Tag: settlement team

Mr. DeCoursey has devoted his entire legal career to the defense of employers, insurance companies, self-insured employers, and third-party administrators in Workers’ Compensation claims and related matters. His advocacy experience is extensive and includes successfully representing his clients at thousands of hearings, trials, depositions, and in appellate court. He takes pride in crafting defense strategies with the entire claim in mind—not just the hearing of the day. Mr. DeCoursey begins every claim with the end in mind and attempts to find the lowest cost exit strategy for his client in every case. To that end, he is an expert on the Board’s Guidelines for Determining Permanent Impairment and Loss of Wage Earning Capacity. His success has been recognized by the industry—in 2013 he was named a Rising Star in the area of Workers’ Compensation by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers.

A significant portion of Mr. DeCoursey’s practice involves Section 32 settlement negotiation and preparation. This includes compliance with the Medicare Secondary Payer statute as well as the calculation and preparation of Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangements. His priority is to resolve claims on a full and final basis as quickly as possible to ensure resolution of the claim with minimal delay and cost to his client.

Mr. DeCoursey is a frequent lecturer and speaker on workers’ compensation matters to employers, insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and the bar. He has presented on workers’ compensation issues in his areas of focus, such as permanency, loss of wage earning capacity, and Section 32 settlements at in-house client seminars, private CLE providers, the New York State Bar Association, and at the New York State Association of Self-Insured Counties. Mr. DeCoursey is a member of the New York State Bar and Monroe County Bar Associations.

Mr. Bowers focuses his practice on workers’ compensation.  He has experience in defending complex litigation in workers’ compensation cases including, but not limited to, Section 114-a fraud, asbestos litigation, complex coverage issues, un-insured employer fund cases and oral argument before the Workers’ Compensation Board Panel.  He has handled hundreds of trials at the Workers’ Compensation Board, including lay witness testimony, medical testimony, expert testimony and testimony of investigators on issues of accident, notice, causal relationship, period and extent of disability, entitlement to ongoing workers’ compensation benefits and fraud. 

He is a frequent author and presenter on topics including the interplay of workers’ compensation and third party actions including issues of consent, lien, offset, and the applicability of Burns v. Varriale, 9 N.Y.3d 207 (2007), rocket docket litigation, loss of wage earning capacity determinations and loss transfer arbitration. He has presented on a variety of topics at continuing legal education classes and author of white papers on behalf of the Firm.

He has extensive experience and expertise in settlement evaluations, Section 32 Settlement Agreements, calculation and submission of Medicare Set-Asides to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, statewide handling of third party action consent letters, lien recoveries and credit resolutions, as well as Loss Transfer recoveries and arbitration proceedings involving motor vehicle accidents.

Mr. Bowers is a member of the New York Self-Insurers Association, the Bar Associations of Erie County and New York State and the Buffalo Claims Association.  He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell for the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethics. In April 2025, Mr. Bowers was inducted as a Fellow in The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers.

He is the recruiting partner for the Buffalo office and interviews prospective law student/law clerks and associate attorneys. He supervises and mentors all summer law clerks and new associates.  He is an avid golfer, sports fan, and an active participant in the 11 Day Power Play hockey fundraiser  to beat cancer!