Announcements

The Florida Office of Judges of Compensation Claims announces The 2026 Paralegal Masterclass "Getting it Done" - on October 22, 2026; 1:30 to 4:30. Masterclass application here (or email david.langham@doah.state.fl.us for an application link) The Paralegal Masterclass is designed to be a deep dive into the challenges of Florida workers' compensation litigation - specifically for the non-attorney. There will be information on process, procedure, and the e-JCC filing system. This is now approved for CLE for attorneys or Registered Paralegals!   Our Sincere Thanks: The OJCC gratefully acknowledges the contributions of all of our past speakers; a cumulative list will be published when the 2026 faculty is finalized.  We further acknowledge, appreciate, and are indebted to the Academy Steering Committees: 2025/2026 Natalie Cavallaro , Esq. S. Rachel Givens , Esq. Lindsay Koppelman , Esq. Javier Melendez , Esq. Lisa Thomas, Esq. Elizabeth Yohe , Esq. Hon. Margret Kerr Hon. Joh...

We are hosting our Third Annual OJCC Meet and Greet at the WCI 2026. Join us Sunday, August 23, 2026, 5:00-6:00 in the Anaheim, Atlanta, and Boston rooms.  Come join us!

Scholars 2027! Following two years of the OJCC Scholars program, which were exemplary and beyond expectations, we have selected the participants for OJCC Scholars 2027! We will kick off our nine-month program on August 25, 2026 , at the Workers' Compensation Institute in Orlando. The depth of this community's future leadership bench is simply amazing, and it is a privilege to work with these exceptional community members as they evolve, grow, and lead! For more on the program, see The Scholar's First (August 2024) and Scholars 2025 Concludes (April 2025). The 2027 Scholars are: Jordan Anderson, Anderson & Hart, Tallahassee;  Florida State University’s College of Law, 2016   Amanda Annunciata, Berlin Law Firm; Tampa, Stetson University College of Law, 2014 Stacie Barnes, Schefer Petric & Simpson, West Palm Beach; Nova Southeastern University, 2014 Rachel Dobson, Morgan & Morgan, Ft. Lauderdale; St. Thomas University Law, 2013 & University of Miami School ...

  Meet the Experts - Now on Youtube - Linked Below Catch the First Four Episodes of Meet the Experts Now!  EP. 1: Over 150+ Years of Legal Experience | Jan. 2026 Additional Link to Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC_KcGDMiWo     EP. 2: Handling a Litigated Compensation Claim | Feb. 2026 Additional Link to Episode 2:  https://youtu.be/jsvWI6_FB1c  EP. 3: The Challenges of Litigation Disputes | Mar. 2026 Additional Link to Episode 3:  https://youtu.be/xTlSM8hdBHY  EP. 4: Handling Medical Witness Depositions | April 2026 Additional Link to Episode 4:  https://youtu.be/iYaSw6hiFE8 Want to Catch the Next Episode Before It Airs?  The next episode of Meet the Experts will be available on September 18, 2026, on Zoom from noon until 1PM. The Zoom link and Meeting ID are listed below.  Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/jc/84401596104 Meeting ID: 277 757 3448

Meet the Experts - September 18, 2026! The Perils of AI and the Evolving World Meet the Experts returns September 18, 2026, at 12:00 noon, by Zoom! The discussion will center on the present and future Perils of AI and the Evolving World.  Meet the Experts Series Moderator: Stuart F. Suskin, Esq.- Private Mediator;  Panel:  Christine Harter, Esq. - Supreme Court Attorney Mediator, Marion County; Robert Rodriguez, Esq. - Litigator & Managing Partner, Miami-Dade County; Bill Wieland, Esq. - Trial Attorney, Orange County; September 18, 2026- Noon to 1:00pm TITLE: The Perils of AI and the Evolving World This one-hour CLE program provides Florida workers' compensation practitioners with an overview of the professional and ethical challenges of artificial intelligence as well as technology tips to integrate these tools into the day-to-day of workers’ compensation practice. There are efficiencies and benefits, but there are perils and pitfalls for the lawyer, the fi...

 Meet the Experts returns May 15, 2026 at 12:00 noon, by Zoom!   Afterthoughts that Undermine a Successful Mediation Meet the Experts Series Moderator: Stuart F. Suskin, Esq.- Private Mediator; Panel: The Honorable Lourdes M. Sancerni, Judge of Compensation Claims, Orlando Kate Marshman, Esq.- State Mediator, Tallahassee; Heather Byrer Carbone, Esq.- E/C Attorney, Jacksonville; Ed Williamson, Esq.- Claimant Attorney, Jacksonville; May 15, 2026- Noon to 1:00pm TITLE: Afterthoughts that Undermine a Successful Mediation This program is designed to highlight the pitfalls and challenges of underprepared or unprepared mediation participants. There will be discussion of appropriate pre-mediation communications, setting of expectations, management of expectations, and working through the unexpected or unprepared. The attendee should glean ideas about how and when to pre...

It was a great conclusion to the Scholars 2026 program yesterday. Congratulations to all of the Scholars. Fond transition from Hon. Ralph Humphries and Mediator Kate Marshman. The 2027 committee and schedule will be discussed soon. Those interested in participating should contact any Judge of Compensation Claims for more information. Congratulations Scholars!

