Past Complex Litigation Conferences

2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016

2019 Conference

Wednesday, October 16 and Thursday, October 17, 2019

This conference will focus on critical legal, ethical, financial, and political issues that affect high-profile litigation.

Location:
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
375 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, 60611

Attendance at the conference is by invitation only. 

This program has been approved for 7.75 general CLE credits in the state of Illinois. Out-of-state participants may use their Illinois CLE certificate to self-apply for credit in their state.

Co-Chairs

Agenda

Wednesday, October 16

8:30-9:00am - Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00-10:30am - What Keeps In-House Lawyers Up at Night
Ann Cook, Ernst & Young LLP
Craig A. Knot, Holcim (US) Inc. and Aggregate Industries Management Inc.
Zeb Landsman, Becker, Glynn, Muffly, Chassin & Hosinski LLP
Lee Reichert, Molson Coors
Michelle Spak, Duke Energy Corporation

10:30-11:45am - A Debate on the Utility of Class Actions
Ted Frank, Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute
Alison Frankel, Thomson Reuters
Professor Brian T. Fitzpatrick, Vanderbilt Law School
Professor Martin H. Redish, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

12:00-1:30pm - Lunch Keynote
An interview of The Honorable Paul J. Watford, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, by Emily Bazelon

1:30 - 2:45pm - The Role of Critical Motions and Appeals in Complex Litigation
Bruce R. Braun, Sidley Austin LLP
Professor James E. Pfander, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Honorable Manish S. Shah, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Honorable Amy J. St. Eve, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Alexandra Walsh, Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz

2:45 - 4:00pm - Reception

 
Thursday, October 17

8:30-9:00am - Continental Breakfast

9:00-10:15am - The Evolving Role of Trials in Multijurisdiction Litigation
Robert A. Clifford, Clifford Law Offices
Sean W. Gallagher, Bartlit Beck LLP
Travis Lenkner, Keller Lenkner LLC
Honorable Gene E.K. Pratter, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania


10:15-10:30am - Break

10:30-11:45am - Best Practices in Multijurisdiction and other Complex Litigation
Professor Zachary Clopton, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Perry Elizabeth Cooper, Bloomberg BNA
Chris Gramling, Eli Lilly and Company
Honorable Virginia M. Kendall, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Rebecca Weinstein Bacon, Bartlit Beck LLP

12:00-1:30pm - Lunch Keynote
An interview of Honorable Joseph R. Slights III, Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery, by Anitha Reddy, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

1:30-2:45pm - An Analysis of the Role of Daubert in Modern, Complex Litigation
Honorable Gary Feinerman, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
William Gage, Butler Snow LLP
Jason L. Lichtman, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
Jessica Miller, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

 

2018 Conference

Wednesday, November 28 and Thursday, November 29, 2018

This conference will focus on critical legal, ethical, financial, and political issues that affect high-profile litigation.

Location:
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
375 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, 60611

Attendance at the conference is by invitation only.  

This program ihas been approved for 8.25 general CLE credit hours in the state of Illinois. Out-of-state participants may use their Illinois CLE certificate to self-apply for credit in their state.

Co-Chairs

  • Adam L. Hoeflich, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP
  • Abby M. Mollen, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP

Agenda

Wednesday, November 28

9:00 a.m. - Registration and Continental Breakfast

10:00 a.m. - Opening Remarks
Kimberly A. Yuracko, Dean and Judd and Mary Morris Leighton Professor of Law 

10:15 - 11:45 a.m. - Corporate Investigations in a Modern World
John R. Lausch, Jr., Northern District of Illinois
Joel R. Levin, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
David T. Shapiro, Vail Resorts, Inc.
Honorable Amy J. St. Eve, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Jeffrey E. Stone, McDermott Will & Emery

12:00 - 1:30 p.m. - Lunch
Keynote: An interview of The Honorable Jeffrey S. Sutton, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, by Professor Neal K. Katyal, Georgetown University, Hogan Lovells

1:45 - 3:15 p.m. - Critical Legal Issues in Contemporary Litigation
Honorable Gary Feinerman, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Honorable David F. Hamilton, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Professor Abby M. Mollen, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP
Honorable Robert Dow, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Alexandra Walsh, Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz

3:15 p.m. - Break

3:30 - 4:45 p.m. – The Role of the Trial in Modern Complex Litigation
Philip S. Beck, Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP
Honorable Eldon E. Fallon, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Faith Gay, Selendy & Gay
James K. Grasty, Merck & Co., Inc.
Christopher A. Seeger, Seeger Weiss LLP

