For The Defense, December 2011 - DRI Today

The 21st
Century Juror
Jennifer Haltom Doan of Haltom & Doan (at
podium) moderates panelists Caren Myers
Morrison, Assistant Professor, Georgia State
University College of Law, and Hon. Dennis M.
Sweeney, Howard County Circuit Court, Maryland,
during the Thursday afternoon program
presented by the Jury Preservation Task Force
and the Technology and Trial Tactics Committees.
The panel considered the ways in which current
technology is changing jury trials in the twenty-
first century, particularly in terms of jury selection,
unauthorized juror research and commentary, and
trial presentation.
AlTeRnATIve DIspuTe ResoluTIon
Mediating Employment Law Cases—Unique Cases
Call for Creative Solutions
In one of the ADR Committee’s Thursday afternoon
presentations, Patricia L. Holland of Jackson Lewis
LLP reviews several employment law mediation
nuances, including joint-session tips, handling of
emotions, settlement considerations other than
money, release issues, tax consequences, and
other points of interest in the swirl of federal and
state statutory and common employment law
claims. The committee also presented a session on
“In-House and Outside Counsel Collaboration for
Mediation Success,” by Erika J. Gardner of Home
Depot USA Inc. and Robert D. Lang of D’Amato & Lynch LLP.
Supreme Court Cases in 2011
and DRI’s Amicus Efforts as the
Voice of the Defense Bar
Moderator Mary Massaron Ross of Plunkett Cooney PC (at podium), along with speakers (from left)
Gregory G. Garre of Latham & Watkins LLP, Kannon K. Shanmugam of Williams & Connolly LLP, and Paul
D. Clement of Bancroft PLLC, at the Thursday morning CLE session presented by the Appellate Advocacy
Committee. The presentation included an overview of the recent Supreme Court term and cases of
importance to those defending businesses and individuals in civil litigation. As part of this program,
attendees learned why and how DRI is raising its amicus profile in the Supreme Court of the United
States and other courts.
AppellATe ADvoCACy
What Judges Like and What They Don’t
Hon. Douglas H. Ginsburg, U.S.
Court of Appeals for the D.C.
Circuit, provides attendees
of Friday morning’s Appellate
Advocacy Committee meeting
with practical suggestions for
improving appellate arguments.
Committee Chair Scott Burnett
Smith of Bradley Arant Boult
Cummings LLP also spoke about
this year’s blockbuster decisions
in Wal-Mart v. Dukes, AT&T
Mobility v. Concepcion, and Smith v. Bayer Corp.
CoMMeRCIAl lITIgATIon
Six Hot Litigation Picks for 2012
Hope T. Cannon of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP (left) and Michelle Thurber
Czapski of Bodman PLC are among the six experts who looked into their crystal balls
and described the six “lead-pipe cinch” hot litigation issues in commercial litigation
for 2012. Subjects covered during this session, presented by the Commercial Litigation
Committee on Thursday afternoon, included include business torts, intellectual
property, class actions, sports law, antitrust, and UCC/contracts. Other speakers
included Cynthia P. Arends of Nilan Johnson Lewis PA, James M. Burns of Williams
Mullen, Joseph M. Hanna of Goldberg Segalla LLP, and Christopher T. Sheean of
Swanson Martin & Bell LLP.
For The Defense ■ December 2011 ■ For The Defense 19
■ December 2011 ■ 19