THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2007 |
Thu -- 7:00p |
Opening Reception and Dinner at the Terrace Court
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Thu -- 10:00p |
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2007
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Fri -- 7:30a |
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Fri -- 8:30a |
OPENING REMARKS
Joe Ortego -- 2007 Chair
Nixon Peabody
New York, NY |
Fri -- 8:35a |
WELCOME FROM SEMINAR CO-CHAIRS
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HIGH PROFILE LITIGATION WITH HISTORIC IMPACT
Seminal litigation with decisions that make new law can change the course of history with huge impacts on local economies. A consistent theme adopted from the start, hammered home at every opportunity, can spell success despite overwhelming odds and powerful, well-funded opposition. The truth is a litigant’s strongest ally and should be clarified, embraced and championed throughout. Trial lawyer Kelly Corr has recently concluded such a case with numerous appeals and several years of litigation resulting in the preservation of an established commercial institution dating back to the Yukon Gold Rush.
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MISTAKES IN PREPARING AND PRESENTING CORPORATE DESIGNEES
Who tells the story and how it’s told is as important as the story itself. Trial lawyer John Sandberg distills his experience from hundreds of corporate designee depositions and gives us the best and worst he’s heard and seen, complete with videos.
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TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS AND TRAVAILS
Always funny, often entertaining, trial lawyer Steve Mooney puts humor aside (for a moment) to present some of the best, and worst trial strategies and victories. Funny is an understatement.
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THE JURY'S CHANGING FACES: PROFILES OF OUR NEW DECISION MAKERS
Selecting jurors on the basis of “gut feeling, instinct, and ‘I know them when I see them’ ” tactics is becoming increasingly risky. Differing life experiences are shaping attitudes and presumptions in vastly different ways. Children of the new millennium have different views than Gen X’ers and baby boomers on virtually everything. Smoke out likely views and making sure your message comes across is the goal. Trial lawyer Warren Platt brings his exceptional high stakes trial experience to bear on this emerging issue.
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LITIGATION RISK ANALYSIS: MORE THAN ROLLING THE DICE
Every client evaluates cases. Do we have a "good" chance of winning? What's the risk of a "big" verdict? What's the settlement value? Hugh Gottschalk has been trying cases for Fortune 500 companies for more than 25 years, and working to find more reliable ways to evaluate and quantify risk, as well as to determine technically defensible settlement values. Hugh will provide an overview of the widely acclaimed Decision Tree methodology, and share his experiences using decision trees to evaluate cases and develop business model-like approaches to settle/try decisions.
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Fri -- 10:20a |
Coffee and Refreshment Break
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EMERGING EXPOSURES IN CANADIAN PRODUCT LIABILITY LAW THAT EVERY U.S. MANUFACTURER NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND
Canadian courts are expanding potential exposures for defendants in product liability class actions, permitting law suits to proceed claiming pure economic loss in tort and disgorgement of profits that would not be maintainable in U.S. or foreign jurisdictions. Trial lawyer Mary Jane Stitt will discuss recent developments with potentially significant negative implications for U.S.-based manufacturers whose products are used in Canada, highlighting insurance coverage issues under Canadian law for these new claims.
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ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS, BUT REAL MONEY: CONTROLLING E-DISCOVERY COSTS
Businesses spend millions each year responding to electronic discovery requests. Are costs out of control? Can value and ROI be measured for electronic-discovery expenses? To what risks are companies exposed? What roles should outside counsel, vendors and technology play? Trial lawyer Jack Sharman walks through a practical, step-by-step process designed to help you get the most bang for your e-discovery buck.
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LITIGATION CONSIDERATIONS WHEN OUTSOURCING TO CHINA AND ELSEWHERE
Every substantial North American company is either doing business in China, going to be doing business in China or doing business with another company with strong China connections. China’s legal system and jurisprudential culture present challenges and surprises to the uninitiated. In addition to getting the deal done, in-house counsel face added responsibilities for protecting the company not usually present in domestic transactions. From lead paint in children's toys to copyright piracy, U.S. companies face increased risks. Trial lawyer Denise Lazar will discuss pitfalls and protective steps available to companies outsourcing work to other countries, with a focus on China.
