Robert C. McBride is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Nevada-Reno in 1984 where he was a member of Kappa Tau Alpha, a journalism honor society. Thereafter, Robert moved to Southern California where he worked as a free-lance journalist, later obtaining his juris doctorate (J.D.) from Whittier College School of Law in 1990. Robert was an associate attorney with the law firm of Baker, Silberberg & Keener in Santa Monica and Newport Beach, California for several years, where his practice primarily focused on the defense of physicians and hospitals. He has also defended claims involving products liability, legal malpractice, insurance bad faith, and commercial litigation. As a senior associate with Baker, Silberberg & Keener, Robert participated in numerous arbitrations and mediations in California, as well as several jury trials, all which resulted in defense verdicts. He also served as National Coordinating Counsel for Petrarch/Huls Corporation, a silicone supplier defendant in the In Re: Breast Implant Litigation venued in United States District Court in Birmingham, Alabama. In 2001, Robert chose to join the California-based law firm of Tuverson & Hillyard as a partner to help start up a branch of the firm in his hometown, Las Vegas office, continuing the focus on the defense of healthcare professionals in Nevada. Robert also continued to represent clients involved in products liability, general liability and legal malpractice claims. In 2006, the firm changed its name to Tuverson & McBride. While with the firm, he was instrumental in building the practice and its client base to include the major medical malpractice insurance carriers and hospitals in Nevada. From January of 2009 to March of 2014, Robert was a named partner in the firm Mandelbaum, Ellerton & McBride, where he continued to represent physicians and dentists in malpractice claims, and successfully defended several trials and arbitrations with the firm. In March of 2014, Robert joined Carroll, Kelly, Trotter, Franzen, McBride & Peabody as the managing partner of the Las Vegas office. He is a member of the Clark County Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute. He is licensed in both California and Nevada. Robert frequently lectures to physicians and other healthcare professionals at risk management seminars sponsored by Nevada Mutual Insurance Company, and Medicus, as well as the Nevada chapters of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the American College of Surgeons on a wide range of risk management topics. He has successfully tried over 40 cases to verdict in his career and has successfully arbitrated many claims.

William R. McBride is an aggressive and experienced lawyer, who has represented thousands of personal injury claims and wrongful death lawsuits. Instilled with strong ethics by his parents, McBride was raised to believe in the ideal of justice for all.

Co-Managing Partner McCabe Russel, a private family law firm in Maryland, Heather McCabe earned her Juris Doctorate degree from The George Washington University Law School in 1997. Shortly thereafter, she was admitted to the Maryland state bar later that year. Heather has many professional affiliations including the Maryland Association for Justice, the D.C. Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, the Montgomery County Bar Association, the Howard County Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Maryland LGBT Bar Association. In addition to her membership with Lawyers of Distinction, Heather is also a member of various other legal organizations including Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Best Lawyers, the Litigation Counsel of America, and Bethesda Magazine Top Attorney 2019.

Tracie M. Dinehart has been an attorney in Michigan for over ten years. She is the owner of North Pointe Legal, PLLC in Ludington, where she focuses her practice exclusively on criminal defense, child abuse and neglect, and family law. Tracie is committed to helping people achieve justice in a system that is far too often unfair. A large part of her practice involves helping children, either by working to keep them with their families or advocating for their rights in the juvenile justice system. Tracie’s commitment to helping people began at a young age. She started college at Central Michigan University intending to become a veterinarian. She discovered her love of advocacy through her participation in debate and switched her major to communications. She earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from CMU before deciding to go to law school. Tracie attended Cooley Law School on weekends while working full-time for the State Bar of Michigan. She had multiple judicial internships and was a TA for the school’s Moot Court program. Despite such a full load, she graduated from Cooley cum laude. After law school, Tracie clerked for a judge in Eaton County for a year. She practiced criminal defense, family law, and insurance defense litigation for several years, first as a solo practitioner and then as part of a small law firm. After a few years as in-house counsel at an insurance company, she returned to the work she loves most when she opened North Pointe Legal in 2018. The view of the justice system that Tracie got during her clerkships, internships, and legal work inspired her to dedicate her practice to the pursuit of justice for people who rarely get a fair chance. Tracie loves working in the courtroom and advocating for her clients. She has developed a reputation for her tireless advocacy among both colleagues and clients, who refer to her as “Hell on Heels.” While she welcomes the nickname her clients have bestowed upon her, Tracie prefers to call herself a “constitutional warrior.” She is relentless about making certain that police and prosecutors respect her clients’ rights. Her goals for her criminal defense clients go beyond successful outcomes in their cases. She wants them to have every possible chance for a decent life. She often helps her clients connect with resources in their communities after their cases have concluded. Tracie’s child abuse and neglect clients are parents who have ongoing CPS investigations, or who are already facing a petition from the state seeking to terminate their parental rights. She helps her clients access resources that can keep families together. Many CPS cases involve parents with mental health or substance abuse issues, or whose kids have mental health issues that they lack the resources to address. In many of these cases, all the parents need is support. Family law rounds out Tracie’s roster of legal services. She represents people in divorces and other fam

Area of Practice: Labor & Employment Law Ms. McCarthy concentrates her practice on labor and employment law and has practiced law for over 27 years. She has advanced knowledge and experience advising in-house counsel, human resources administrators, C-level executives, and key stakeholders to resolve multi-faceted employment issues and mitigate risk. Ms. McCarthy regularly defends employers at the EEOC and Department of Labor level involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour claims. She also drafts complex employment and separation agreements, reviews employment documents, policies and processes, handles independent internal investigations, and conducts trainings on a wide variety of employment issues. Ms. McCarthy’s practice began with a focus on civil litigation and employment law matters for a number of years with law firms in the Raleigh-Durham, NC area, including The Banks Law Firm where she served for 8 years as general employment counsel to public housing authorities across North Carolina and South Carolina until 2008. Ms. McCarthy then transitioned to a corporate role and served for 15 years as in-house employment counsel, during which she led corporate employment law teams in the legal departments of several large companies including those in the retail, insurance, property and casualty, and utility sectors. Theresa is best known for her collaborative work style and has been a trusted advisor to public and private company leaders across all functional areas. Ms. McCarthy’s combination of in-house corporate and law firm experience gives her a competitive edge over other employment lawyers. Her experience working in a corporate capacity gives her a range of perspectives and insight into the needs of her clients, and enables Ms. McCarthy to advise and assist them with an appreciation for their operational, strategic, and cultural requirements. Theresa believes the keys to a successful attorney-client relationship is to understand the company’s objectives and appetite for risk, to anticipate the needs of the business in light of the extensive legal challenges and developments in employment laws, and to respond to business needs efficiently within the client’s expectations. Theresa published a book in November 2024 titled Employment Law Essentials for Employers: A Quick Legal Reference, Common Pitfalls, and Practical Advice. This book is Theresa’s practical guide for business owners, executives, and HR professionals who need clear answers on workplace law. It distills complex legal concepts into accessible guidance, highlights common mistakes that can lead to costly disputes, and provides actionable strategies to help employers stay compliant while fostering a fair workplace. Drawing on her experience advising organizations of all sizes, Theresa offers a trusted resource for those seeking confidence in their employment practices.