Events & Programs
LCJ members meet twice a year in person to discuss new proposals and important developments in civil litigation, in May and at the end of November. LCJ member committees and working groups within the committees also meet as needed to discuss issues and advance projects.
Upcoming events
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Spring membership meeting
May 7-9, 2025
Location: Washington, D.C.
Mark your calendars now for LCJ’s 2025 Spring Meeting. Click here for meeting overview.
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Fall Membership Meeting
December 3-5, 2025
Location: The Westin New York at Times Square, New York, NY
Mark your calendars now for LCJ’s 2025 Fall Meeting!
LCJ
Calendar
Past Membership Meetings
DECEMBER 4-6, 2024
Renaissance Nashville Hotel
Nashville, TN
LCJ’s sold out Fall 2024 Meeting in Nashville was packed with interactive discussions led by leading corporate, legal and political thinkers. The conference kicked off on December 4 with a networking reception hosted by our Tennessee Host Committee at the offices of Butler Snow, featuring remarks by LCJ President Molly Craig (The Hood Law Firm) and Eric Hudson (Butler Snow).
Meeting co-chairs Julie Tersigni (Kenvue Inc.) and Barbara Smith Tyson (Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner) organized a terrific lineup of speakers and panels on December 5-6, as we considered civil litigation rules issues, corporate regulatory and litigation trends and concerns, and communications strategies.
Nissan North America General Counsel Jason Menges joined LCJ Past President Wayne Mason (Faegre Drinker) in kicking off Thursday’s program, with a discussion of top concerns for general counsel, including corporate legal needs and emerging trends in civil litigation and regulation.
LCJ’s “Ask About TPLF” initiative was the focus of a panel moderated by LCJ General Counsel Alex Dahl, featuring Lisa Bellino (Zurich), Barbara Smith Tyson (Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner) and Ashok Pinto (National Security Institute, Scalia Law School, GMU). This panel addressed the importance and strategies in support of securing disclosure of third-party litigation funding, which took on new urgency with the decision of the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules this Fall to consider possible TPLF disclosure rules.
Maria Monaghan (U.S. Chamber Litigation Center) and Mark Chenoweth (New Civil Liberties Alliance) shared valuable insights into the rapidly evolving regulatory environment and how the recent Loper Bright and Relentless decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court will impact litigation strategy related to resulting regulatory disputes.
LCJ’s initiatives were the initial focus of discussion on Thursday afternoon, with Alex Dahl and LCJ’s Advocacy Committee co-chairs sharing insights on their 2025 plans and presenting opportunities for members to help shape LCJ’s advocacy agenda.
Participants joined in a lively discussion on how generative AI is impacting and will continue to reshape litigation discovery, led by discovery experts John Rosenthal (Winston & Strawn), Andrew Myers (Bayer USA), and Jonathan Redgrave (Redgrave LLC). Thursday’s program culminated with the return of LCJ’s Shark Tank, where members and guests presented ideas for potential rule and statutory changes and were tested on them by our “sharks,” Max Heerman (Medtronic), Natalie Furniss (Nationwide), and Jay Mattappally (Irwin Fritchie), and meeting participants. (LCJ is already following up on these exciting proposals.)
Friday opened with a powerful session featuring Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby, former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack (now President of the American Arbitration Association), and former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton (Troutman Pepper), who participated in a panel moderated by former Colorado Justice Rebecca Kourlis on the role of the bench and bar in rebuilding public trust in the courts.
A centerpiece of the program was a conversation on possible new federal rules on remote testimony with U.S. District Court Judge M. Hannah Lauck (Eastern District of Virginia) and members of the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules. After Judge Lauck provided a high-level overview of the Advisory Committee’s work to date on remote testimony issues, LCJ members shared their views with the Advisory Committee members on how new rules could dramatically impact and reshape civil litigation.
Leading political ad makers Mark Putnam (Putnam Partners) and Russ Schriefer (Strategic Partners & Media), wrapped up the program with political ads from the last campaign cycle that were aired (and not aired) and shared strategic insights into corporate and political communications and how those strategies could be deployed by litigators.
The meeting was a great opportunity to connect with colleagues, learn about trends in litigation, and to discuss civil litigation rule proposals and advocacy strategy. Our thanks to our attending members and guests, who provided their fresh perspectives and helped set the table for LCJ’s advocacy program in 2025. Please mark your calendars now for LCJ’s Spring meeting in Washington, D.C., on May 7-9.
MAY 1 - MAY 3, 2024
The St. Regis Hotel
Washington, D.C.
Current and emerging rule developments were the focus of LCJ’s recent Spring Meeting in Washington, DC. A capacity crowd of LCJ members and guests discussed active rule topics, including changes to cross-border discovery rules, federal implementation and state adoption of amended Federal Rule of Evidence 702 on expert witnesses, and anticipated action by the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure (the Standing Committee) on the new MDL rule and privilege log amendments.
