2026 Litigation Summit

Louis R. Cohan founded Cohan Law Group and has been a trial lawyer for more than 30 years. He has been recognized by admission into the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. Cohan has litigated more than $900 million in claims and recently secured a verdict exceeding $66 million in a fraud case. His practice focuses on business litigation, employment litigation, and civil litigation including breach of contract, fraud, injunctive relief, and civil rights. He earned his B.S. from the University of Georgia and J.D. from Emory School of Law. Mr. Cohan has served as chair of the Litigation Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and has received numerous awards including Super Lawyer, Legal Elite, and America's Top 100 Attorneys.

Dafney Dubuisson Stokes is the Operations Counsel at Forthright Solutions, overseeing New Jersey's No-Fault Insurance PIP arbitration program. She is a frequent national speaker on Artificial Intelligence in legal practice. Her career includes partnership at Wong Fleming, representing Fortune 100 companies and leading complex litigation. A graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and Boston College, she is a respected speaker on legal ethics, diversity, and inclusion. Ms. Dubuisson Stokes is licensed in New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and was recognized by NJBiz as a 2023 Leader in the Law.

David S. Gould is a partner with Russo and Gould, focusing on personal injury litigation. He heads the firm's Early Settlement Division and has settled over 100 cases within 18 months. With more than 100 trials and over 75 verdicts, his 25+ years of experience includes serving as Assistant District Attorney in Queens County. Mr. Gould teaches CLE courses and is an Adjunct Professor at Queens College, teaching Trial Advocacy and Media Law. He earned his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and J.D. from The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.

Edward O. Lear is a partner with Century Law Group with over 38 years of litigation experience and more than 300 trials, including over 50 jury trials. He specializes in real estate, business litigation, wildfire litigation, and professional licensing defense. Recently, Mr. Lear formed Los Angeles Wildfire Law in response to the 2025 wildfires and helped secure a $4 billion settlement for Lahaina fire victims. He earned his A.B. from Dartmouth College and J.D. from UCLA School of Law. In 2014, he was inducted into ABOTA and serves as faculty for the Jack Daniels Trial School.

Brent Owen is a partner with Haynes Boone and a first-chair trial lawyer handling high-stakes litigation. A former law clerk to the U.S. Supreme Court, he brings creative approaches to litigation resolution. His experience includes trials in state and federal courts and arbitration tribunals, with expertise in environmental issues including CERCLA lawsuits. He has obtained multiple multimillion-dollar judgments and settlements. Mr. Owen earned his B.A. from Wofford College and J.D. from University of Colorado. He serves on the Colorado Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure.

Chazle N. Woodley is a Commercial Litigation Attorney with Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani in Raleigh, practicing in business litigation, environmental law, mass torts, and professional liability matters. She earned her J.D. magna cum laude from North Carolina Central University, where she served as Student Bar Association president and managing editor for the Environmental Law Review. She also holds an MBA from National Louis University and a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from UNC Chapel Hill. Ms. Woodley is a member of the DRI Litigation Skills Steering Committee and serves on the board of the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys.