Miami Law Class Action & Complex Litigation Forum

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The 8th annual event, along with leading judges, practitioners, and scholars from around the country, will discuss cutting-edge topics on class actions, MDLs, mass tort litigation and more.

The 2024 forum took place on Friday, January 26.
Please check back for more information on the 2025 forum.

Cutting-Edge
Topics

  • Antitrust/AI class action trends
  • Annual Fred Friendly Program
  • Closer look into class action trials
  • Judges special panel on MDL/complex litigation

See program details

CLE Credits

Approved

  • Alabama: 7.8 general credits (2.3 Ethics)
  • California: As FL is an approved jurisdiction, CLEs will qualify for credit through reciprocity
  • Florida: 9.5 general credits (1.5 Ethics)
  • Georgia: 5.5 general credits (2.5 Ethics)
  • Louisiana: 7.7 general credits (1.25 Ethics)
  • New Jersey / New York: As FL is an approved jurisdiction, CLEs will qualify for credit through reciprocity
  • North Carolina: 8.0 general credits (2.5 professional responsibility/ethics)
  • Pennsylvania: 5.5 general credits and 2 ethics credits


University of Miami
Newman Alumni Center

6200 San Amaro Dr
Coral Gables, FL 33146

 

2024 Program

Open All Tabs
  • Thursday, January 25, 2024

    Bonus Panel - Pathways to becoming a class action practitioner

    12:30 PM – 2:00 PM

    University of Miami
    School of Law

    1311 Miller Dr
    Room E352
    Coral Gables, FL 33146

    Get Directions

    Careers in class actions follow different paths.  Panelists will discuss their education and work experience and how they developed their practice in this area.  Topics to be covered include coursework, internships, case experience, leadership appointments, and career moves for both plaintiffs’ and defense counsel.

    Rachel Furst

    Moderator
    Rachel Furst
    Partner
    Maderal Byrne & Furst PLLC

    The Honorable Beth Bloom

    The Honorable Beth Bloom, J.D. '88
    District Judge
    United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

    Alexandra Bach Lagos

    Alexandra Bach Lagos, J.D. '06
    Shareholder
    Greenberg Traurig

    Joseph Kaye

    Joseph Kaye, J.D. '15
    Partner
    The Moskowitz Firm


    Molly Wells

    Molly Wells
    Partner
    FishmanHaygood LLP

Friday, January 26, 2024

Check-In and Breakfast

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM

University of Miami
Newman Alumni Center

6200 San Amaro Dr
Coral Gables, FL 33146
NewmanAlumniCenter@miami.edu 

Get Directions

Welcome Remarks

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM

Dean David Yellen

David Yellen
Dean and M. Minnette Massey Professor of Law
University of Miami School of Law

Aaron S. Podhurst

Aaron S. Podhurst
Partner, Podhurst Orseck
Co-Chair, Class Action Forum

Harley S. Tropin

Harley S. Tropin, J.D. ’77
Co-Founder/Partner, Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton
Co-Chair, Class Action Forum

Panel #1 The Trial of a Class Action

9:15 AM – 10:30 AM

Trial of class actions are becoming more common. A panel of lawyers and judges who have handled class action trials will discuss the issues that arise before, during, and after the trial of a class action.

Peter Prieto

Moderators
Peter Prieto, J.D. '85
Partner
Podhurst Orseck

Stephen Rosenthal

Stephen F. Rosenthal
Partner
Podhurst Orseck
 

The Honorable Edward Chen

The Honorable Edward Chen
Senior District Judge
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

The Honorable Federico Moreno

The Honorable Federico Moreno, J.D. ’78
Senior Judge
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

 

Joseph H. Meltzer

Joseph H. Meltzer
Partner
Kessler Topaz Meltzer Check, LLP

David L. Schrader

David L. Schrader
Partner
Morgan, Lewis & Bocklus LLP

Panel #2 Battle of the Titans of the Class Action Bar!

