The U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) hosted its 12th Annual Legal Reform, which is recognized as the nation’s paramount comprehensive legal reform symposium. This year’s event featured a variety of timely panel discussions.
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Event Details
The 12th Annual Legal Reform Summit
October 26, 2011 8:00 am October 26, 2011 5:30 pm
Registration and Continental Breakfast
Welcoming Remarks
- Lisa A. Rickard, President, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform
Legislative Keynote – A View from Capitol Hill
- The Honorable John A. Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Introduced by: Lisa A. Rickard, President, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform
Access to Justice or the Bottom Line? The Growing Commercialization of the Practice of Law
This panel addressed the “commercialization” of the practice of law through issues such as third-party litigation financing, where outside investors have a stake in the outcome of ligation; the new trial lawyer “bounty hunter” ads on the internet; and the growing interest in allowing investors to partner with lawyers in law firms.
- Roger Parloff, Senior Writer, Fortune Magazine
- The Honorable Thurbert E. Baker, Former Attorney General of Georgia, Partner, McKenna Long & Aldridge
- Peter Snyder, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, New Media Strategies
- Kenneth M. Goldstein, President, Campaign Media Analysis Group
- Introduced and Moderated by: John H. Beisner, Practice Co-Leader, Mass Torts/Insurance Litigation Practice Area, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Transition Break
The Supreme Court: Cases of Interest to Business
This panel reviewed key business decisions of the 2010 Term of the U.S. Supreme Court and preview the most important business cases pending on the 2011 docket.
- Lisa S. Blatt, Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP
- Paul D. Clement, Partner, Bancroft PLLC
- Introduced and moderated by: Lily Fu Claffee, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Legal Officer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Trends We Don’t Want To Continue: A Look at the Latest Lawsuits and Theories from The Trial Bar
The panel spotlighted litigation trends in a variety of areas such as asbestos and the use of civil conspiracy, transnational torts and the use of outside contingency fee counsel by certain state attorneys general in recent litigation.
- Katherine L. Adams, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Honeywell International, Inc.
- John B. Bellinger III, Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP
- James R. Copland, Director, Center for Legal Policy, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
- Introduced and moderated by: Thomas A. Gottschalk, Of Counsel, Kirkland and Ellis LLP
Transition Break
Annual Legal Reform Awards Luncheon
Special remarks by: Thomas J. Donohue, President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Keynote Address
- The Honorable Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina
- Introduced by: Thomas J. Donohue, President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
2011 Legal Reform Awards
- Presented by: Lisa A. Rickard, President, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform
- State Leadership Award : South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
- Outstanding Organization Award : Business Council of AL
- Research and Policy Award : John H. Beisner, Practice
Co- Leader, Mass Torts/Insurance Litigation Practice Area, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Transition Break
The Liability Climate in the States: Costs, Reforms and the Potential Impact on Jobs with Special Remarks by Governor Robert F. McDonnell
This panel examined the legal climate in the states, reforms and the impact on employment and business activity.
- Paul Hinton, Vice President, NERA Consulting
- Richard J. Trabulsi, Jr, President, Texans for Lawsuit Reform
- The Honorable Robert F. McDonnell, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia
- Introduced and Moderated by: The Honorable John M. Engler, President, Business Roundtable, Former Governor of Michigan
A View from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
- The Honorable Troy A. Paredes, Commissioner, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Introduced by: Lisa A. Rickard, President, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform
The Very Long Arm of the Law: A Look at the Impact of Federal Regulatory and Enforcement Practices
This panel examined regulatory and enforcement activity through the lens of the False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, The Lacey Act, exclusion authority, and the activities at the Securities Exchange Commission.
- Peter B. Hutt II, Partner, Health Industry Practice Group, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
- Shana-Tara Regon, Director, White Collar Crime Policy, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Gibson Guitar Corporation
- Introduced and Moderated by: David W. Ogden, Partner, Co-Chair, Government and Regulatory Litigation Practice Group, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
Changes In Attitude: The Political Outlook, Mood of the Electorate, and What That Means for the Business Community
This panel featured a spirited discussion with leading political analysts and pollsters on the political outlook and the 2012 elections, the mood of the electorate, and the impact on the business community.
- Bill McInturff, Partner and Co-Founder, Public Opinion Strategies
- Stanley B. Greenberg, Chairman and CEO, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner
- Introduced and moderated by: Mark Halperin, Editor-at-Large and Senior Political Analyst for TIME; Political Analyst for MSNBC