Mr. Fires' litigation practice focuses entirely on defending workers' compensation matters on behalf of insurance carriers, self-insured entities and third-party administrators. His practice also includes pre-litigation counseling with an emphasis on cost-effective exposure reduction strategies, and coordination of corporate workers' compensation policies and procedures for clients with exposure nationally. Mr. Fires has been selected by his peers to be included in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 editions of The Best Lawyers in America. Some of his significant achievements include: Coordinating and defending workers' compensation litigation for Fortune 500 clients and small to medium size businesses on a multi-state basis; Devising and implementing return-to-work programs for large employers to substantially reduce their workers' compensation exposure; Developing programs to end exposure in catastrophic injury cases, with and without litigation, for workers' compensation carriers; Litigating successfully all aspects of workers compensation claims from the Judge level through the Workers' Compensation Appeal Board, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; Organizing case management systems to streamline communications between workers' compensation clients and their counsel; Executing electronic technology for, among other things, instantaneous filings, faster judge assignments and shorter litigation times; Managing professional overhead to maintain competitive and creative fee structures while adhering to client billing and payment guidelines. Mr. Fires has achieved Membership by nomination and peer review in the International Association of Defense Counsel, which has, since 1920, been the premier liaison organization for defense and corporate counsel and the leading provider of sophisticated trial academies and continuing legal education focusing exclusively on the defense community.  Membership by nomination and peer review in the Council on Ethical Billing, an alliance of law firms, insurance companies, general counsel and risk managers from some of the largest businesses in the United States. The Council is dedicated to promoting strong litigation management practices and ethical billing practices while maintaining the highest standards of competence and integrity in defending clients.