Law Seminars International Presents: An Intensive Two-Day Conference on

Innovative Strategies for Litigating Class Actions
Featuring a national panel of leaders from the courts and from both sides of the class action bar

Order Download PDF Brochure

(For this past program, we offer two options for purchase: a Homestudy (DVD and written materials) or written materials alone.)

May 8 & 9, 2008
Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA

Who Should Order This Homestudy

Corporate and trial attorneys, corporate executives and government officials responsible for managing class action litigation

Why Order

Class actions dominate the litigation landscape. They create massive liability exposure for defendants, attract the attention of regulators and law enforcement officials, inspire bad press, undermine corporate public relations and draw whistleblowers out of the woodwork. Whether in finance, securities, antitrust, consumer, employment or other areas, class actions multiply and magnify the risks of mis-steps in litigation.

This seminar brings together a national panel of leaders from both sides of the class action bar to explain current and important developments in state and federal laws affecting class actions and class arbitrations, and to share innovative strategies to successfully litigate and meet the business and legal challenges of class actions.

~ Program Co-Chairs: Thomas L. Boeder, Esq. and Timothy G. Fielden, Esq.

You Will Learn About

Agenda

Thursday, May 08, 2008

8:00 am

Registration and Continental Breakfast

Sponsored by Class Action Administration, Inc.

 
8:30 am

Introduction & Overview

Thomas L. Boeder, Esq., Program Co-Chair
Perkins Coie LLP / Seattle, WA

Timothy G. Fielden, Esq., Program Co-Chair
Microsoft Corporation / Redmond, WA

 
8:45 am

Recent Developments in Litigating Class Actions

National trends in emerging strategies and arguments for winning or defeating class certifications

Charles B. Casper, Esq.
Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP / Philadelphia, PA

 
9:30 am

Update on Case Trends Under California's Section 17200 after Proposition 64

Steven B. Weisburd, Esq.
Dechert LLP / Austin, TX

 
10:30 am

Break

 
10:45 am

Dispositive Motions and Merits Discovery Before Class Certification

Plaintiff's perspective

John Wentworth Phillips, Esq.
Phillips Law Group PLLC / Seattle, WA

Defendant's perspective

Peter Danelo, Esq
Heller Erhman / Seattle, WA

 
12:00 pm

Lunch (on your own)

 
1:15 pm

Judicial Views of Class Action Litigation

Problematic class action issues for plaintiffs and defendants

The Hon. Barbara J. Rothstein, Director
Federal Judicial Center / Washington, DC

The Hon. Paris K. Kallas, Judge
King County Superior Court / Seattle, WA

 
2:15 pm

Jurisprudential Juggling: Strategies for Managing Simultaneous Class, Civil Enforcement and Criminal Proceedings

When litigation becomes truly complex: Meeting challenges presented by parallel civil class action, civil enforcement/regulatory and criminal investigations/prosecutions

Stellman Keehnel, Esq.
DLA Piper / Seattle, WA

 
3:00 pm

Break
Sponsored by Union Bank of California

 
3:15 pm

The When and How for Effectively Using Economic Experts

Strategies for plaintiffs and defendants to employ experts in the battle to establish or defeat Rule 23(b)(3) classes in antitrust cases

Kristin Terris, PhD., Consultant
NERA Economic Consulting / Los Angeles, CA

Market research surveys

Robert L. Klein, President
Applied Marketing Science, Inc. / Waltham, MA

 
4:15 pm

Keynote Address: Managing the Public Relations Element: What to Do in the First Critical Hours of a Case

Richard S. Levick, Esq., President and CEO
Levick Strategic Communications / Washington, DC

 
5:00 pm

Reception for Faculty and Attendees Sponsored by Perkins Coie LLP

 

Friday, May 09, 2008

8:00 am

Registration & Continental Breakfast

 
8:30 am

Introduction & Overview

Thomas L. Boeder, Esq., Program Co-Chair
Perkins Coie LLP / Seattle, WA

Timothy G. Fielden, Esq., Program Co-Chair
Microsoft Corporation / Redmond, WA

 
8:45 am

Settlement Strategies and Issues

Plaintiff's perspective

Christopher I. Brain, Esq.
Tousley Brain Stephens PLLC / Seattle, WA

Special master perspective

Catherine A. Yanni, Esq.
JAMS / San Francisco, CA

Defendant's perspective

Thomas L. Boeder, Esq.
Perkins Coie LLP / Seattle, WA

 
10:00 am

Break

 
10:15 am

Trial Strategies and Approaches

Plaintiff's perspective

Anthony D. Shapiro, Esq.
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP / Seattle, WA

Defendant's perspective

Jeffrey A. Hollingsworth, Esq.
Perkins Coie LLP / Seattle, WA

 
12:00 pm

Lunch (on your own)

 
1:15 pm

Avoiding Ethical Traps in Settling Class Actions

When and how to negotiate attorney's fees; important differences between common fund and statutory fees cases, valuing non-monetary class benefits, and judicial candor in claims-made settlements

Stephen M. Rummage, Esq.
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP / Seattle, WA

 
2:15 pm

Claims Administration

Jennifer Keough, Esq.
The Garden City Group Inc / Seattle, WA

 
3:00 pm

Break

 
3:15 pm

Special Substantive Areas

Products Liability

Ralph H. Palumbo, Esq.
Summit Law Group / Seattle, WA

Consumer Protections Class Actions

Steve Y. Koh, Esq.
Perkins Coie LLP / Seattle, WA

Wage & Hour

Karen F. Jones, Esq.
Riddell-Williams PS / Seattle, WA

 
5:00 pm

Evaluations & Adjourn

 

Cancellation

There is a $25 cancellation fee for Course Materials orders and $50 for Homestudy orders

Continuing Education Credits

This program qualifies for 13 WA CLE credits inc 1 ethics, CA MCLE 13.5 inc 1 ethics, NY CLE 15.5 inc 1 ethics, PA CLE 13 inc 1 ethics, TX CLE 13 inc 1 ethics. Upon request, we will apply for CLE credits in other states and other types of credits.