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 PANEL DISCUSSION ON
ARBITRATION: IS IT BROKEN? CAN IT BE FIXED?
What’s wrong with arbitration and why do draftspersons resist it? Our panel of experienced litigators will examine the state in which we find arbitration today and consider how it got there. Trials are expensive, prolonged, and polarizing. But is arbitration any better? Our panel will analyze the arbitration processes and suggest a course for redemption.
Sawnie McEntire
Beirne Maynard & Parsons |
Eric Liebeler
Honeywell International |
David Harris
Lowenstein Sandler |
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Fri -- 1:00p
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 Golf Tournament
Welcome to a golfer's paradise in the Valley of the Sun, where 27 holes of championship golf await you. Surrounded by incredible scenery, under beautiful blue skies, Gainey Ranch offers a year-round exciting challenge for golfers of any skill level. Each of the three distinct nine-hole courses of our Scottsdale golf resort, designed by Benz and Poellot, offers a different experience for players. |
 Desert Jeep Tour
Climb aboard our rugged 4-wheel drive, open-air jeeps and Blazers for the "western experience" of a lifetime. Witness the awesome grandeur of the Sonoran Desert as your friendly Cowboy guides gently bounce your group through a maze of cactus-lined trails and desert riverbeds. Your guides will spin yarns of the Old West and teach you the survival techniques used by our Native American Indians centuries ago. |
 Horseback Riding
Travel along with our knowledgeable cowboy and cowgirl guides along the picturesque wilderness trails of Arizona. We'll take you where civilization is a faint memory and yet still have you back in plenty of time for our Network dinner. This is a great starting experience for those who want to join our City Slickers Cattle Drive tomorrow. |
 The Spa Avania
It’s your body’s fundamental daily journey toward balance — and it’s the foundation for everything we do at Spa Avania. Against the vibrant hues of the Arizona desert comes the first Scottsdale spa resort where every detail has been seamlessly choreographed to the science of time. A uniquely holistic approach that bases your total-immersion experience on the inescapably cyclical needs of your body at key periods of the day. |
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Fri -- 6:30p
Busses Board
Fri -- 7:00p
Dinner |
Dinner at Mummy Mountain
The most delicious, abundant, succulent western BBQ ever!
  
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Fri -- 10:00p
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Hospitality Suite
Wine, Munchies and Lots of Talk - Room 2095
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2007
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Sat -- 7:30a |
Continental Breakfast - Regency Foyer
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Sat -- 8:30a |
WELCOME FROM SEMINAR CO-CHAIRS
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ATTACKING MEDICAL STUDIES AND STATISTICAL ASSOCIATIONS
Medical experts often rely on studies and statistics to link an event with an injury and, in turn, to an impairment. Successful defense counsel distinguish mere “associations” from proof of causation. Trial lawyer Jerry Glas shows you how to find the buried treasure in every medical study. Defense counsel can roll-up their sleeves and dig for demographic tables, exclusion criteria, confounding variables, and tests for statistical significance. And experts don’t always tell the whole story. Defense counsel can discover information that was hidden about a study, and use that information during cross-examination.
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NOT IF I SUE YOU FIRST: DEFENDANT CLASS ACTIONS
Things companies do invite class action litigation. But what if you sue first? Trial lawyer Larry Gwaltney presents legal and practical tips in bringing a defendant class action and effecting significant reductions in balance sheet liability in the process.
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MISSISSIPPI'S REVERSAL OF FORTUNE: FROM JUDICIAL HELLHOLE TO PRO-BUSINESS -- AND HOW TO DO IT IN YOUR JURISDICTION
Trial lawyer Phillip Sykes will provide an overview of Mississippi's evolution from a historically pro-business state to judicial hellhole in the mid-1990's through early 2000's and its return to a pro-business condition. Judicial and legislative reform, combined with an aggressive public relations campaign have turned the tide of litigation there. This case study will provide practical recommendations that defense lawyers and their clients can use in other dangerous jurisdictions.
