Friday, September 19, 2025

2:30pm – 3:00pm
REGISTRATION / LOG ON 

3:00pm - 3:50pm
SESSION 1
Louis Dauerer, Esq., Ouimette, Goldstein, & Andrews, LLP
(1 CLE Credit – Law Practice Management)

Louis Dauerer started at Ouimette, Goldstein, & Andrews, LLP in 1990 as an intern during his first year of law school.  A member of the Dutchess County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the NY Injured Workers' Bar Association, and the Workers’ Injury Law &  Advocacy Group. He’s allso on the Board of the New York Workers' Compensation Alliance, a Political Action Committee dedicated to the cause of injured workers. He has given multiple CLEs over the years with the IWBA, NYSBA and others. He has also provided testimony before the NYS Legislature on workers’ compensation matters.  

3:50pm - 4:00pm
REFRESHMENT BREAK

4:00pm - 4:50pm
THE IMPACT OF STATUTORY AND REGULATORY AUTHORITY ON NYS WC CLAIMS
Robert Grey, Esq., Grey & Grey, P.L.L.C. and Joe Cavalcante, Advocate for Injured Workers, NYS Workers' Compensation Board
(1 CLE Credit – Areas of Professional Practice)
New data from the NYSWCB shows in reliable detail the relationship between benefits paid and administrative activity. The information is presented by seven claim types, so system practices and the impact of particular statutes and regulations becomes clear. Events such as controversies, PARs and IMEs, among others, are dependably put into a context for the first time. Also included are the recent insurance landscape, and a detailed look at a year’s worth of claims. Ombudsman/Advocate for Injured Workers Joseph Cavalcante will present the data, while attorney Robert Grey discusses the relevant statutes and regulations.

Robert Grey is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University, B.A. 1987 and St. John's University School of Law, J.D. 1990. He is presently the managing partner of Grey & Grey, P.L.L.C., which represents workers in the areas of workers’ compensation, Social Security Disability, personal injury, Long Term Disability, and other matters involving injury and disability. The firm has offices throughout the metropolitan area.

Robert has represented thousands of clients before the Workers' Compensation Board, tried cases in State and Federal Court, and prosecuted appeals in State and Federal courts including the New York State Court of Appeals. He has also been involved in drafting legislation to provide workers’ compensation and pension benefits for World Trade Center rescue, recovery and clean-up workers.

Robert has presented continuing education programs from the New York State Bar Association, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, and many county bar associations. He is also a frequent lecturer for many local unions and for the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, where he serves as Treasurer. Robert is also the Vice Chair of the Mt. Sinai – Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine Advisory Board (which named him Man of the Year in 2008 and again in 2022). He has served as an adjunct professor at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, a technical advisor to the New York State September 11th Worker Protection Task Force, as a member of the New York State Insurance Department Advisory Committee to the Workers’ Compensation Reform Task Force, the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board’s Advisory Committee, and the New York State Business Regulation Council to which he was appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. Robert was also the Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Alliance for eight years from 2010 through 2018, has served as a Director of the Injured Workers Bar Association since 2019, and became the president of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial Scholarship Fund in 2021.

Robert has published many articles on workers’ compensation issues which have appeared in a number of law reviews, the New York Law Journal, and the New York Times, among others. His most recent publication is The Rise and Fall of Workers’ Compensation in New York, published in the summer of 2023.

Ombudsman and Advocate for Injured Workers, Joseph Cavalcante is concerned with the health and sanctity of the New York workers’ compensation system. He helps employees access their benefits on the most complex workers’ compensation and Paid Family Leave claims, including all fatality claims. Prior to this position, he was a spokesperson, representing the NYS Worker’s Compensation Board publicly and writing many of its publications. He is also the Board’s primary liaison with unions, labor and the World Trade Center community.

5:00pm
WCA RECEPTION

Saturday, September 20, 2025

8:00am - 9:00am
BREAKFAST AND REGISTRATION / LOG ON

9:00am - 9:50am
JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE PARANOID DOESN'T MEAN THEY AREN'T WATCHING YOU: SURVEILLANCE AND PROTECTING YOUR CLIENTS FROM 114-a
Sarah Baia, Esq., Morgan and Morgan
(1 CLE Credit – Areas of Professional Practice)
The presentation will address protecting clients from surveillance, including commonly used by not widely known tactics and the use of new technology, recognizing and "burning" an investigator, social media skills, and damage control. We will examine these issues and the Board's current decisions on 114-a.