5:00 p.m. - Reception

7:00 p.m. - Dinner at The Casino Club for Panelists

 
Thursday, November 29

9:00 - 10:15 a.m. – Current Issues in Multidistrict Litigation
Michael J. Freeman, Walgreens Co.
William M. Gage, Butler Snow LLP
Professor Samuel Issacharoff, New York University School of Law
Honorable Matthew F. Kennelly, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Dianne M. Nast, Nast Law LLC
Rebecca Weinstein Bacon, Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP

10:15 a.m. - Break

10:30 - 11:45 a.m. – Issues that Keep General Counsel Awake
Brian Ellis, Danaher
Shawn Fagan, Citadel
Michael J. Harrington, Eli Lilly and Company
Ram Padmanabhan, Chicago Bulls
E. Lee Reichert, Molson Coors
Sarah R. Teachout, Trinity Industries, Inc.

12:00 p.m. - Lunch
A Lifetime of Achievement, An Interview of Elizabeth Cabraser, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, by Professor Erin F. Delaney, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

1:15 – 2:45 p.m. - The Current Role of Class Action in Complex Litigation
Perry Elizabeth Cooper, Bloomberg BNA
Travis Lenkner, Keller Lenkner LLC
Adam J. Levitt, DiCello Levitt & Casey LLC
Honorable Gene E.K. Pratter, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

 

2017 Conference

Wednesday, November 29 and Thursday, November 30, 2017

This conference will focus on critical legal, ethical, financial, and political issues that affect high-profile litigation.

Location:
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Rubloff 150
375 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, 60611


This program has been approved for a total of 8 general CLE credit hours in the state of Illinois.

Co-Chairs

  • Adam L. Hoeflich, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP
  • Abby M. Mollen, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP

 

Agenda

Wednesday, November 29

9:00 a.m. - Registration and Continental Breakfast

10:00 a.m. - Opening Remarks
Professors Adam L. Hoeflich and Abby M. Mollen

10:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. - Interplay Among Courts, the Parties, and Media During the Trump Presidency
Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr., Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Alison Frankel, Thomson Reuters
Josh Gerstein, POLITICO
Carrie Johnson, NPR
Andrew J. Pincus, Mayer Brown LLP
Dean Daniel B. Rodriguez, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

11:45 a.m. - Break

12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Lunch
An interview of Tom Sager, Retired General Counsel of DuPont and Partner, Ballard Spahr LLP, by Leslie T. Thornton, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, WGL Holdings, Inc. and Washington Gas

1:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. - Critical Legal Issues in Contemporary Litigation
Linda T. Coberly, Winston & Strawn LLP
Honorable Gary Feinerman, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Professor Brian T. Fitzpatrick, Vanderbilt Law School
Professor Abby M. Mollen, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott, LLP

3:15 p.m. - Break

3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. - Current Issues in Multijurisdiction Litigation
Professor Lynn A. Baker, University of Texas School of Law
Elizabeth J. Cabraser, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein
Honorable Matthew F. Kennelly, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Leslie M. Smith, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

4:45 p.m. - Reception

5:30 p.m. - Dinner at The Casino Club for panelists

 
Thursday, November 30

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. - Breakfast

9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. - Current Issues in the Trial of Complex Matters
Honorable Amy J. St. Eve, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Christopher A. Seeger, Seeger Weiss LLP
Lisa Warren, Johnson & Johnson
Rebecca Weinstein Bacon, Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP

10:15 a.m. - Break

10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. - The Interaction of Independent Investigations and Complex Litigation
Sean M. Berkowitz, Latham & Watkins LLP
Brian Ellis, Danaher
Mark Filip, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Daniel D. Rubinstein, Winston & Strawn LLP
Jonathan R. Streeter, Dechert LLP

12:00 p.m. - Lunch
Keynote: An Interview of The Honorable David S. Tatel, by Carter G. Phillips, Sidley Austin LLP

1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. - Current Issues in Class Actions
Michael T. Brody, Jenner & Block
Perry Elizabeth Cooper, Bloomberg BNA
Catharine E. Gillespie, DuPont
Professor Samuel Issacharoff, New York University School of Law
Jonathan D. Selbin, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein

 

2016 Conference

Wednesday, November 16 and Thursday, November 17, 2016

375 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60611

Schedule

Participants

Co-Chairs

  • Adam L. Hoeflich, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP
  • Abby M. Mollen, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP

 Members of the Federal Judiciary

 Members of the Academy

 Members of the Media

 Private Industry Participants

  • Allison K. Chock, Bentham IMF
  • Catharine E. Gillespie, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.
  • Travis D. Lenkner, Gerchen Keller Capital, LLC
  • Dan McGuire, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company
  • Lisbeth A. Warren, Johnson & Johnson

 Private Practice Lawyers

Schedule

Day 1: Wednesday, November 16, 2016

9:00 am - Registration opens and Continental Breakfast

10:00 am - Opening Remarks

10:15 am - "The Role and Importance of Proportionality in Complex Litigation"

This panel will discuss the recent amendments to the federal rules and how they apply in complex litigation, including how MDL courts should consider proportionality and cost-shifting.

