The Products Liability (PL) Committee is a diverse and active committee of the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) covering a broad range of practice areas, including automotive and machinery, food and beverage, consumer goods, class action and mass torts, and e-discovery. This year, the PL Committee merged with the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, & Bioscience Committee, further expanding the depth and reach of our committee. The goal of the PL Committee is to function as the leading resource for networking and information exchange in products liability law. To that end, the PL Committee maintains an up-to-date website that reports on upcoming events. We also publish newsletters designed to keep our members on the cutting edge of developments in products liability law. Further, the committee hosts webinars and in-person conferences aimed at education and connection.
In April, the PL Committee presented its annual Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. This program is the premier national conference on motor vehicle law, with presentations ranging from regulatory updates to in-house perspectives on handling complex litigation. The program’s featured speakers included not only the country’s leading plaintiffs’ and defense lawyers but also in-house lawyers from companies such as Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, U-Haul, and Volkswagen. A feature of the event was the dinner for all attendees, providing a unique opportunity for networking and connection. This conference is not to be missed by those practicing in the field, and we hope to see you in Scottsdale in April 2025.
Beyond the resources available to its members, the PL Committee offers a fast track to involvement and leadership. We welcome contributions of scholarly work and newsletter articles, and we offer speaking opportunities. Recently, the PL Committee has published newsletters on timely topics, including a recent personal jurisdiction decision, technical articles addressing microplastics in the environment, emerging issues in the area of automatic driving, and the use of social media in the courtroom. The committee has also presented webinars and held virtual and in-person meetings for collaboration, education, and professional development.
The PL Committee’s leadership group includes a diversity vice-chair, a social media vice-chair, a technology vice-chair, a membership vice-chair, a plaintiff vice-chair, and a law student vice-chair. The leadership plans to hold virtual bimonthly meetings in the coming year. We welcome new members, and I encourage members interested in leadership, speaking, or publication opportunities to reach out to me.
