2021 Virtual Bench Bar & Annual Conference

Join Hon. Diane M. Welsh (Ret.) alongside fellow PBA members, judges and colleagues for the Philadelphia Bar Association's 2021 Virtual Bench-Bar and Annual Conference! The day-long conference boasts 16 dynamic and timely educational sessions offering a wealth of practical information, updates, and tips and techniques to enhance your advocacy skills and practice.

Celebrate the return of Bench-Bar with an evening of networking and socializing from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30 at Franklin's View, an open-air Cescaphe venue in Franklin Square, 200 N. 6th St. The reception will also honor the PBA's 93rd Chancellor, Hon. A. Michael Snyder (Ret.), and the winner of the 2021 Justice Brennan Distinguished Jurist Award.

Featured Panel:

Resolving Multiparty, Mass and Class Actions with ADR: How Are Virtual Hearing Rooms Changing the Legal Landscape?
8:30 - 9:30 AM EST | Program Materials: LINK

For more than a year, mediators, judges and dispute resolution stakeholders have been helping parties settle disputes using virtual platforms. Early and continuing success stories have converted initial skeptics into strong proponents of the powerful benefits of online dispute resolution, but what does the future hold? As we begin to transition into a “next normal” reality with the possibility for in-person and hybrid sessions, how will lessons and innovations from our virtual experiences inform conflict resolution?

Hon. Diane M. Welsh (Ret.), who has conducted nearly 200 virtual mediations over the past 18 months, will guide a conversation with seasoned advocates from both sides of the bar discussing benefits, challenges, and trends regarding complicated multiparty disputes and virtual ADR, including:

• How are virtual mediation processes suited to help resolve the rising number of highly complex multiparty conflicts and mass and class action disputes?
• In matters where there are tens, hundreds, or thousands of parties, what strategic factors and practical implications should advocates weigh when considering a virtual or hybrid dispute resolution process?
• Surprising successes and tough lessons from the virtual ADR trenches. What best practices have evolved from these digital experiences?

Moderator:
Hon. Diane M. Welsh (Ret.) | JAMS
Speakers:

• Roberta D. Liebenberg | Fine, Kaplan & Black
• Sherrie R. Savett | Berger Montague PC
• Meredith C. Slawe | Cozen O’Connor
• Michael W. McTigue Jr. | Cozen O’Connor