HarrisMartin's MDL Conference: 'Bet-the-Company' Mass Tort Litigation

7:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.

Continental Breakfast and Registration

8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Welcome by Co-Chairs

Jayne Conroy, Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC, New York
Eric D. Holland, Holland Law Firm, St. Louis
Richard Arsenault, Neblett, Beard & Arsenault

While complex litigation is a macrocosm of individual litigation, it requires a considerably different skill set. The increased risk often leaves unchartered waters in its wake. It's often “bet the company” litigation for all sides. Managing chaos (and sometimes creating it) becomes an important asset. All of this is superimposed on unique and challenging ethical conundrums.

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Game-Changing Complex Litigation Developments

• Post BMS Jurisdictional Landscape
• Multi-Plaintiff Trials
• Preemption
• Deposing CEOs and Addressing Apex Defenses
• Spoliation and the Associated Preservation Obligations
• Testimony Via Satellite at Trial
Moderator:
Professor James E. Wren, Professor of Law, Baylor Law, Waco, TX

Nicholas J. Drakulich, The Drakulich Firm, San Diego
Lori G. Cohen, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Atlanta
Dustin C. Carter, Neblett, Beard & Arsenault
Gale D. Pearson, Pearson, Randall & Schumacher, P.A., Minneapolis

10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Key Mass Tort Litigation – Part 1

• Hernia Mesh
• PPI
• Roundup
• Onglyza
Moderators:
Aimee H. Wagstaff, Andrus Wagstaff, Denver
Paul J. Pennock, Weitz & Luxenberg P.C., New York

Josh B. Wages, Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley, P.C., Athens, GA
Stephanie O’Connor, Douglas & London, P.C., New York
D. Todd Mathews, Gori Julian & Associates, P.C., Edwardsville, IL
Shannon Pennock, Pennock Law Firm LLC, New York
Derek T. Braslow, Pogust Braslow & Millrood, LLC, Conshohocken, PA

10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Refreshment Break

Refreshment Break is Sponsored by Ankura.

11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Talcum Powder Litigation: Evolving Asbestos Developments

Moderator:
R. Seth Crompton, Holland Law Firm, St. Louis

Richard D. Meadow, The Lanier Law Firm, Houston
Lindsey Cheek, The Cheek Law Firm, LLC, New Orleans
Rachel Lanier, The Lanier Law Firm, New York
Leigh O’Dell, Beasley Allen Law Firm, Montgomery, AL

11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Facebook Breach – Is Anyone’s Data Safe?

John A. Yanchunis, Morgan & Morgan, PA, Orlando, FL
Steven Teppler, Abbott Law Group, Jacksonville, FL
Cari Campen Laufenberg, Keller Rohrback L.L.P., Seattle

12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Lunch with Keynote Speakers

Robert A. Clifford, Clifford Law Offices, Chicago

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Key Mass Tort Litigation – Part 2

• Risperdal
• Xarelto
• Testosterone Replacement Drugs
• Invokana Amputee
• Hip Implants
• Essure
• Sexual Assault
Moderators:
Neil D. Overholtz, Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC, Pensacola, FL
Ginger Susman, President, Providio MediSolutions, Greenwood Village, CO

Todd Campbell, Neblett, Beard & Arsenault
Troy Rafferty, Levin Papantonio, Pensacola, FL
Lance Unglesby, Unglesby + Williams, New Orleans
Kip Petroff, Kip Petroff Attorney at Law, Dallas
Aimee H. Wagstaff, Andrus Wagstaff, Denver
Vance R. Andrus, Andrus Wagstaff, Denver

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

America’s Opioid Crisis From The Front Lines: Litigation Landscape, Venues, Jurisdictional Hurdles, Defenses and Causes of Actions

Moderator:
Jayne Conroy, Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC, New York

James M. Williams, Chehardy Sherman Williams, Metairie, LA
Kevin P. Durkin, Clifford Law Offices, Chicago
James C. Pullos, Clifford Law Offices, Chicago

3:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Refreshment Break

Refreshment Break is Sponsored by Thompson Flanagan.

3:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

Framing Jury Themes for Women’s Health Litigation

Moderator:
Jane M. Lamberti, The Cochran Firm, Atlanta

Jennifer A. Moore, Grossman & Moore Injury Law, Louisville, KY
Dawn M. Chmielewski, Neblett, Beard & Arsenault
Jessica Richman, Parker | Waichman, New York
Victoria Maniatis, The Sanders Firm, New York
Shean Williams, The Cochran Firm, Atlanta

4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Ethics Associated with Complex Litigation

• Aggregate Settlements
• Competing Allegiances Owed by Plaintiff Steering Committees to Retained Clients, Other Counsel and Other Clients
• Mass Tort Counsel’s Competing Loyalties Owed to the Court vs. Clients
• Developing Social Media Rules
Moderator:
Professor Lynn A. Baker, Frederick M. Baron Chair in Law; Co-Director - Center on Lawyers, Civil Justice and the Media, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Melanie H. Muhlstock, Parker | Waichman LLP, New York
Vance R. Andrus, Andrus Wagstaff, Denver
Robert J. Drakulich, The Drakulich Firm, San Diego
Gary J. Russo, Jones Walker LLP, Lafayette, LA
Kenneth W. DeJean, The Law Offices of Kenneth W. DeJean, Lafayette, LA

5:15 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Networking Cocktail Reception

Networking Cocktail Reception is Sponsored by Flint Law Firm LLC.