The Statewide Nominating Commission for Judges of Compensation Claims (SNCJCC) will meet Friday, April 24, 2026, at 09:30 Eastern Time, at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, 1500 Masters Blvd, Championsgate, FL 33896 (room to be announced) The Applicants for the ORL appointment are: Natalie Cavallaro Silvia Hoeg Kellye Shoemaker

The April 17, 2026 (noon Eastern program will feature advice on preparing for, taking, and presenting expert deposition testimony! Meet the Experts How to take a logical, focused, and effective expert deposition time and again. Friday, April 17, 2026 Link below This one-hour CLE program provides Florida workers' compensation practitioners with a structured, practical framework for preparing, conducting, and following up on medical witness depositions. The course addresses the full lifecycle of expert medical testimony — from pre-deposition preparation and records review through examination strategy and post-deposition considerations. Equal attention is given to substantive litigation strategy and the ethical obligations governing attorney conduct during depositions, including obligations to the tribunal, candor to the court, and professional conduct toward opposing counsel and witnesses. The program draws on real-world scenarios in Florida workers' compensation proceedings ...

Mar 20, 2026 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2777573448?omn=87480220916 Meeting ID: 277 757 3448

  Time: Feb 20, 2026 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2777573448?omn=89237927737 Meeting ID: 277 757 3448 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2777573448?omn=89237927737 Meeting ID: 277 757 3448 One tap mobile +13052241968,,2777573448# US +13126266799,,2777573448# US (Chicago) Approved for CLE Credit: 1.0 General Dawn Traverso received her Bachelor’s degree from Washington & Jefferson College in 1992 and her law degree from D.C. Law in 1995. She is a member of The Florida Bar, the U.S. District Court for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States. Dawn concentrates her practice in the defense of workers’ compensation, and labor and employment matters. Dawn is the Managing Partner of the Miami/Fort Lauderdale Office of Eraclides, Gelman, Hall, Indek, Goodman, Waters & Traverso. Dawn is a Past Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section of The Florida ...

Meet the Experts! More on that at the close (below), but first some exposition of the origins. This program is the brainchild of Stuart Suskin, and to understand it, you must know Stuart. (Meet Stuart in the December 2025 unCOMPlex podcast on YouTube - discussing this program ); See the brochure here . A long time ago, in another galaxy, I ran into Stuart Suskin. He was a pushy, insistent (made me come to Gainesville instead of appearing by telegraph), and energetic mediator in the early days of mandatory Florida Workers’ Compensation mediation. I represented some clients in Gainesville back in the day, and would travel on horseback to mediate those cases, until the iron horse came to Florida (but that is another story). Long before that, Stuart arrived in Florida in 1513 with Juan Ponce de Leon. Juan was purportedly looking for gold, but Stuart was merely searching for disputes that needed discussion or resolution. His near-pathological love of resolving disputes, no ma...

The Statewide Judicial Nominating Commission for Judges of Compensation Claims met in Orlando on August 18, 2025, to consider the reappointment applications of seven judges. The following were nominated for reappointment: Honorable Eduardo Almeyda (MIA), Honorable Walter Havers (MIA), Honorable Jeffrey Jacobs (MIA), Honorable David Langham (PNS/TLH), Honorable Jacquelyn Newman (TLH); Honorable Neal Pitts (ORL); and Honorable Timothy Stanton (JAX).

The Workers’ Compensation Institute is coming up in August. It is unfathomably close already. There will be an OJCC meet the Judges and Mediators on Sunday, August 17, 2025, from 5:00 to 6:00 in Anaheim, Atlanta, and Boston rooms in the Hall of Cities at the Marriott. The Statewide Nominating Commission is meeting Monday, August 18, 2025, in Grand Ballrooms 10, 11, and 12. OJCC Speakers include (only events open to the public are listed): Sunday, August 17, 2025, Grand Ballroom 8B – Professional                               Mediation Institute 09:00 Sagely Advice for Mediators, Attorneys, and Adjusters                      Hon. Erik Grindal                      Hon. Thomas Hedler              ...

Following an inaugural year for our OJCC Scholars program, which we thought was non-replicable, we have selected the participants for OJCC Scholars 2026! We will kick off our nine-month program on August 19, 2025, at the Workers' Compensation Institute in Orlando. The depth of this community's future leadership bench is simply amazing, and it is a privilege to work with these exceptional community members as they evolve, grow, and lead! For more on the program, see The Scholar's First (August 2024) and  Scholars 2025 Concludes (April 2025). The 2026 Scholars are: Holley Akers, O'Rourke and Akers, Jacksonville; Florida Coastal School of Law, 2010 Brena Bergman, Goodman McGuffey, Orlando; University of Florida College of Law, 2020 Natalie Cavallaro, Morgan & Morgan, Tallahassee; Cooley Law School, 2015 Isidora Eickelmann, Work Injury Rights, Coral Springs; Florida International University, College of Law, 2015 Ingrid Hagerty, Moran, Kidd, Lyons, et. al., Miami Lakes...

The Florida Office of Judges of Compensation Claims announces the 2025 OJCC Academy program! The Orlando District Office  will host two programs produced by the Academy Steering Committee. Each is IN PERSON in Orlando, not available by Zoom. The two programs are: The 2025 Paralegal Masterclass "Getting it Done" - on October 23, 2025; 1:30 to 4:30. Masterclass application here . The OJCC Work Comp Academy "The Next Generation" - on October 24, 2025; 8:00-4:00. Attorney application here . The Paralegal Masterclass is designed to be a deep dive into the challenges of Florida workers' compensation litigation - specifically for the non-attorney. There will be information on process, procedure, and the e-JCC filing system. This is now approved for CLE for attorneys or Registered Paralegals!     Application and details for the Paralegal Masterclass here . The Work Comp Academy is in its third year, and continuing a path of excellence. The program is designed for the...