  • Honorable John G. Koeltl, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • Professor Robert G. Bone, University of Texas School of Law
  • Elizabeth J. Cabraser, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
  • Catharine E. Gillespie, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
  • Abby M. Mollen, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law; Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch in the Atrium

1:15 pm - Keynote An Interview with Chief Judge Diane P. Wood

  • Interviewer: Linda T. Coberly, Winston & Strawn LLP

2:30 pm - "Emergence of Litigation Financing in Complex Litigation"

This panel will discuss the role of litigation financing (for both personal injury and commercial matters) in complex litigation and how it is affecting complex litigation in the United States.

  • Allison K. Chock, Bentham IMF
  • Michael D. Fishbein, Levin, Fishbein, Sedran & Berman
  • Professor Brian T. Fitzpatrick, Vanderbilt University Law School
  • Travis D. Lenkner, Gerchen Keller Capital, LLC
  • Reed S. Oslan, P.C., Kirkland & Ellis LLP

3:45 pm - Coffee & Tea Break

4:00 pm -"Critical Legal Issues in Contemporary Litigation"

This panel will discuss how current legal issues and the appointment of the next Supreme Court Justice affect the landscape of complex litigation.

  • Honorable Gary Feinerman, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • Honorable Richard Tallman, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • Professor Adam Hoeflich, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law; Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP
  • Professor James E. Pfander, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
  • Kannon K. Shanmugam, Williams & Connolly LLP

5:30 pm - Reception in Rubloff Atrium

7:00 pm - Dinner at The Casino Club for participants

Dinner Speaker - Jaime L. Dodge: "The Role of the Judiciary in Private and Public Settlements"

Day 2: Thursday, November 17, 2016

9:00 am - "Are Bellwethers an Effective Way of Resolving Group Litigation?"

This panel will discuss whether bellwethers remain an effective way of resolving group and multi-jurisdiction litigation, or whether i) skewed early trials or ii) seriatim dismissal of plaintiffs make it preferable to utilize other mechanisms. 

  • Honorable David R. Herndon, United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
  • Philip S. Beck, Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP
  • Douglas R. Marvin, Williams & Connolly LLP
  • Christopher A. Seeger, Seeger Weiss LLP
  • Lisbeth A. Warren, Johnson & Johnson

10:15 am - Coffee & Tea Break

10:30 am - "Interplay Among Courts, the Parties, Counsel, and Media in High Stakes Litigation"

This panel will discuss how media focus is affecting how parties, counsel, and the courts approach complex litigation. The panel will include members of the media in addition to a federal judge and practitioners.

  • Honorable Amy St. Eve, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • Robert A. Clifford, Clifford Law Offices PC
  • Alison Frankel, Thomson Reuters
  • Roger Parloff, Fortune Magazine
  • Reid Schar, Jenner & Block
  • Dan McGuire, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company

12:00 pm - Lunch in the Atrium

1:30 pm - "Current Ethical Issues in Complex Litigation"

This panel will focus on ethical issues that parties and the courts face in complex litigation, including how to obtain closure consistent with the ethical proscription against restrictions on practice.

  • Honorable Gene E.K. Pratter, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • Dianne M. Nast, NastLaw LLC
  • Christopher A. Seeger, Seeger Weiss LLP
  • Catherine S. Duval, Zuckerman Spaeder LLP

3:00 pm - "Current Issues in Class Actions"

This panel will discuss current issues in class actions, including the appropriate role of the ascertainability inquiry, Daubert proceedings and the role of motion in practice, manageability and the role of a trial plan, and the impact of recent Supreme Court rulings on how trial courts should manage class actions.

  • Honorable John Z. Lee, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • Professor Martin H. Redish, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
  • Sheila L. Birnbaum, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP
  • Jonathan D. Selbin, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP

Attendance at the conference is by invitation only. This conference has been approved for a total of 10.5 CLE credit hours, including pending approval for 1.5 professional responsibility CLE credit hours, in the state of Illinois.