Miami Law Class Action & Complex Litigation Forum

SAVE THE DATE
Friday, January 26, 2024
University of Miami

Shalala student center

The 8th annual event, along with leading judges, practitioners, and scholars from around the country to discussed cutting-edge topics on class actions, multi-district cases, mass tort litigation and more.


2024 Pending CLE Credits
  • Alabama: 9.0 general credit hours
  • California: 9.0 general credit hours
  • Florida: 11.0 general credit hours (2.0 Ethics and 2.0 Technology), 11.0 Civil Trial and Business Litigation certification 
  • Georgia: 9.0 general credit hours (1.0 Trial)
  • New Jersey and New York: As FL is an approved jurisdiction in NJ and NY,
    CLEs will qualify for CLE credit in NJ and NY through reciprocity.
  • North Carolina: 9.0 general credit hours (1.5 professional responsibility/ethics)
  • Pennsylvania: 9.0 general credit hours

 


See Past 2023 Program

Thursday, January 26, 2023  (UM School of Law)

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM              
Panel – Class Actions are Off the [Block]chain, Room E352

Join a panel discussion regarding current legal issues involving blockchain technology and cryptocurrency in the class action and regulatory contexts and how their interplay will shape future litigation and the industry.

Moderator: Joey Kaye, J.D. '15, Partner, The Moskowitz Law Firm

Eric I. Bustillo, J.D. '89, Director, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Miami Regional Office
Francis A. Citera, J.D. '83, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Rachel Furst, Partner, Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen
Yvette Ostolaza, J.D. '92, Partner & Chair of Management Committee, Sidley Austin
Lee Reiners, Policy Director, Duke Financial Economics Center
Richard Sanders, Lead Investigator/Principal, CipherBlade


Friday, January 27, 2023 (Shalala Student Center, University of Miami)

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM               
Welcome Remarks  

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

9:15 AM – 10:45 AM             
Panel –The Rise of Bankruptcy to Resolve Mass Torts

Defendants are increasingly turning to the bankruptcy process to resolve their mass tort liability. The bankruptcy process provides speed and comprehensiveness, but a number of innovations such as the “Texas Two-Step” and third party releases have raised a number of concerns. This panel of experienced practitioners and judges will discuss the rise of bankruptcy resolution of mass torts, its relative advantages and disadvantages, and its relationship to other complex procedures such as multidistrict litigation.

Moderator: Stephen F. Rosenthal, Partner, Podhurst Orseck P.A.

The Honorable Patti B. Saris, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
The Honorable Brendan L. Shannon, United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware
Sander L. Esserman, Shareholder, Stutzman, Bromberg, Esserman & Plifka
John P. Hooper, Partner, King and Spalding            
David S. Stellings, Partner, Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann, & Bernstein

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM           
Panel – The Rise and Future of Global Class Actions

Our panel of leading practitioners, academics, and industry experts will break down the  unprecedented rise of cross-border and collective actions in the UK, Europe, South America and across the globe with an emphasis on the opportunities and challenges presented by these fast-moving legal and regulatory developments.

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

Christi Cannon, VP Global Class Actions, Broadridge 
Suzanne Chiodo, Assistant Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School York University
Rosângela Delgado, Veirano Advogados
Drew Hathaway, Partner, Milberg
Steven Weisbrot, President & Chief Executive Officer, Angeion Group


12:30 PM – 2:00 PM              
Lunch Keynote with the Honorable Robert M. Dow Jr., Counselor to Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States.


2:15 PM – 3:45 PM                 
Panel -
 Class Action Nuts and Bolts: Pleading, Certifying, and Defending National Classes

Hear from distinguished members of the bench, bar, and academy on how and whether to prosecute and defend national class actions.  Our speakers will provide tips and discuss the most recent jurisprudential developments surrounding complaint drafting, 12(b) motions, discovery, and class certification, all with an eye on the ultimate prize: a 50-state class.

Moderator: Ben Widlanski, Partner, Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton

The Honorable Roy K. Altman, District Judge, United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
Christine P. Bartholomew, Professor of Law, University at Buffalo School of Law
Robert Gilbert, J.D. '85, Partner, Kopelowitz Ostrow Ferguson Weiselberg Gilbert
Lawrence D. Silverman, Partner, Sidley


4:00 PM – 5:30 PM                 
Panel - Everything you Wanted to Know about Multidistrict Litigation but Were Afraid to Ask

This will be an interactive dialogue between panelists and the audience concerning the current status of multidistrict litigation.

Moderator: The Honorable Eduardo C. Robreno, Senior District Judge, United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

The Honorable Michael A. Hanzman, Circuit Court Judge, Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida
The Honorable Rebecca R. Pallmeyer, Chief Judge, United States District Court Northern District of Illinois  
The Honorable R. David Proctor, District Judge, United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama
The Honorable Amy St. Eve, Circuit Court Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit  

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM                   
Closing Reception

For more information

Contact events@law.miami.edu

 

The conference is held under the Chatham House Rule.


Click here if you are interested in becoming a sponsor.

Thank you to our 2023 sponsors