Sarah Baia is a dedicated workers' compensation attorney who represents injured workers throughout New York State. A proud New Yorker, Sarah earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from SUNY New Paltz in 2005 and went on to graduate from Albany Law School in 2008. During law school, she served as a research assistant and teaching fellow, and was an editor for the Albany Law Journal of Science and Technology. Sarah’s hard work and dedication earned her the John B. Laurie Memorial Prize for academic merit and professional promise at graduation.

Sarah passed the New York State Bar Exam in 2008, but shortly afterward, she faced a serious illness that temporarily paused her legal career. After making a full recovery, she returned to law in 2012, representing employers and insurance carriers in workers' compensation cases. As senior in-house counsel for two large insurance carriers, Sarah gained extensive knowledge of the defense side of workers' compensation, giving her invaluable insights into the complexities of the system.

In 2021, Sarah made the decision to take her wealth of experience and shift her focus to representing injured workers and disabled individuals. Grateful for her health and determined to make a difference, Sarah now advocates passionately for those navigating the workers' compensation system during challenging times. In addition to her extensive trial experience, Sarah has secured multiple appellate wins at the Board level and the Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department. She has also presented on workers' compensation issues for organizations such as the New York State Bar Association, the Schenectady County Bar Association, and the International Conference of Teamsters.

Sarah is well-regarded by her peers throughout New York and is a member of the Injured Workers' Bar Association, Albany County Bar Association, Schenectady County Bar Association, Fulton County Bar Association, and Montgomery County Bar Association. Outside of her legal work, Sarah is a proud mother of two—a college football player and a precocious pre-teen—and enjoys spending time with her family in Upstate New York.

9:50am - 10:00am
BREAK

10:00am-10:50am
BUSINESS MEETING
(Members Only)

10:50am-11:00am
BREAK

11:00am - 11:50am
REFLECTIONS OF AN OLD GUY ON CLAIMS HANDLING & CROSS EXAMINATION OF THE IME DOCTOR
Dan Elias, The Disability Guys, Markhoff & Mittman, PC
(1 CLE Credit – Areas of Professional Practice)
This presentation will offer practical insights from a seasoned professional on navigating claims handling, emphasizing strategies for effectively cross-examining independent medical examiners to challenge credibility and strengthen case outcomes.

Daniel Elias received his undergraduate degree in economics and music from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1982 and graduated from the State University of Buffalo School of Law in 1985. Admitted to the New York State Bar in February of 1986, he has been representing injured people ever since. He has been a featured lecturer at the New York State Trial Lawyers Institute and Westchester County Bar Association on the subject of Workers’ Compensation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of The Injured Workers’ Bar Association. A descendant of the Jews of Spain, Daniel is fluent in Spanish. From personal injury actions to Workers’ Compensation claims and Social Security Disability hearings, Mr. Elias has extensive experience in representing injured and disabled clients.

Daniel also has a thriving music career. When he is not practicing law he can be found playing his clarinet at dances and parties. He has toured the world singing the songs of the Spanish Jews. He was the winner of the 1981 Harpur College Concerto competition.

11:50am
CLOSING

Attendee Information

• This event is being planned as a hybrid event, both in-person in Saratoga and virtually on Zoom.
• Registration is the same whether you attend in-person or virtually.
• Agenda subject to change.
• The content of this program is appropriate for experienced attorneys, as well as newly admitted attorneys.
• This continuing legal education program has been approved in accordance with the requirements of the Continuing Legal Education Board.
• Financial aid is available for this program.  Please click here for more information.
• A pre-event email will be sent the week prior to the event and will include all log in and event information. 
• If you have registered to attend, but find yourself unable to attend, you must cancel your registration by no later than noon on Friday, September 12th, or IWBA will be charged and, therefore, must then pass the cost along to you. If you cannot attend, please contact the office to have a substitute individual on your behalf.

Member Registration Fee: $325
One Day Member Registration: $225

All registrants are encouraged to register for the Friday Evening WCA Reception with a donation of $100.
Your donations protect the Injured Workers of New York and those that represent them. 

WCA RECEPTION REGISTRATION