Cristine Huffine

Cristine K. Huffine represents employers, professional employment organizations, insurance companies, servicing agents and self-insureds in workers’ compensation claims ranging from minor injuries and occupational diseases to more significant, catastrophic matters with complex medical implications. Her clients include small businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike, including national retailers, restaurants, food and beverage companies, and trucking and logistics services, as well as various school board associates and governmental entities.

Cristine regularly defends clients in multimillion dollar claims, leveraging her extensive experience and a deep understanding of the medical issues at play to obtain favorable results for her clients. In one catastrophic brain injury matter, for example, she negotiated a settlement for more than $1 million less than the original claim.

Cristine collaborates with clients to identify effective and efficient solutions with a focus on the client’s business goals and bottom line. Whether positioning the client for a favorable settlement negotiation or aggressively litigating a claim before an administrative law judge (ALJ), she serves as a trusted business partner when identifying creative solutions for complex disputes.

Cristine’s personal and professional experience empowers her with an in-depth understanding of the medical and business considerations involved with workplace injury claims. Cristine effectively works with physicians to develop a full understanding of a claim, including everything from basic to highly specialized injuries. Before entering law school, Cristine worked various jobs in the restaurant and retail industry, which lends her a holistic perspective of her clients' operational practices when considering legal issues.

Prior to joining Swift Currie, Cristine practiced at other major national law firms with offices in Atlanta, focusing on employment and labor law, as well as environmental law. Cristine also practiced in Pennsylvania, where she participated in a precedent-setting products liability case. She previously served as a law clerk for the Honorable Sheryl Ann Dorney for the Court of Common Pleas in the 19th Judicial District in York, Pennsylvania. As a law clerk, Cristine authored several opinions that were published, including an opinion involving a major snack food corporation embroiled in a family battle over ownership rights. While in law school, she interned at the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office in the Tort Litigation Section.

Cristine is an active leader in her legal specialty. She served as the chair of the Legislative Committee for the Atlanta Claims Association and is a member of and frequent speaker for the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO). She has also been a speaker with the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM). Additionally, Cristine frequently presents at in-house training sessions for risk managers.

Awards/Recognitions

• CALI Excellence for the Future Award, 1996

Memberships

• Atlanta Claims Association, Education Director, Former Chair of Legislative Committee
• National Association of Professional Employment Organizations
• National Association of Professional Women
• Customized Delivery and Logistics Association
• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
• State Bar of Georgia, Workers' Compensation Section
• Pennsylvania State Bar

Interests

Outside of her practice, she is committed to community service, including volunteering for the Humane Society, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Atlanta Community Food Bank. She is involved with family and children’s organizations like Kids ‘R’ Kids and The Giving Tree. Additionally, Cristine is an active supporter of the Disabled Veterans of America and the Wounded Warrior Project. While being fully dedicated and accessible to her clients, Cristine is a dedicated mother of three children – a daughter and a set of twins (son and daughter).

Experience

Represented an employer in a workers’ compensation claim where the plaintiff demanded six figures in damages. Secured a change of physician, which led to findings that positioned the client to win an appeal at the Georgia Superior Court where the judge found in complete favor of the client.

Successfully defended a trucking company before an administrative law judge in a claim alleging that an employee’s medical issues were related to work. The plaintiff dropped the case when the defense accumulated detailed medical records and expert analysis from doctors that clearly showed that the plaintiff’s ailments were not work-related.

Represented a government agency in a claim involving a bariatric surgical request that not only led to a denial of the surgery, but a complete denial of ongoing workers’ compensation benefits based upon a finding of return to baseline.

Successfully brought a claim to an immediate conclusion after a superior court judge found an employee of a major department store had sustained only minor aggravation injuries and recovered completely from said injuries, such that the employee was not entitled to any workers’ compensation benefits.

News

Speaking Engagements

Publications

Thought Leadership

• CLM and Business Insurance Workers' Compensation Conference, "To Pay or Not to Pay (for Medical Records Review), That is the Question," May 24, 2017