Leadership

Christina Ciampolillo, President

Christina Ciampolillo, a junior partner attorney at the firm of Conway Homer, PC, earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She worked as a mediator in consumer affairs before earning her law degree from Suffolk University Law School. Ms. Ciampolillo started at the firm in 2008 as a law clerk and continued with the firm as an attorney. She has extensive practice before the Office of Special Masters, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She is also a member of the Court of Federal Claims Bar Association and the American Association for Justice. Ms. Ciampolillo has been invited to speak on various topics in the Vaccine Program by the Vaccine Injured Petitioners Bar Association and the American Association for Justice. 


 David Carney, Vice President 

David J. Carney is a partner at Green & Schafle LLC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where regularly represents individuals who have been injured from vaccines in addition to cases involving chemical and environmental exposures, and other personal injury matters. David is an active member in the Vaccine Injured Petitioner’s Bar Association and the American Association for Justice and he has regularly lectured at CLEs for both organizations.  In addition, he is a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, and the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association. David was selected for inclusion in the 2014 – 2017 editions of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® Rising Stars, a distinction given to only 2.5% of lawyers who are either under 40 years old or in practice for less than 10 years. Finally, he is an author of all 5 editions of The Legal Intelligencer’s Pennsylvania Causes of Action book.


Ramon Rodriguez III, Treasurer

 

Ramon Rodriguez, III, is counsel at the law firm of Sands Anderson, PC, in Richmond, Virginia, where he represents individuals and families who have been injured by vaccines in matters before the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP). Dr. Rodriguez is also a primary care physician and holds active medical licenses in Arkansas, Florida, Virginia and the Republic of Ireland. He graduated from the College of William and Mary Marshall - Wythe School of Law in 2002 and has been representing vaccine injured petitioners since 2007 where his medical experience has provided invaluable first-hand perspectives on medical issues relating to vaccination injury. Dr. Rodriguez is a member of various medical and legal societies including the American Association for Justice where he has presented on vaccination injury.


 Nancy Meyers, Secretary

Nancy Meyers is an attorney with Ward Black Law in Greensboro, North Carolina.  She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and worked in medical research before attending the University of Louisville School of Law where she graduated cum laude in 1995.   Nancy’s career has been primarily representing seriously injured clients in the setting of medical negligence and vaccine injuries.  In addition to being a member of the Vaccine Injured Petitioners Bar Association and the American Association for Justice,  Nancy is a member of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and was recently selected as a 2018 Best Lawyers® recipient for Personal Injury Litigation.


Edward Kraus, Director

Edward Kraus is a Clinical Professor of Law at the Chicago-Kent College of Law in Chicago, Illinois. Professor Kraus joined the faculty at Chicago-Kent in 1999 where he has taught Health and Disability law classes and represented individuals in a variety of matters involving health and disability issues. He currently directs the Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic where, along with his associate, Amy Kraus, he works with student interns to represent people who have suffered vaccine injuries. Professor Kraus served on the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines from March 2012 to December 2016.  The Commission consists of nine members, who provide input to the Secretary regarding the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP).  Professor Kraus currently serves as a member of the Vaccine Committee of the Advisory Council to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Prior to joining the Chicago-Kent faculty, he was an attorney at the law firm of Plokin, Jacobs & Orlofksy Ltd., where he specialized in complex civil litigation and consumer class actions. From 1996 to 1997, Professor Kraus was the policy director for the Jewish Council of Urban Affairs, where he directed advocacy and policy efforts addressing social and economic justice issues in Chicago. From 1993 to 1996, he was a staff attorney for Legal Action of Wisconsin, where he represented low-income clients in a variety of civil matters, including public benefits, special education and Medicaid. Professor Kraus received a B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa) in English from the University of Michigan and a J.D. (cum laude) from Georgetown University Law Center.


Jessica A. Olins, Director 

Jessica A. Olins is an attorney at mctlaw, and focuses on the representation of clients in nationwide complex vaccine injury litigation. She graduated with a B.S. in Business from Redlands University prior to obtaining her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law. Ms. Olins has become extensively involved with vaccine fee litigation and frequently assists on cases throughout the fees motion process. Since 2018, she has been invited annually to speak on the topic of fees and costs in the NVICP by the VIP Bar Association. 

In addition to her vaccine litigation practice, Ms. Olins currently serves as a Liaison for the Private-Bar Pro Bono Program of the Court of Federal Claims Bar Association. In 2021, she served as President of the Young Lawyers Division of the Court of Federal Claims. From 2019-2020, she served as a member on the Court of Federal Claims Pilot P100 program, in an effort to streamline the vaccine claim process. Ms. Olins is a member of the VIP Bar Association, the DC Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Association for Justice, in both the New Lawyers Division and Vaccine Litigation Division. She has also been published in the NC State Bar Journal and Trial Magazine. 

Ms. Olins continues to develop the VIP Bar Association website and invites feedback from members to improve its functionality. She can be reached directly at [email protected] or 888-952-5242.