Team

ACCEL Law Group was founded by Chuck Welsh and Mike Griffin, both former partners in major international law firms with more than 40 years combined experience in serving as trusted advisors to insurance entities in navigating the complicated US insurance regulatory system.

Chuck Welsh

Principal

Mike Griffin

Principal

Dan Kalosieh

Partner

Dan has been effectively counseling companies on various corporate and insurance matters for more than twenty years. He began his career as a Corporate Associate at Day Pitney where he was involved in numerous M&A transactions and securities law regulatory matters, including equity issuances and filings under the SEC’s Investment Advisers Act. In 2006, Dan joined Aetna where he continued to be involved in significant (including billion dollar) M&A transactions and securities filings, and also expanded his role as an insurance counsel, where he advised business management on various insurance legal issues, policies, and strategy. Dan also served as the national broker counsel at Aetna, overseeing all legal aspects of Aetna’s distribution channels. Dan continued his involvement in corporate and insurance matters as Associate General Counsel at Hartford HealthCare, where he managed the legal relationship with all health insurance companies, and led all aspects of various corporate transactions, including asset and equity acquisitions and divestitures, mergers, and joint venture activities, as well as the federal and state regulatory filings and approvals associated with corporate transactions, such as Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust filings. At Hartford HealthCare, he also provided legal support to various business areas including banking, real estate, intellectual property, employee benefit plans and tax.

At ACCEL, Dan leads insurance agency/brokerage M&A transactions and regulatory and compliance matters with a collaborative approach designed to achieve optimal results. He draws on his extensive corporate and insurance experience to provide practical solutions to his clients’ business challenges. Dan is a graduate of Boston College and earned both his Juris Doctorate and MBA from Rutgers University.

Adam Tarr

Senior Associate

Adam is a Senior Associate with ACCEL Law Group supporting client M&A transactions and regulatory and compliance matters. His previous roles include counsel with the State of Connecticut Insurance Department, serving as the primary attorney for the Financial Regulation Division. While at the Connecticut Insurance Department, he analyzed insurer merger applications and drafted and revised several state orders and insurance regulations. Adam also served as in-house counsel for matters involving insurance regulation, growth strategy, state regulatory filings and privacy at a $2.7 billion fully integrated health care system with more than 18,000 employees. In that role, he represented a new health insurer in its license application process and on-site organizational examination.

Adam earned his J.D. from the Boston University School of Law and is a summa cum laude graduate of The University of Connecticut.

MJ DiVito

Senior Associate

MJ is a Senior Associate with ACCEL Law Group with a focus on insurance agency/brokerage M&A transactions and regulatory and compliance matters. Since joining the firm in 2019, MJ has participated in numerous insurance agency/brokerage transactions ranging in total deal value from $175,000 for book roll transactions to $250,000,000 for complex multi-jurisdiction transactions. He also provides strategic guidance on various regulatory and compliance issues confronting insurance producers, agents, brokers, and third party administrators, including state sales practices and surplus lines compliance requirements, such as diligent searches, policy filings, stamping processes and tax filings.

Prior to joining ACCEL Law Group, MJ practiced in the area of insurance defense litigation where he prepared coverage opinions for insurers, assisted in defending bad faith claims, and advised clients on complying with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) disclosure requirements.

MJ is a graduate of The University of Connecticut and earned his Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from Quinnipiac University School of Law.

Yulia Chillington

Associate

Yulia is an Associate with ACCEL Law Group supporting client M&A transactions and regulatory and compliance matters. Yulia has an extensive background in the insurance industry, in both public and private sectors. Prior to joining ACCEL Law Group, she worked at Aetna/CVS Health as counsel with a focus on health insurance product portfolio growth and development, and regulatory analysis and advocacy. Yulia also served as a compliance risk manager in the past, helping the company identify and mitigate legal risks. Yulia’s public sector experience includes her roles at the Connecticut State Department of Social Services (“Connecticut DSS”), Medicaid Division, and the ACA Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange, Access Health CT. At the Connecticut DSS, Yulia served as a liaison to major Managed Care Organizations. At Access Health CT, her responsibilities ranged from carrier contract management and certification to the ACA employer shared responsibility appeals.

Yulia earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law and is a summa cum laude graduate of Sacred Heart University.

Susan Murphy

Paralegal

Susan is a member of the ACCEL Law Group team and has experience supporting several agency M&A transactions and regulatory and compliance matters.

She received her paralegal certificate from Manchester Community College with a 4.0 GPA. Susan also earned her B.A. in Mathematics (Summa Cum Laude) from Assumption College, and her M.A. in Secondary Education from Kansas State University.