Conference Agenda
Day 1, Wednesday, December 10, 2014
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast and Registration
8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Welcome by Co-Chairs
Stephen M. Nichols, Polsinelli LLP, Los Angeles
Michael L. Armitage, Waters, Kraus & Paul, El Segundo, CA
Stephen M. Tigerman, Harowitz & Tigerman, LLP, San Francisco
Christopher Bruni, Sinunu Bruni LLP, San Francisco
8:45 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
State of the Courts
• Filing Statistics - The Year in Review
• Changes to Rules and Procedures
Moderator:
Christopher Bruni, Sinunu Bruni LLP, San Francisco
Hon. Emilie H. Elias, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles
Hon. Teri L. Jackson, California Superior Court San Francisco County, San Francisco
9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Appellate Issues – Key Decisions and Trends in California
Curt Cutting, Horvitz & Levy LLP, Encino, CA
Ted W. Pelletier, Kazan, McClain, Satterley and Greenwood, Oakland, CA
Don Willenburg, Gordon & Rees, LLP, Oakland, CA
Paul C. Cook, Waters, Kraus & Paul, Los Angeles
10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Refreshment Break
10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Drivers and Impediments to Settlement: Perspective From The Court
Moderator:
Stephen M. Tigerman, Harowitz & Tigerman, LLP, San Francisco
Hon. Helen I. Bendix, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles
Hon. Evelio M. Grillo, California Superior Court, Alameda County, Oakland, CA
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
State Court Trial Issues: A Perspective from the Bench
Hon. Michael Harwin, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles
Hon. Patrick T. Madden, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles
Stephen M. Nichols, Polsinelli LLP, Los Angeles
Gilbert L. Purcell, Brayton Purcell, LLP, Novato, CA
Robert H. Berkes, Berkes Crane Robinson & Seal LLP, Los Angeles
1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Life in Federal Court After MDL: Procedure and Discovery Practice
Moderators:
Stephen M. Nichols, Polsinelli LLP, Los Angeles
Stephen M. Tigerman, Harowitz & Tigerman, LLP, San Francisco
Hon. Jacqueline Scott Corley, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco
Hon. Victor B. Kenton, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Los Angeles
2:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Refreshment Break
2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Handling, Solving, and Trying Cases: The Insurance Carrier Perspective
Lori L. Siwik, Co-Founder, SandRun Risk, Richfield, OH
Mahsa Kashani Tippins, Lankford Crawford Moreno & Ostertag, LLP, Walnut Creek, CA
David R. Donadio, Brayton Purcell, LLP, Novato, CA
3:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Mastering Jury Selection
Moderator:
Michael L. Armitage, Waters, Kraus & Paul, El Segundo, CA
Mark R. Phillips, Ph.D., Trial Partners, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA
William W. Oxley, Dechert, LLP, Los Angeles
Molly M. Murphy, MDR, Trial Consultant/Mediator, Santa Monica, CA
Patrick DeBlase, DeBlase Brown Eyerly LLP, Los Angeles
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Ethics and Civility In Asbestos Litigation
Mark B. Abelson, Campagnoli, Abelson & Campagnoli and Past Chairperson of the Bar Association of San Francisco Legal Malpractice Committee, San Francisco