May 2012

Exciting Programming at the Section Annual Conference

Our ADR Committee is riding high after the very successful ABA Section of Litigation Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. April 18–20, during which our committee developed and presented state-of-the-art, value-add programs in the ADR space.

Our first sponsored program was titled “How to Prevent a Runaway Arbitration,” involving a mix of neutrals and litigators, and was very well attended. The panel coordinated and moderated by cochair Trish O’Prey included an all-star roster featuring former Texas Supreme Court Judge Deborah Hankinson, Crowell & Moring litigation partner Kathy Kirmayer, and esteemed member of the bar and the Section of Litigation, Bill Hangley. Next, our second sponsored program titled “Use a Mediator, Get Disbarred,” involved an extremely lively discussion again moderated by Trish O’Prey and with our own Jeff Kichaven, nationally renowned commentator and mediator, and Ray Garcia, an advocate in mediation based in New Haven, Connecticut. Both Jeff and Ray have been active members of our ADR Committee for quite some time. Last but not least, our panel included an expert on ethics from Yale University, Larry Fox.

Thanks to everyone who helped to make our programming the success that it was, and please continue to think about and develop additional great ideas for upcoming ABA meetings. Please also check this website for the course materials from these and other programs we have sponsored.

In addition, we had a number of networking events at the Section Annual Conference. Our new Diversity Subcommittee organized two networking events jointly with the Woman Advocate Committee and women neutrals in the Dispute Resolution Section. The first event was a “Dutch treat” dinner on Wednesday, April 18, which was attended by more than 20 women litigators and neutrals. If you would like to be added to the list to receive additional information, contact Lisa Garrison by phone at (336) 378-5432. Next, on Thursday, April 19, a similar group gathered at a practice area and networking discussion luncheon. A special thanks goes to all of those who participated in these terrific events, which involved a great sharing of ideas between experiences of women litigators and women neutrals about ways to improve the business opportunities for both groups.

Simultaneous with the Section of Litigation Annual Conference, the Dispute Resolution Section Spring Conference was being held across town, and cochair Charlie Denton as the liaison between these groups was involved in presenting “ABA’s Got Talent!” at the DR Section Conference discussing how to build a mediation practice through commercial ADR providers and the ABA.

Last but not least, the ADR Committee station at the ABA Section of Litigation Committee Expo was a huge success thanks to our fun game—Truth or Consequences! One of our lucky players, Michele Hangley, won a copy of our soon to be released Arbitration Handbook! Congratulations!

It was a pleasure to see and meet those of you who could attend the Section Annual Conference. We are now looking forward to the ABA Annual Meeting, scheduled August 2–7, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. We hope that a number of our members can attend!

Enlightening Dialogue
We continue to work diligently on improving our communication with you, and keeping you apprised of the latest developments.

In addition to our timely topics on the website, we are proud to announce the publication of our latest Spring 2012 e-newsletter. The newsletter tackles the latest cutting-edge topics, including arbitration and class actions, the lessons of Dukes for class-action litigation, expanded judicial review of arbitration awards, when non-signatories can compel arbitration, and when an arbitration award is “final” for collateral-estoppel purposes.

This outstanding newsletter requires contributions from many of you, but most importantly we want to recognize our editor Jean Baker for her tireless leadership. In fact, we are proud to announce that Jean Baker has been selected by the ABA Section of Litigation as an “Outstanding Subcommittee Chair” for 2011–12!

Building Muscle
We want to make sure you are aware of a number of membership initiatives and new leadership opportunities currently underway in the Section.

ABA members enjoy a range of benefits that enhance their lives personally and professionally. You know that, but do your colleagues? A great way to introduce others to the value of an ABA membership is with a free trial ABA and Section membership.

The ABA is always on the hunt for tomorrow’s leaders. If you are interested in upping your involvement with our ADR Committee, please contact one of the cochairs below.

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We greatly appreciate your continued membership and support of the ADR Committee, and we look forward to seeing you at upcoming meetings and events.

Please contact the cochairs with any questions about the ADR Committee or about opportunities for you to become more involved.

We welcome and encourage your participation by submitting articles for the committee newsletter, website content, and programming ideas.

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you get involved this year!

Charlie Denton, Cochair
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
(616) 742-3974

Judge Jay C. Gandhi, Cochair
U.S. District Court, Central District of California
(213) 894-5369

Patricia O’Prey, Cochair
GE Capital
(203) 229-1871

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