Ralph Picardi is the managing member of PICARDI LLC, a legal and consulting services firm located in Arlington, Massachusetts. Prior to 2015, Mr. Picardi was the litigation and consulting partner in the Boston-based law firm of Lapping & Picardi LLP. In both firms, Mr. Picardi’s professional practice has concentrated almost exclusively in the areas of defending accountant professionals in malpractice actions, and advising accountants and their professional liability insurers in matters of claim/incident analysis and risk management through national hotlines, seminars, publications, and direct consultations. Mr. Picardi is a former Business Litigation partner in the Boston law firm of Burns & Levinson, LLP, where, in addition to professional liability defense, he handled the litigation needs of the firm’s business clients, including disputes involving securities, antitrust, intellectual property, minority stockholders, employment, product liability, construction, real estate, tax, landlord/tenant, collection and basic contracts. Before practicing law, Mr. Picardi practiced as a Certified Public Accountant for Ernst & Young (f/k/a Ernst & Whinney) in Boston. He is currently a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is also a past member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society. A member of the Massachusetts and District of Columbia bars, he is also admitted to the United State District Courts for Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, the United States Tax Court, and the United States Courts of Appeal for the First, D.C. and Ninth Circuits. Mr. Picardi served as a law clerk to Judge Melvin T. Brunetti of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, after having served as a student extern for Judge J. Clifford Wallace of the same court. He received a J.D. degree, cum laude, from University of San Diego School of Law in 1987 and served on the editorial board of the Law Review. He received a B.S. in Accounting, magna cum laude, from Boston College School of Management in 1981.