CWCR Staff
Legal
Writers and Editors
Melvin S. Witt, Editor and Publisher Emeritus
Witt founded CWCR in 1973 and was
its publisher and managing editor through June 2007 (with a five-year hiatus from
1975 through 1980 while he served as Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation
Appeals Board). He continues with CWCR as an adviser and occasional contributor.
He is a recognized expert who has been actively involved in
Bertram Cohen
A Presiding Workers' Compensation Judge in the WCAB's Stockton office from 1989 to 2007, Cohen was a workers'
compensation attorney in private practice until he became a WCJ
in 1981. He began contributing to the Reporter
in 1973 and was CWCR
's principal author for the five years that Witt served as Board
Chairman. A Boalt Hall law school graduate, he has
been a member of the California bar since 1973. For several years, he updated California Workers' Compensation Practice
(3d ed, Cal CEB 1985).
Charles Lawrence Swezey
Swezey served the WCAB
in several capacities for 31 years, including 12 years as referee in charge of
its San Jose office, four years as a Board staff referee, five years as its
Secretary and Deputy Commissioner, and ten years as a Board commissioner. He
has been Senior Counsel at the State Compensation Insurance Fund,
a lecturer on workers' compensation and other legal subjects for Continuing
Education of the Bar, and an instructor at San Francisco Law School. A graduate
of Stanford Law School, he has been a member of the State Bar of California
since 1949. He is author of California
Workers' Compensation Practice (3d ed, Cal CEB
1985) and contributor to the 4th edition of that book and its yearly updates.
Since 1989 he has been a legal consultant in workers' compensation matters.
Barry M. Lesch
Lesch has been the Reporter's legal editor since 1976. A certified specialist in
workers' compensation, he is a managing partner in the workers' compensation
insurance defense firm of Laughlin, Falbo, Levy and Moresi in Oakland. A graduate of Boalt Law School in 1975, he has been a member of the State
Bar of California since then. He has also been a member of the United States
Supreme Court Bar since 1980. He is a contributor to California Workers’ Compensation Practice (4th ed,
Cal CEB 2000) and its yearly updates and the author of other publications.
Paul Peyrat
From the Reporter's
inception in 1973, Peyrat has reported and commented on the
interrelationship between WCAB proceedings and lawsuits
to recover personal injury and wrongful death damages. A University of
Minnesota Law School graduate and a member of the California bar since 1961, he
continues to serve as a writer and legal editor for Continuing Education of the Bar
and other publishers and as a consultant to attorneys. He has served as a neutral arbitrator and
and municipal court judge pro tem. His published articles and books, many cited
and discussed by appellate courts, include California
Workers' Damages Practice (2d ed., Cal CEB 2001), California Tort Guide (3d ed., Cal CEB 1996), and California Tort Damages (2d ed., 2002),
with their yearly updates.
Editorial Assistance
Mary Fenneman has performed copyediting and proofreading for the Reporter since 1989, as well as indexing, journalism, and consultation services. Formerly a production editor at University of California Press, she has also worked for several legal publishers and educators, including California Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), the California Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER), the National Judicial College at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Matthew Bender Company.
Design and Production
Dickie Magidoff (Wandering Mind Productions), a type and design shop with 30 years experience, typesets and produces the Reporter.
Administration
& Subscription Fulfillment
Sandra Lesch, a financial consultant now handles business and subscription services supporting CWCR, including subscription fulfillment, database management, and recordkeeping. She works with the managing editors on responding to subscribers' questions. Her business e-mail address is info@cwcrwitt.com.