MEET THE COMMITTEE

Jeremy consults for professional businesses, regularly advising firms focused on law, finance, and tax. He brings practical experience in technical concepts and implementation. Among other projects, he helped create trust structures that reduce tax, law firm engagements that reduce malpractice premiums, and investments that reduce risk.

Marketing complex arrangements requires an understanding of the details, the audience, and direct ways to show added value. For over 10 years Jeremy has “marketed through education” to lawyers, advisors, and financial institutions, specializing in compliance and strategy.

Paul Isaac, Jr. is the Director of Operations of Paramount Settlement Planning and President of the Society of Settlement Planners. He has extensive experience in settlement planning across a wide range if issues.

Paul regularly advises plaintiffs and plaintiff counsel on financial and lien issues at settlement, and regularly contributes to industry discussions as a thought leader.

I earned my doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Georgia State University in 2001. In 1993, I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Scranton. I’m licensed in the states of New Jersey & Pennsylvania, currently practicing in Easton, PA.

I received extensive experience and training in psychotherapy. Since becoming licensed in 2003, I have continued to advance my psychotherapy skills through the study of acceptance & commitment therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and more recently sex/couple therapy. I am a certified sex therapist (CST) through AASECT.

Patrick Hindert has been a leader in the structured settlement industry for over 40 years. At Independent Life, Patrick is responsible for New Business Development, including new products, new clients and new markets. Patrick also represents Independent Life within multiple national professional associations.

Before joining Independent Life, Patrick served as President of a national structured settlement intermediary that he owned and managed for 22 years.

Patrick co-authors a legal treatise utilized by the National Structured Settlements Trade Association (NSSTA) and the Society of Settlement Planners (SSP) in their certification programs. He also authors Independent Life’s blog “The Chronicle” and is a frequent speaker at national structured settlement conferences.

Michele P. Fuller is the founder of Michigan Law Center, P.L.L.C, and President of Advocacy, Inc., a non-profit organization. Her law practice focuses on advocacy, protection, and asset preservation for persons with disabilities, including working in the following areas of law: elder law, special needs planning, special needs trust administration, and settlement planning.

Michele was recently appointed Special Assistant Attorney General to assist in settlement planning for the Flint Water cases. She is the former Chair of the Elder Law and Disability Rights Section (ELDRS) of the State Bar of Michigan and has leadership positions in several national organizations: Advisory Board Member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners (ASNP) and Michigan Chapter of NAELA Board of Directors.

She is also active in the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the Michigan Association for Justice, and a regular contributor for the Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE).

Rick has built a distinguished legal career, specializing in various areas of personal injury law, including wrongful death, tractor-trailer crashes, oil field work-related injuries, and medical malpractice. His commitment extends beyond the courtroom, as evidenced by his active involvement in civic duties and leadership roles in several organizations. Rick has held significant positions in Rotary International, the Midland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Hispanic National Bar Association. His dedication to justice is further highlighted by his tenure as the former Chair of the Minority Caucus for the American Association for Justice and his ongoing role as a member of the AAJ Executive Committee.

During his fourteen years in legal practice, Rick has achieved remarkable success, including involvement in settlements and verdicts exceeding $10 million. A notable accomplishment in his career was obtaining the largest medical malpractice verdict in New Mexico’s history, with a jury award of $73.2 million. Rick’s achievements and contributions to the legal field, combined with his commitment to community and justice, make him a distinguished figure in his profession. Licensed to practice in Texas and New Mexico, Rick has handled cases nationwide.

Kelley is a trial lawyer and sits on the AAJ Board of Governors. She specializes in the representation of those who have been catastrophically injured from the negligence of others. She has tried numerous cases in state and federal court, helping secure tens of millions of dollars for clients.
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During high school she learned firsthand what it’s like to be a plaintiff, filing a product liability suit for a defective seat belt design. She then went on to graduate law school and help those who have been wrongfully and catastrophically injured. Outside the courtroom she launched the Wheel2Ride campaign, focused on education and policy in accessibility for Transportation Network Providers, and serves as the Director of Law and Advocacy for SPINALpedia.com.

John Darer is a Structured Settlement Expert, Registered Settlement Planner, Certified Financial Transitionist/Sudden Money® transition advisor (one of only 2 settlement experts with this professional designation), financial blogger, deep listener, communicator, thought leader, problem solver and industry watchdog who provides comprehensive settlement solutions for all types of claims and litigation as part of a community of practice.

