Litigation Do's and Don'ts: Practical Strategies for Managing Complex Disputes in Today's Environment

Michael L. Martinez is Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Dispute Resolution at Marriott International, Inc. and is based at Marriott’s headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. In that role Michael oversees Marriott’s litigation and arbitration matters worldwide (with the exception of tax or labor and employment matters).

Prior to joining Marriott, Michael was a partner for ten years at Crowell & Moring LLP in Washington, D.C. where he handled commercial and government related litigation and arbitration. Prior to that Michael was, among other things, an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington and Philadelphia.

Michael grew up in northern California and obtained his Law degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelors degree in Economics from the University of California, Davis.

Allison Chock, Chief Investment Officer-US and Legal Counsel, oversees Bentham IMF's investment management and due diligence processes across its four US offices. Allison assumed this role in 2017, after serving for almost four years as an Investment Manager and head of Bentham's Los Angeles office.

As an experienced trial attorney who specialized for many years in litigating large, contingent-fee commercial disputes, Allison is well-equipped to oversee the company's assessment of opportunities to provide non-recourse litigation funding for companies, individuals and law firms. She personally manages a multi-million-dollar investment portfolio for Bentham and helps guide decisions pertaining to the company's full US investment portfolio. She is successful at investing in cases that return victories for the plaintiffs and the lawyers litigating the claims, including a nine-figure settlement to an individual plaintiff in a breach of fiduciary duty case.

Prior to joining Bentham, Allison began her legal career as a litigation associate at Latham & Watkins. In 2003, she joined renowned litigation-only boutique firm Hennigan, Bennett & Dorman LLP, where she made partner in 2008. The Hennigan firm later merged with McKool Smith, P.C., based in Dallas. At Hennigan (and later at McKool), Allison handled large-scale opt-out securities fraud actions for private institutional investor clients and other complex commercial business disputes. Her litigation experience spans multiple jurisdictions, including California, New York and Texas.

Allison is one of only four professionals recognized as experts in the field of litigation funding within the US by Chambers and Partners. She moved into the US industry during its nascent stage and possesses expertise that is often sought out by lawyers, law firms and members of the business community seeking to understand how funding works, and how it can help them. She frequently speaks at conferences and events hosted by various professional organizations and provides CLE seminars for law firms.

Allison also holds a variety of leadership positions focused on championing Bentham's commitment to increasing access to civil justice. She is an active member on the board of advisors for the University of California, Irvine School of Law's Civil Justice Research Institute, which studies factors that limit access to America's court system. In 2016, she helped spearhead Bentham's decision to provide a significant capital contribution to the Institute in furtherance of its mission. She is also a member of the board of directors for Public Counsel, the largest pro bono law firm in the nation, which works with major law firms and corporations to impact a wide spectrum of people who live at or below the poverty level.

Allison studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, and received her B.A. in French literature from UC Santa Barbara. She received her J.D. from the College of William & Mary's Marshall-Wythe School of Law, where she was National Trial Team Champion and named to the Order of Barristers.

John Blood is the General Counsel and Company Secretary for Anheuser-Busch InBev. John is a US citizen and holds a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and a JD degree from the University of Michigan Law School. John joined us in 2009 as VP Legal, Commercial and M&A where he focused on global Mergers & Acquisitions, Compliance and Corporate law. Most recently John was Zone VP Legal & Corporate Affairs in North America where he has led the legal and corporate affairs agenda for the United States and Canada. Prior to joining our company, John led the corporate and litigation teams in Diageo's North American business where he had been primary counsel to its US hard liquor, wine and beer divisions over his tenure.