Cost

Our complete Homestudy Course, consisting of a VHS or DVD recording and the written course materials, is available for $1005. The written course materials alone are available for $100. We will ship your Homestudy order via UPS ground within two weeks after the seminar or the date we receive payment (whichever is later).
Order Homestudy

Faculty Bios

Thomas L. Boeder, Program Co-Chair, is firmwide chair of the Commercial Litigation Practice of Perkins Coie LLP. He is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America," as well as "Washington's Super Lawyers" by Washington Law & Politics. Previously he was Deputy Attorney General and Chief, Consumer Protection, Antitrust and Criminal Law Enforcement Division, Washington State Attorney General's Office.

Timothy G. Fielden, Program Co-Chair, is a Senior Attorney in the Litigation Group at Microsoft Corporation where he has a record of successfully defending Microsoft in consumer class actions.

Richard S. Levick, is President & CEO of Levick Strategic Communications, honored as Crisis Agency of the Year by the Holmes Report. He was recently named to the PRNews Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement.

Christopher I. Brain, co-founder and member of Tousley Brain Stephens PLLC, focuses on complex real property and commercial, business and class action litigation. As a member of the American Arbitrator Association, he has served as arbitrator on numerous commercial cases.

Charles B. Casper, partner at Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP, chairs their Class Action Defense Practice Group. He defends class actions, computer software and hardware litigation, commercial and antitrust litigation.

Peter A. Danelo, shareholder at Heller Erhman LLP and co-chair of their Northwest Litigation Department, has a general civil litigation practice, with a focus on class actions and complex breach-of-contract actions. He has been a lead attorney responsible for class action suits, contract disputes, construction cases, environmental suits, and bankruptcy-related litigation.

Jeffrey A. Hollingsworth, partner at Perkins Coie LLP, specializes in defense of multi-plaintiff discrimination claims and class action employment litigation for large commercial business and public employers. He is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America" and as a "Super Lawyer" by "Washington Law &Politics."

Karen F. Jones, Managing Principal at Riddell Williams P.S. represents and counsels businesses on employment matters. She has served as lead counsel in individual and class claims of discrimination, wage hour issues, and unfair competition. She has been named "Super Lawyer" by Washington Law & Politics, one of "The Best Lawyers in America" by Best Lawyers and has been listed in Chambers.

The Hon. Paris K. Kallas was appointed King County Superior Court Judge in 2001. She was a State Court of Appeals Commissioner, and, as a trial and appellate attorney, her litigation practice emphasized appellate practice and criminal defense at all levels of state court.

Stellman Keehnel, chair of the Seattle litigation group at DLA Piper, defends consumer class actions and securities class actions often involving parallel SEC and DOJ proceedings. He is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America", named in "Chambers USA" as a "leading individual" in commercial litigation, and is regularly selected in "Super Lawyer" as one of the top commercial litigators in Washington.

Jennifer M. Keough, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for West Coast Operations at The Garden City Group has helped to develop a strong west coast presence that complements GCG's existing regional offices. Previously, she was a Class Action Business Analyst for Perkins Coie LLP.

Robert L. Klein, President and founder of Applied Marketing Science, Inc., serves as an expert witness on matters involving marketing science and consumer behavior related to trademark infringement, confusion, patent damages, class certification, trade secrets, and sales forecasting.

Steve Koh, partner at Perkins Coie LLP, focuses on handling class action, product liability, and civil fraud matters. His experience includes defense of putative nationwide and statewide consumer protection class actions. He has been recognized in Washington Law & Politics as a "Washington Super Lawyer". Previously he was an Honors Program attorney at the Department of Justice.

Ralph H. Palumbo, founder of Summit Law Group, has been lead trial counsel in commercial, antitrust, products liability and environmental cases. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has been named in "The Top 100 Washington Super Lawyers", "125 Best U.S. Litigation Lawyers" and "The Best Lawyers in America".

John W. Phillips of Phillips Law Group PLLC has experience in consumer class actions, mass tort product liability, and environmental exposure cases, in addition to complex commercial litigation with a focus on intellectual property. He has successfully defended and prosecuted class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country.

The Hon. Barbara J. Rothstein was appointed director of the Federal Judicial Center in 2003. She is a U.S. district judge for the Western District of Washington, served on the Superior Court for King County, taught at the University of Washington, and was an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Washington in the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division.

Stephen M. Rummage, partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, focuses on appeals and litigation, emphasizing consumer class actions. He has been named in "The Best Lawyers in America" and as a leading business lawyer by Chambers USA.

Anthony D. Shapiro, partner at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, concentrates on antitrust matters, environmental and general commercial disputes and leads the firm's Personal Injury Group.

Kristin Terris, Ph.D., of NERA Economic Consulting, is a Senior Consultant in the Antitrust and Labor Practices Department. She specializes in econometric analysis, applied industrial organization, labor, construction and energy. Previously, she was a faculty member at Wellesley College, where she taught undergrad classes in microeconomic theory and econometrics.

Steven B. Weisburd, partner with Dechert LLP's litigation group, concentrates on civil litigation and consumer fraud class actions. He is a member of the firm's mass torts and products liability, media, and appellate practice groups.

Catherine A. Yanni of JAMS has mediated and acted as Special Master/Discovery Referee, and she specializes in class action, including settlement implementation and mass tort cases.