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Sat -- 9:40a
Kevin
Zielke
Dykema
Detroit, MI |
REACHING TODAY'S JUROR: HIGH-TECH TRIAL TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
As television and the Internet have become the principal, if not the exclusive, source of news and information for many Americans, trial attorneys have had to develop trial preparation and presentation techniques that command the attention of today's jurors while effectively communicating key messages on complicated subject matter. Trial lawyer Kevin Zielke examines high-tech trial techniques from opening statements to witness examination and closing argument.
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Sat -- 10:00a |
Coffee and Refreshment Break
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 PANEL DISCUSSION: NEW TRIAL TECHNOLOGIES
“Jury Guru”, a proprietary software application developed by trial lawyer Jerry Glas, takes the mystery and guess-work out of juror selection, strike decisions and peremptive challenges. Today's trial lawyer has to walk a fine line between effective presentation tools and over-glitz. Jurors expect some razzle dazzle but are very comfortable with flip charts. What’s available and when to use what will be our topic, with lots of demonstrations and examples. Prepare for some entertainment.
Jerry Glas
Deutsch Kerrigan & Stiles |
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Sat -- 11:10a (60 Min.)
BREAK-OUT SESSIONS
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A |
LITIGATION MANAGEMENT
Room: Regency E
Moderated by:
Joel Hoxie
Snell & Wilmer
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with discussion by:
Bobby Hood, Jr.
Hood Law Firm
Andrew Upton
Director, Assoc. General Counsel
Mark Dapier
General Counsel
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B |
LITIGATION MANAGEMENT
Room: Regency F
Moderated by:
Lee Hollis
Lightfoot Franklin & White
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with discussion by:
Dennis Duggan
Nixon Peabody
David Bell
Corporate Operations and Development
William Scarff
Chief Litigation Counsel
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C |
LITIGATION MANAGEMENT
Room: Regency G
Moderated by:
Ken Mills
Blake Cassels & Graydon |
with discussion by:
Mark Miller
Wildman Harrold
Royce Bedward
Vice President, Legal
Shayne Brown
Associate General Counsel
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D |
INSURANCE COVERAGE LITIGATION MANAGEMENT
Room: AZ Ballroom VI, VII, VIII
Moderated by:
John Worden
Schiff Hardin
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Sat -- 1:00p
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 Golf
Welcome to a golfer's paradise in the Valley of the Sun, where 27 holes of championship golf await you. Surrounded by incredible scenery, under beautiful blue skies, Gainey Ranch offers a year-round exciting challenge for golfers of any skill level. Each of the three distinct nine-hole courses of our Scottsdale golf resort, designed by Benz and Poellot, offers a different experience for players. |
 Funwater Float River Rafting
Paddle your way down a river teaming with spectacular wildlife and fantastic desert landscape. Not to worry -- this is a flatwater river adventure, perfect for all, from beginner to expert. You and your crew paddle in our guided raft under the guidance of our professional guides. The only requirement being everyone is ready to have an exciting fun filled river adventure. |
 City Slickers Cattle Drive
Head 'em up! Move 'em out! This authentic Western adventure will satisfy the cowboy in every heart. Fulfill your Wild West dreams in the mountainous terrain of the rugged desert landscape. Accompanied by an experienced wrangler, you’ll follow the trails on horseback in search of wayward cattle on the authentic cattle drive through the Sonoran desert. Become a cowhand for the day and ride the open range to your heart’s content. |
The Spa Avania
It’s your body’s fundamental daily journey toward balance — and it’s the foundation for everything we do at Spa Avania. Against the vibrant hues of the Arizona desert comes the first Scottsdale spa resort where every detail has been seamlessly choreographed to the science of time. A uniquely holistic approach that bases your total-immersion experience on the inescapably cyclical needs of your body at key periods of the day. |
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Sat -- 7:00p
Dinner |
Closing Dinner Feast - Terrace Court
 
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Sat -- 10:00p |
Hospitality Suite
Wine, Munchies and Lots of Talk - Room 2095
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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2007
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Sun -- 8:30a |
Business Meeting For Network Member Firms:
Breakfast Meeting
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Book Signing and Discussion with Author Maureen Meehan Aplin 
