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This session will focus on the increasing number of ethical issues, challenges, risks, and benefits that arise from the intersection of social media and legal disputes in 2023, and will provide an insightful exploration into the problems and solutions in this arena. The topics covered will include, among others: the use of social media—under false pretexts or otherwise—to gather information regarding parties, witnesses and jurors; the attorney-client privilege and social media; ethical boundaries for using electronic means to “spy” on the opposing side; how social media can impact your litigation; using social media to communicate with class members; drafting an employee social media policy; and admissibility of social media evidence. The session will also cover recent federal guidance and ethics opinions on each of these important issues.

Speakers:

Dion Cominos / Partner, GRSM

Linda Moroney / Partner, GRSM

During this panel presentation, we will discuss the most significant changes and developments in employment law in 2023 and recap the biggest changes from 2022 and years prior since the pandemic began. Gordon & Rees’ top employment attorneys will provide innovative advice so that well-informed employment decisions can be made to avoid the expense and uncertainty of litigation. We will also address new litigation trends identified in employment law and provide insightful advice on how to develop best practices to avoid liability.

Speakers:

Debra Ellwood Meppen / Partner, GRSM

Brandon Saxon / Partner, GRSM

Heidi Darling / Claims Manager, Beazley

Andrea Moffitt / Claim Counsel, Travelers

This panel presentation will educate insurance claims professionals, in-house insurance counsel, defense counsel and coverage counsel about hot topics in insurance coverage law, including COVID-19 business interruption coverage, coverage for TCPA claims, and opioid litigation coverage.

Speakers:

Daniel Feinberg / Partner, GRSM

Matthew Foy / Partner, GRSM

Kelly Lippincott / Partner, GRSM

This panel presentation will educate insurance claims professionals handling mass tort and products liability claims on issues applicable to the defense of product-related claims. The course will cover two main topics: science in the courtroom; and updates in the MDL World: the talc litigation, opioid litigation, and baby formula litigation.

Speakers:

Nancy Erfle / Partner, GRSM

Ann Thornton Field / Partner, GRSM

John Robinson / Partner, GRSM

Steve Zakrzewski / Partner, GRSM

Litigation involving claims for employee benefits can be found in many lawsuits brought by employees. In this session we will provide an overview of the federal laws governing employee benefit claims, the various types of claims that may be preempted by ERISA, and discuss the pros and cons of litigating an ERISA claim.

Speakers:

Ronald Alberts / Partner, GRSM

Courtney Hill / Partner, GRSM

The speakers in this panel will provide an overview of the rapidly-changing legal landscape with respect to privacy and cybersecurity laws focusing on the FTC’s extraordinary ruling in In re Drizly where the Chief Executive Officer was held personally liable not merely at his current company, but at any company he leads thereafter if they engage in certain types of data driven activities. The speakers will also discuss various other developments in state, federal, and global privacy including the new EU-US Data Privacy Framework, several significant changes in California, and the introduction of a new comprehensive privacy law in India, one of the world’s largest economies and the location of captive offshore services divisions for many American companies.

Speakers:

Richard Green / Partner, GRSM

Misty Marris / Partner, GRSM

Joseph Salvo / Partner, GRSM

Over the last several years, the construction industry has launched into the age of technology. For an industry that has been called a dinosaur, the change has been tremendous – with now upwards of 2,100 start-up companies alone bringing new technology to the industry. From the use of virtual reality (“VR”), to building information systems (“BIM”), robotics, and pre-fabrication/modular technology, change is abounding across the industry. With these changes bring new risks and claims that need to be effectively evaluated and managed. These issues impact not only the technology but also the delivery methods and construction methods including the increase in modular and off-site construction. The industry is also continuing to grapple with the best venue for litigating construction-related disputes. The changes in technology have also grown in the industry specifically dealing with Electronically Stored Information (“ESI”) and the legal and practical implications in litigation of construction cases where the documents and trial exhibits can number in the hundreds of thousands of documents. This panel will discuss these changes and how to effectively manage the risk for construction companies, insurers, and attorneys alike.

Speakers:

Allen Estes / Partner, GRSM

Angela Richie / Partner, GRSM

Virginia Trunkes / Partner, GRSM

This panel will educate insurance claims professionals and general counsel handling toxic tort and environmental claims including talc, Prop 65, PFAS/PFOS, benzene, and asbestos. The panelists will explore national trends in filings and verdicts. Topics include the status of key legal issues and court rulings for environmental and toxic tort cases; strategies to identify “new” toxic tort and environmental claims; and strategies to resolve toxic tort cases where causation is hotly contested.

Speakers:

Erik DiMarco / Partner, GRSM

Christopher Ege / Partner, GRSM

Stephanie Jones / Partner, GRSM

Brian Ledger / Partner, GRSM

Ashley Presson/ Partner, GRSM

Virginia Squitieri / Partner, GRSM

This panel presentation will discuss developments in data breaches in the health care industry, with a particular focus on how to prevent breaches and how to handle a breach when one occurs. Panelists will use real-world claim examples to illustrate the lessons learned in such investigations.

Speakers:

Brian Middlebrook / Partner, GRSM

Peggy Kozal / Partner, GRSM

Thomas Quinn / Partner, GRSM

Employers finding themselves in litigation concerning harassment, discrimination or retaliation in the workplace have a number of decisions to make in defending those claims. This panel of experienced trial litigators will discuss how understanding that litigation is not a transaction can help shape winning strategies for the defense.

Speakers:

Laura De Santos / Partner, GRSM (Moderator)

Christopher Cato / Partner, GRSM

Mercedes Colwin / Partner, GRSM

Michael Laurenson / Partner, GRSM

During this interactive session, our panelists will address the fundamental elements of professional liability claims as applied in recent cases that have set trends that will affect the industry for years. We will take a magnifying glass to what went wrong in cases that had the biggest impact and provide guidance to avoid missteps and litigation landmines.

Speakers:

Bob Bragalone / Partner, GRSM

John Palmeri / Partner, GRSM

Robin Symons / Partner, GRSM

This session will educate attorneys, claims professionals, in house counsel, and human resource managers regarding the ethical pitfalls of unconscious bias in the legal profession, which can lead to harmful discriminatory behavior towards those marginalized and to society at large. We will examine ways to eliminate implicit bias, and to increase diversity and inclusion, in order to better advocate for clients and insureds in the litigation process in accord with the Rules of Professional Conduct (“RPC”) that make it clear that lawyers are “public citizens having special responsibility for the quality of justice.”

Speakers:

Franz Hardy / Partner, GRSM

Elizabeth Lorell / Partner, GRSM

Peter Siachos / Partner, GRSM