorneys, and I enjoy the camaraderie as well as the high caliber legal minds of the colleagues I engage with on a daily basis.

What is the best career advice you’ve received?
Pay it forward. Take the advice you’ve collected over the years and work on helping the next generation of lawyers.

What developments or changes in workers’ comp law do you expect to see in the coming year?
With remote work becoming more prevalent, I expect to see more litigation involving compensability of injuries occurring at home.

What is your favorite aspect of working at F&P?
The people. I appreciate the fact that the Firm has shown resilience and good judgment in trying circumstances throughout our 22-year history.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?
Raising three sons to adulthood and near adulthood!

Tell us something about you that few of your colleagues and clients would know.
I used to sing in a rock band in law school and beyond.

What is your favorite food?
Hard-shell Maryland crabs. I grew up in Rockville, MD, and these were a regular part of my childhood summers.

7/17/2020: Imoh Akpan to Speak on COVID-Related Legislation

F&P principal, Imoh Akpan, is slated to participate in a webinar on August 5, 2020 titled, “The Calm Before the Storm: A Look at COVID-Related Legislation.” The webinar is hosted by the University of Baltimore School of Law and will address how attorneys, consumers, and business owners can protect themselves from liability resulting from the global pandemic.

To register for this webinar, please click on the link http://law.ubalt.edu/about/news/ub-law-in-focus/the-calm-before-the-storm.cfm.

F&P Spotlight on Workers’ Comp Counsel Jennifer Hare

What is your practice area and how did you choose it?

Workers’ compensation and liability defense; workers’ comp chose me!  Following my judicial clerkship, my first private practice associate position included workers’ compensation work and I grew to love it.

What is your favorite aspect of working at F&P?

The people at F&P are wonderful.

What was the best news you ever received?

That I was going to have my son; a couple of years later, that I was going to have my daughter.

What is your all-time favorite city or town and why?

Is Disney World a city?  It has streets and citizens…

If you could have lunch with anyone in the world who would it be?

Assuming that this question allows for time travel, Jane Austen.  I believe I would enjoy her company immensely.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?

Chocolate-covered crickets.  Plus, my daughter “cooks” me lots of interesting things in her play kitchen.

F&P Spotlight on Liability Associate Miranda Russell

What is your favorite aspect of working at F&P?

Strong mentorship structure and having a great group of peer associates.

What’s your favorite restaurant/show/event in Baltimore?

Downtown Partnership Events (many people don’t even know they exist!), the Farmers Market, and Hippodrome shows.

What do you like to do outside the office?

I enjoy the outdoors doing activities such as camping, backpacking, and hiking.

Have you read any good books or seen any good movies this year that you would recommend?

I am currently reading “The Luminaries” and would recommend it. I would also recommend “The Goldfinch” – read it ASAP though because the movie just came out.

What is your favorite food?

Chicken biryani with an extra side of raita.

Imoh Akpan Appointed One of FDCC’s Committee Vice-Chair

Franklin & Prokopik principal, Imoh Akpan, was recently appointed to the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel’s (FDCC) as Vice-Chair of the Premises and Security Liability Section for 2019-2020. His appointment will be effective on October 1. The Premises and Security Liability section supports attorneys who defend property owners against accident claims which take place on their property.

The FDCC is an international organization for defense counsel and has a more than 80-year history of dedicating its mission to “the principles of knowledge, justice, and fellowship.” To learn more about the FDCC visit its webpage at https://thefederation.site-ym.com/.

Bert Randall to Present On Workplace Violence at Florida RIMS Conference

Franklin & Prokopik principal, Bert Randall, is slated to speak at the 44th Annual Florida RIMS Educational Conference on August 1. The event will be held at the Ritz Carlton in Naples and aims to provide the latest industry trends and insights from respected insurance professionals and risk managers, FL. Bert will be presenting, along with Lance Ewing from Cotton Holdings Inc., on “The Rules of Engagement. Dealing With Workplace Violence.” In addition to the topic Bert will be speaking on, attendees can also join educational sessions related to opioid abuse, emergency management, legislative updates, social media, sexual harassment in the workplace, workers’ compensation and more.

RIMS (the risk management society) hosts this conference yearly to keep insurance professionals and risk managers up to date on what’s trending in the industry. Each session is lead by respected leaders in the fields of risk management and insurance. To learn more about this organization or the conference, please visit the website at www.rims.org.

F&P Bids Farewell to a Firm Founder, Welcomes Home a Friend

It is with mixed emotion that we announce that Kara Miller, one of F&P’s founding attorneys, will be leaving the firm.  She has headed our Easton office since its opening.  For 20 years, Kara has served as not only a fantastic lawyer, but a wonderful colleague, leader, and friend.  She will be dearly missed and we wish her the best as she pursues other interests and opportunities.

The Easton office will now be led by former F&P attorney, Jennifer Hare.  An Eastern Shore resident, she was associated with the firm from 2011 to 2013 before taking a senior in house position at a major insurer.  We are thrilled to welcome her back and know her experience and savvy will help make the transition as smooth as can be!

“I am excited to be re-joining the F&P team and look forward to leading the Easton office that Kara has formed over the last two decades,” says Ms. Hare.

Jenn returns to F&P after, as noted, working as a senior staff attorney for The Hartford Affiliated Insurance Companies for the past six years.  She will be concentrating her practice in workers’ compensation and employers’ liability, representing employers and insurers before the Workers’ Compensation Commission and courts throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Imoh Akpan to Speak at Diversity for Success Seminar

Franklin & Prokopik principal, Imoh Akpan, is slated to speak at the Diversity for Success Seminar and Corporate Expo on June 19. Imoh is participating in a Law Student Forum where a future generation of lawyers will discuss overcoming challenges and improving their chances for success after graduation. The seminar is sponsored by the DRI and will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans from June 19-21. The DRI is comprised of defense attorneys and in-house counsel and provides resources for attorneys to assist them in giving their clients top-notch service.

For more information about the DRI, please visit the website at www.dri.org.