Pretrial Practice 2021

JAMS Neutrals Hon. Steven M. Gold (Ret.), Hon. Henry Pitman (Ret.) and Mark E. Segall, Esq. will be featured in this comprehensive one-day program discussing ongoing changes to pretrial practice in federal civil litigation. As fewer civil cases are tried, the staples of pretrial practice — pleadings, motions to dismiss, discovery, Daubert motions, summary judgment, and settlement — have replaced trials as the focus of litigation. What does the changing nature of pretrial practice in litigation mean for your practice? Join our faculty of experienced plaintiffs’ and defense attorneys, inside counsel, judges and others as they review what you need to know to succeed at this increasingly important stage of litigation.

What You Will Learn:

• Planning the Litigation
• Investigating the facts and the law
• Pleading your case
• Pretrial motions
• Settlement Strategies

Panel Details

Preparing to File a Lawsuit | 9:15 - 10:15 AM EST

• Collecting relevant documentary evidence
• The federal rule on the preservation of evidence
• Collecting evidence from potential witnesses (client and third-party)
• Initial contact with the opposition
• Deciding where to sue
• Drafting a complaint

Panelists:
Nancy Axilrod Denton | Tapestry, Inc.
Hon. Henry B. Pitman (Ret.) | JAMS
Steven R. Schindler | Schindler Cohen & Hochman LLP
John Toriello | Holland & Knight LLP

Depositions | 1:45 - 2:45 PM EST (Skills credit for NY attorneys)

• Fast-track discovery
• What depositions to take
• Which witnesses to represent
• What questions to ask and what not to ask
• Limits on the number of witnesses and length of depositions
• Which potential witnesses a lawyer may properly contact before a deposition?

Panelists:
Hon. Steven M. Gold (Ret.) | JAMS
David G. Keyko | Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Jennifer Paradise | White & Case LLP
David Randall J. Riskin | Williams & Connolly LLP

Settlement | 4:00 - 5:00 PM EST

• When and how to begin settlement talks
• The use of mediation - court-annexed and private
• Developing a negotiating strategy
• The need for separate settlement counsel
• Ensuring confidentiality of settlement discussions
• What is proper bluffing and what is impermissible?

Panelists:
Marla Alhadeff | McKinsey & Co.
Kelly Crawford | Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP
Jonathan J. Ross | Susman Godfrey LLP
Mark E. Segall, Esq. | JAMS