2024 Nursing Home Regional Meeting East

Avery Adcock
Senior Justice Law Firm
Washington, DC
Avery Adcock has dedicated her career to representing victims of abuse and neglect in nursing homes, hospitals, and assisted living facilities across the country. Ms. Adcock also handles cases involving catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death. A recognized speaker on the topic of elder abuse and neglect, Ms. Adcock educates other attorneys across the country with the overall goal of improving the quality of care in nursing homes and healthcare facilities nationwide. Ms. Adcock has successfully recovered millions of dollars for families affected by elder abuse, neglect and negligence. A Virginia native, Ms. Adcock is very active in her community and serves on the board of the District of Columbia Trial Lawyers Association and Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. She also is involved in the Maryland Association for Justice.

Jamie Anzalone
Anzalone and Doyle Trial Lawyers
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Jamie Anzalone is a 2006 graduate of the Penn State Dickinson School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Barristers. With offices located in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and Stroudsburg, Mr. Anzalone practices in the areas of personal injury, negligent security/negligent supervision, medical malpractice, and products liability. Mr. Anzalone is board certified in Civil Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA), an honor which only 3% of the attorneys in the country enjoy. He is also Board Certified by the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), having secured over 20 verdicts and having met rigorous qualifications. He has been inducted into the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, having secured multiple settlements and verdicts of more than One Million Dollars and Two Million Dollars. Mr. Anzalone is the Immediate Past-President of the Northeast Pennsylvania Trial Lawyer Association, sits on the Board of Governors for PAJ and AAJ, is the Chair of the Luzerne County Bench Bar, and is the current Chair of PAJ’s Nursing Home Division.

Ellen Bognar
Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen
Charlottesville, VA
Ellen Bognar is a powerful advocate for the injured in Virginia. She has worked on various medical malpractice cases and is especially passionate about nursing home care. She thrives when doing the necessary detective work in these cases, uncovering the full story in order to deliver justice for the elderly. On medical malpractice cases, Ms. Bognar enjoys partnering with health experts to study the world of medicine, and the effects that certain drugs can have on patients. Her clients describe her as sympathetic, caring, and a natural relationship-builder. She knows that no two cases, clients, or circumstances are alike, and she treats each case with specialized attention. Ms. Bognar litigates nursing home abuse and neglect cases throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Carma Henson
Henson Fuerst Attorneys
Raleigh, NC
Carma Henson is a partner at Henson Fuerst. Ms. Henson has spent her career fighting to protect the rights of people who have been hurt, abused, or neglected through no fault of their own. Her practice is focused on handling nursing home abuse and neglect cases—always battling the large corporations that put profits over people, risking the health and safety of our most vulnerable and frail population in order to make a large profit. She frequently lectures on obtaining corporate and financial discovery in elder abuse cases and how to effectively use this discovery to obtain justice. Ms. Henson is President-Elect for the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ), has served as the President and Vice-President of NCAJ’s Nursing Home Litigation Section, and is Chair-Elect of the AAJ Nursing Home Litigation Group.

Anthony Leone
Leone Law, LLC
Warwick, RI
Anthony Leone is an experienced trial lawyer who practices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts state and federal courts. Mr. Leone’s practice increasingly concentrates on nursing home abuse and neglect cases, holding corporate nursing homes and other facilities accountable for the injuries they cause. He established Leone Law, LLC with a commitment to achieving justice for his clients. Leone Law, LLC is dedicated to the civil justice system and protecting access to our courts. Mr. Leone’s dedication to achieving justice has led to extensive involvement with the Rhode Island Association for Justice (RIAJ) and the American Association for Justice (AAJ). He is a past President of RIAJ and the Immediate Past Chair of the AAJ Nursing Home Litigation Group.

Charles Meltmar
The Cochran Firm
Washington, DC
As an attorney at The Cochran Firm, located in Washington, DC, W. Charles Meltmar focuses primarily on personal injury plaintiff claims involving catastrophic personal injuries, medical malpractice, and nursing home abuse and neglect. His geographical practice areas include the District of Columbia and surrounding areas in Maryland and Virginia, in both state and federal courts. Over the course of his career, he has tried more than 150 personal injury cases. Prior to narrowing his practice to concentrate on malpractice, neglect, and catastrophic personal injury cases, Mr. Meltmar represented plaintiffs in a variety of civil litigation matters. Charles is an active member of the American Bar Association, Maryland Association for Justice, and Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, DC, where he serves as a member of its board of governors.

Victoria Schall
Schall At Law, LLC
Marlton, NJ
Victoria A. Schall is the owner of Schall At Law, LLC. A New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Civil Trial Attorney, she has dedicated her life and career to advocating for the legal rights of the elderly and to holding nursing homes and other facilities accountable for their violations of residents’ rights. She has been litigating nursing home abuse and neglect claims against facilities since 2010. Long before then, Victoria obtained a certificate in Adult Development and Aging and volunteered in nursing homes, assisted living, and continuing care facilities, which led to her desire to pursue claims against nursing homes for abuse and neglect. In law school, she served as a public policy and research intern through the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care, working on projects such as preservation of the federal regulations of nursing homes and the national publication of “Faces of Neglect.” She currently litigates nursing home, assisted living, continuing care, and group home abuse and neglect claims throughout New Jersey and the Philadelphia region.

Megan Whiteside
Whiteside Legal, PLLC
Washington, DC
Megan Whiteside is an experienced trial lawyer, law firm owner, mom of four, national speaker, tv legal analyst, adjunct professor, and podcast host of Mom Life and Law. She is a passionate advocate for her clients, as well as for fellow moms in the legal profession. Ms. Whiteside focuses her practice on nursing home abuse and neglect. She uses her skills in the courtroom and her prior experience on the defense to gain a competitive advantage in her cases. She believes that advocating for the elderly and their surviving families is a great honor and a great responsibility. Ms. Whiteside is licensed to practice in Washington, DC and Maryland and co-counsels nationally pro hac vice. She shares her knowledge and experience in nursing home abuse and neglect cases with trial lawyers across the country, assisting them in case selection, investigation, discovery, and trial. She lectures nationally on topics related to nursing home cases, trial advocacy techniques, and lawyer wellbeing. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Maryland Association for Justice Nursing Home Section, Co-Chair of the MAJ Education and Programs Committee, is an At-Large Board Member of the AAJ Nursing Home Litigation Group, and is an active member of the Trial Lawyers Association of Washington, DC, and the American Association for Justice.