With a broad credentials and experience John has unique capability to serve you. Services include comprehensive pre/post settlement planning for injured persons, working with clients in transition, people who have special needs, and milestone life events like retirement, structured MSAs, annuity, alternate recovery management solutions and NY CPLR 50A /50B Judgment calculations, life care plan analysis, pricing/projections. Strategic assistance at mediation, settlement conferences & settlement negotiation.

Greg Maxwell is an attorney, Certified Financial Planner, and settlement planner with Amicus Settlement Planners, LLC. He is also a partner in the law firm Amicus Law Firm and co-founded Amicus Settlement Planners in 2006. His practice specializes in special-needs planning, government benefits planning, financial planning for settling plaintiffs, and income tax planning for attorneys.
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He is a past president and board member of the Society of Settlement Planners, a national organization advocating for plaintiff’s rights in the settlement planning process.
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Greg is a member of the American Association for Justice, the Utah Association for Justice, the Financial Planning Association, and the American Bar Association. Greg is a 2003 graduate of the Texas Tech University School of Law.

Sandra Jones partners with insurance industry clients to address and resolve legal and regulatory challenges, as well as coverage and claims disputes that may be impeding their businesses.

She advises insurance industry clients on pre-litigation and litigation matters stemming from accusations of bad faith policy lapses and disputes, claims issues, coverage matters and regulatory issues. She often handles complex interpleader matters and compliance-related issues, including policy administration, rescissions and other coverage disputes. Sandy also represents insurance companies in individual and class actions at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts nationwide.

John V. Cattie, Jr. was born in Philadelphia, PA and grew up outside Charlotte, NC. John graduated from Charlotte Latin School and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies with a focus on Political Science as well as a minor in History. After graduation he attended Villanova University and received his JD/MBA.

After joining Garretson Resolution Group (GRG), he returned to the private practice of law and opened Cattie, PLLC. Today, John is the Managing Member of Cattie & Gonzalez, PLLC. He has become a nationally known author and speaker, experienced in all components of MSA law and procedure.

I am an attorney with over 38 years experience. I specialize primarily in compensation law (under the Code and ERISA). (The day job.) I also specialize in creative planning to address unique challenges. These include working with so-called "new pooled income funds" - one of the most interesting and unique tax planning opportunities out there. In addition, we have developed solutions to address and minimize the extremely onerous tax consequences associated with the so-called "contingent fee tax trap" (where an individual reports a full taxable litigation recovery, including the attorney fee portion but cannot deduct the attorney fee portion - essentially a double tax).

Chris Bua is a plaintiff-only settlement consultant based in Jacksonville, Florida. He works directly with trial lawyers and their clients on maximizing their settlement recovery through holistic planning inclusive of annuities, trusts, and market-based solutions. Since 2008, Chris has played a role in the creation of over $2 billion in structured settlements, spanning thousands of cases.

Chris graduated from the University of Florida in 2004 with a business degree and graduated from law school in 2007. He began his career in the structured settlement industry soon after and has since developed a unique skill set across multiple roles and organizations. He is currently serving a 3rd-term as board member of the Society of Settlement Planners and is a nationally respected expert in structured settlements.

Prior to forming Bua Settlements, Chris was the Senior Vice President of Sales at Independent Life, where he oversaw sales and operations for the company’s first $800 million in structured settlements, created and hosted the popular podcast, “Settlement Nation,” and took the lead in rolling out the company's innovative index-linked structured settlement annuity, iStructure.

Natalie’s clinical career was exclusively dedicated to intrapartum nursing (labor and delivery), with the last four years focused on maternal-fetal medicine. She has collaborated with renowned experts on multidisciplinary teams at internationally recognized Level IV regional perinatal healthcare centers across the nation  assisting with over 5,000 deliveries during her career. These centers specialize in the medical and surgical care of high-risk patients, managing the most complex and critically ill maternity cases.

Since 2021, Natalie has diligently worked behind the scenes as a legal nurse consultant (LNC), contributing her expertise to various areas of the medical field, including malpractice and personal injury cases involving motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and spinal cord injuries. As the lead legal nurse consultant at Trongeau & Co., she focuses on the most complex obstetric medical malpractice and birth injury cases.

Natalie is proud to be a member of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC). As of 2024, she will begin her fourth year as a member on the AALNC Content Planning and Education Committee. She is also an active member of the Bay Area of Northern California and Pacific Northwest  Chapters.