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM

Join the nation’s top class action litigators, federal judges, experts and mediators, as they engage with gripping dilemmas drawn from real scenarios. For over 30 years, televised Fred Friendly Seminars added a unique dimension to public affairs education. The timeless quality of these scenarios makes them relevant to many issues we face today, such as with cryptocurrency and celebrity promotions. The Panel will begin with a little story and problem that confronts almost anyone. The implications of this problem, then ripple out to encompass larger and larger issues and trigger ethical, emotional, legal, and public policy questions that overlap and sometimes conflict.

This Panel features a carefully chosen group that contributes the most professional expertise, as well as personal experience to the discussion. In fact, this Panel has litigated and adjudicated many of the very largest and most complex class actions cases in history.

Adam Moskowitz

Moderator
Adam Moskowitz, J.D. ’93
Managing Partner
The Moskowitz Law Firm

The Honorable Corali Lopez-Castro

The Honorable Corali Lopez-Castro, J.D. ’90
District Judge
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida

The Honorable R. David Proctor

The Honorable R. David Proctor
District Judge
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Ray Allen

Ray Allen
Former NBA All Star and Grown Founder

Shannon Allen

Shannon Allen
Grown Founder

Lance A. Harke

Lance A. Harke, J.D. ’90
Mediator and Arbitrator
Upchurch, Watson, White & Max

Paul J. Geller

Paul J. Geller
Partner
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd

Michael R. Pennington

Michael R. Pennington
Partner
Bradley

Lee A. Reiners

Lee A. Reiners
Lecturing Fellow
Duke Law School and Duke Financial Economics Center

Christopher A. Seeger

Christopher A. Seeger
Partner
Seeger, Weiss 

Keynote Speaker and Lunch

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Fireside Chat

The Honorable M. Casey Roger

The Honorable M. Casey Rodgers
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida

The Honorable R. David Proctor

The Honorable R. David Proctor
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Panel #3 Antitrust Class Action Trends

1:45 PM – 3:00 PM

The federal antitrust laws are more relevant today than they’ve ever been, and the jurisprudence in the field continues to evolve rapidly, particularly in the world of class and mass actions.

This panel of experienced practitioners, academics, and industry experts will discuss the most recent and most significant antitrust developments of the last year, what they mean, and what the class and mass action antitrust lawyer needs to know to thrive.

Tal J. Lifshitz

Moderator
Tal J. Lifshitz, J.D. ’12
Partner
Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton

Swathi Bojedla

Swathi Bojedla
Partner
Hausfeld

Susan Musser

Susan Musser
Acting Deputy Director of the Bureau of Competition
and Deputy Chief Trial Counsel
Federal Trade Commission

John Newman

John Newman
Professor of Law
University of Miami School of Law

Lawrence D. Silverman

Lawrence D. Silverman
Partner
Sidley Austin LLP

Panel #4 The Judge’s Panel on MDL and Complex Litigation

3:15 PM – 4:30 PM

A conversation with leading and experienced federal judges concerning the ins and outs of MDL cases in the federal courts.

Yvette Ostolaza

Introduction of Panel
Yvette Ostolaza, J.D. ’92
Chair, Sidley Austin Management Committee
Sidley Austin LLP

The Honorable Eduardo C. Robreno

Moderator
The Honorable Eduardo C. Robreno
Distinguished Jurist in Residence
University of Miami School of Law
Partner, McCarter & English

The Honorable Cecilia M. Altonaga

The Honorable Cecilia M. Altonaga
Chief Judge
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

The Honorable Charles R. Breyer

The Honorable Charles R. Breyer
Senior District Judge
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

The Honorable Corali Lopez-Castro

The Honorable Corali Lopez-Castro, J.D. ’90
District Judge
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida

The Honorable Robin L. Rosenberg

The Honorable Robin L. Rosenberg
District Judge
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

The Honorable Cynthia M. Rufe

The Honorable Cynthia M. Rufe
Senior Judge
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Closing Reception

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

 

Thank You to Our Sponsors

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For More Information

Contact events@law.miami.edu or 305-284-1689.

The forum is held under the Chatham House Rule.