Archive Webinar - 2023 Professional Responsibility Boot Camp for Workers’ Compensation Lawyers - 2/13/2023

Mary F. Andreoni is Ethics Education Counsel for the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) where she develops and implements the ARDC’s ethics education initiatives, including the ARDC Ethics Inquiry Program and the Illinois Professional Responsibility Institute, where she is also an instructor. She has authored several articles including the ARDC publication, Client Trust Account Handbook and spoken at hundreds of programs on legal ethics.

Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Andreoni was law clerk to Illinois Appellate Court Justice Mel R. Jiganti and later practiced commercial litigation with the law firm of Peterson & Ross in Chicago. While in practice, she also served as a board member on the ARDC Inquiry and Hearing Boards. Active in the Chicago Bar Association (CBA), she has served on a number of committees, and is past chair of the CBA Professional Responsibility Committee (2014-2015). Ms. Andreoni received her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago.

Dr. Diana Uchiyama, JD, PsyD, CAADC—Executive Director at the Lawyers’ Assistance Program "LAP"

Dr. Diana Uchiyama is the Executive Director of the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program (LAP).  Prior to joining LAP, she was the Administrator of Psychological Services for DuPage County and ran a licensed outpatient substance use treatment program, including a Mentally Ill Substance Abuse (MISA) program and Seeking Safety program for individuals with substance use problems, who were also trauma survivors.  While at DuPage County she also ran a 26-week Domestic Batterer Intervention Program for a court mandated population of clients. 

Dr. Uchiyama has also worked for the Kane County Diagnostic Center, as both a Staff Psychologist and Juvenile Drug Court Coordinator, and has an extensive background doing court ordered evaluations including psychological, sanity, fitness, fitness to parent, and sex offender evaluations.  She was also a licensed sex offender evaluator in the State of Illinois.   She has implemented numerous changes to court ordered programs both in Kane and DuPage County and is a SAMSHA certified trauma informed care trainer.  Dr. Uchiyama also conducts therapy with adults and adolescents, is a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and has an Advanced Mindfulness Training Certificate, teaching mindfulness skills to others in order to increase their wellbeing.

Prior to obtaining her masters and doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Dr. Uchiyama was an Assistant Public Defender in Cook County working in various felony courtrooms at 26^th and California in Chicago for over a decade. She obtained her law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law.

She is a prolific writer and nationally recognized speaker in the areas of judicial/ lawyer/law student health and wellness issues throughout the country.

Attorney Bridget Duignan grew up on the south side of Chicago. Her desire to help others led her to join the legal profession. Prior to joining Latherow & Duignan, Bridget served as Assistant Counsel to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. There, she analyzed proposed legislation, assisted House Members during debate and served as the Parliamentarian to the State Government and Insurance Committees. Prior to that, Bridget worked as a defense attorney in workers’ compensation and employment law. She gained valuable experience there, seeing injury claims from a defense perspective and seeing the ways big corporations make litigation difficult for injured and maligned individuals. Bridget uses this knowledge to help those injured because of others’ negligence.

David B Menchetti’s a shareholder in Cullen, Haskins, Nicholson & Menchetti, P.C. in Chicago and concentrates his practice in the representation of injured workers throughout Illinois before the Workers’ Compensation Commission, the Circuit Courts and the Illinois Appellate and Supreme Courts. He graduated from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law (JD) and attained an undergraduate degree (BA) with distinction from Stanford University. Mr. Menchetti is a former staff counsel to Illinois State Senate President Philip J. Rock and concentrated in legislation dealing with insurance, pensions and licensed activities. He has served as counsel to Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones, Jr. and advised about and drafted reforms to the Workers’ Compensation Act in 1989 and 1991.

He is a member of: the Illinois State Bar Association (Workers’ Compensation Law Section Council Chair and Legislation Committee member); the Chicago Bar Association (Industrial Commission Committee Chair ); the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (Workers’ Compensation Committee Chair); the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association (President); the American Association for Justice (Workplace Injury Section); the Workplace Injury Litigation Group; and the Board of the Chicago Area Committee on Occupational Health and Safety.

He has authored the chapter on “Penalties” in the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association Workers’ Compensation Notebook and has lectured on workers’ compensation issues for: the Illinois State Bar Association; the Chicago Bar Association; the National Business Institute: the Council on Education in Management; the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education; the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Claims Association; the judicial training program for the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission; the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission; the United Food and Commercial Workers Union; the Laborers International Union; Combined Orthopedic Specialists; the Illinois Bones Association; Kankakee Community College; the University of Chicago Hospitals.

He serves as an advisor to the Illinois AFL-CIO on workers’ compensation matters and participated in the negotiations and drafted the amendments contained in the historic 2005 and 2012 Workers’ Compensation reform legislation. He is listed in the Who’s Who in American Law, has been designated as one of the Best Lawyers in America and has been selected by his peers as a Leading Lawyer and a Super Lawyer. The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association has presented him the President’s Award. He has been selected as Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America.