Message from the Chairs
2018–2019
Welcome to the Consumer Litigation Committee (#ConsumerLit) of the American Bar Association's Section of Litigation. We want to make sure you know all the benefits that come with your membership. If you are not yet a member, joining is easy and free with your Section of Litigation membership.
Stay Abreast of Current Law
Throughout the year, Consumer Litigation provides its members with many ways to keep on top of the most recent opinions and issues affecting their practice:
Newsletter—Consumer Litigation electronically publishes a semiannual newsletter that contains excellent substantive articles by plaintiffs’ attorneys, defense counsel, and experts, as well as articles for attorneys who may be new to the practice area of consumer litigation.
Practice Points—Consumer Litigation updates its webpages and LinkedIn pages with topical tips for your practice. These tips are especially helpful for attorneys who may be new to consumer litigation.
Roundtables—We know you’re busy, so the Consumer Litigation Committee presents one-hour telephonic lectures on various topics that you can listen to from your home, your office, or even the beach. And, if you missed one, recordings of past Roundtables will be posted on our web page.
Sound Advice Podcasts—Have even less time? Our Sound Advice podcasts provide quick 5–15 minute discussions on a variety of interesting topics and can be accessed at any time.
These benefits are free to Consumer Litigation Committee members and delivered to your inbox or easily accessed via the committee’s webpage. And, your membership in the Section of Litigation further provides you with discount pricing for many live regional and national CLE programs, including the Annual Western Regional CLE Program on Class Actions and Mass Torts, which we cosponsor, and the Section’s Annual National Institute on Class Actions.
Increase Your Profile with Consumer Litigation’s Speaking, Writing, and Leadership Opportunities
We provide numerous opportunities for our members to raise their profiles and get their names in front of some of the best attorneys and judges in the country. In addition to joining or chairing a subcommittee, we also provide our members with opportunities to author newsletter articles and practice points and speak on Sound Advice podcasts and Roundtable panels as well as at regional meetings and national CLE programs.
The Consumer Litigation Committee’s success is reflective of the time volunteered by its members who have taken advantage of these opportunities, as well as those who have joined subcommittees and accepted leadership roles. Consumer Litigation has a broad spectrum of subcommittees and we hope you will consider joining one of them, or even proposing a new subcommittee you are interested in leading. Joining a subcommittee is an excellent way for new and existing members to not only increase their profile within the bar and gain better insight into particular practice areas, but also demonstrate their leadership skills and meet other members.
Create a Nationwide Network of Colleagues and Friends
Join our new LinkedIn group to stay connected and informed about the Consumer Litigation Committee’s articles, events, and upcoming writing and speaking opportunities.
The Consumer Litigation Committee’s live regional and national programs also provide excellent opportunities to get to know other practitioners, judges, experts, and vendors from across the country.
Our year begins in the fall, when many of our subcommittee chairs have been invited to join us at the Section of Litigation’s Fall Leadership Meeting. This year, we will meet in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to the important work of devising the committee’s programs and publications for the year, we use that time to get to know each other through a delicious small group dinner, a larger Section party, and a committee lunch.
As we approach Halloween, we meet again at one of the Section’s showcase programs, the Annual National Institute on Class Actions. This year, we met in Washington, D.C. Stay tuned to find out where we’ll go next year.
In May 2019, we’ll be heading to the Big Apple for the Section Annual Conference (SAC). In addition to wonderful programing, SAC also serves as the Consumer Litigation Committee’s annual meeting and provides us with several networking and social opportunities. You can easily find a few of us at the welcome reception manning the Consumer Litigation Committee’s “Showcase” table. After the welcome reception, we will continue our evening with a group dinner at a nearby restaurant. The next night includes the Section’s party. And, we will conclude our time in New York by gathering for a business meeting over breakfast.
We’ll reunite back in California, but this time in San Francisco, in June to break bread (sourdough, perhaps?) during a delicious lunch at our Annual Regional Meeting, and after the program we’ll meet up again at the reception for some drinks.
We’ll conclude the 2018–19 year in August with more networking and social events at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
We hope we have enticed you to join the Consumer Litigation Committee or take an active role if you are already a member. If you would like to get more involved by joining or chairing a subcommittee or volunteering to write or speak on a consumer-litigation-related topics, please complete this form or contact us directly.
Kathryn Honecker
Jason B. Tompkins
Cochairs, Consumer Litigation Committee