Judge Manish Shah, who chairs the Cross-Border Discovery Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, and Professor Andrew Bradt, who serves as reporter to the Subcommittee, participated in a discussion about a potential FRCP amendment on cross-border discovery proposed by Judge Michael Baylson and Professor Steven Gensler. The panel included a lively open-mic session moderated by GSK Assistant General Counsel Kelly Clay, during which LCJ members emphasized the need for the Advisory Committee to address privacy and related cyber security risks more broadly as it considers any rulemaking on cross-border discovery.
The impact of amended Rule 702 on the admissibility of expert evidence in federal courts, as well as the progress in securing state adoptions of similar amendments, were highlighted in presentations by Lee Mickus, Eric Lasker and Jim McCrystal. Numerous federal court decisions are showing the corrective impact of the FRE 702 amendment, and the panel discussed strategies to ensure courts correctly apply the rule. On the state front, Arizona and Michigan have already adopted the rule and Ohio and Louisiana appear set to follow.
Newly proposed FRCP Rule 16.1, which would clarify that the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, including the pleading standards, apply to multidistrict litigation, has been recommended by the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules and is due to be taken up by the Standing Committee on June 4, as discussed by LCJ General Counsel Alex Dahl. The proposed rule will provide litigators with new tools for persuading judges to address unsubstantiated and unvetted MDL claims early in MDL proceedings.
Privilege log reforms set to be approved by the Standing Committee in June were also a key topic. The FRCP amendments should provide increased flexibility in privilege logging and help reduce unnecessary document-by-document logging. LCJ’s Discovery Committee has led efforts to secure adoption of logging reforms.
Emerging litigation issues and the impact of rule developments were the focus remarks by a terrific lineup of corporate litigation leaders, including Walmart Chief Legal Officer Rachel Brand, General Motors Assistant General Counsel Jeff Koppy, Novo Nordisk Managing Assistant General Amer Pharaon, and Microsoft Deputy General Counsel Cynthia Randall.
Former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell addressed strategic risk issues and how member companies and firms could address them. NBC News pollster Bill McInturff looked at polling trends and how public attitudes should inform trial practice and impact delivery of litigation messaging
LCJ’s Spring Meeting, led by John Guttmann of Beveridge & Diamond, and John Parker Sweeney of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, saw record attendance and achieved sold out status well before the registration deadline.
November 29 - december 1, 2023
The Westin New York at Times Square
New York, NY
U.S. District Court Judge Robin Rosenberg, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, together with her committee colleagues, U.S. District Court Judge M. Hannah Lauck, and U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Jennifer Boal, joined LCJ members for a conversation on LCJ’s proposal for new privacy protection and cyber security rules at LCJ’s Fall membership meeting. LCJ members shared their views on the need for proactive rules to address the quagmire of issues arising from the need to balance the obligation to protect private and propriety information with the needs of individual cases. The privacy and cyber conversation was the culmination of an engaging meeting in New York City.
Elizabeth Forminard, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Johnson & Johnson, who is on the forefront of issues impacting civil litigation in the U.S., shared an inspirational presentation on real world implications of litigation inefficiency and unfairness and highlighted the impact of the important work done by LCJ and our members to improve the civil litigation system.
Katie Phang, host of MSNBC's Katie Phang Show and a legal commentator for NBC, provided a behind the scenes look at how legal issues are perceived and addressed by the media. She engaged in a constructive discussion of the impact of advertising and media savvy tactics by the plaintiffs’ bar.
The crisis of public trust in the judicial system was front and center. Retired U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Thomas Griffith and ALI President and former U.S. District Court Judge David Levi held an engaging conversation with members on the causes of the decline in public confidence in the civil litigation system and measures the bench and bar should take to address it.
A range of cutting-edge topics were explored at the meeting: the growing impact of reinvention and expansion of nuisance law; the need for TPLF disclosure and the questions judges can use to bring it into the open; battlefield strategies for winning rules interpretations in the courtroom; changes in DEI litigation following the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decisions last summer; and rising concerns about privacy and cyber security threats in litigation.
LCJ President John Kuppens led attendees in a celebratory toast to newly amended FRE Rule 702 and acknowledged the efforts of LCJ members who doggedly advocated for the improvement of federal admissibility standards for expert evidence. LCJ’s annual Outstanding Contributor Awards were announced by LCJ General Counsel Alex Dahl.
Meeting co-chairs Aviva Wein (J&J) and Michael Imbroscio (Covington & Burling LLP), welcomed attendees representing 28 companies and 50 law firms. The meeting enjoyed record attendance and was sold out weeks in advance. The LCJ's Spring membership meeting will be held in Washington D.C. May 1-3, 2024. Members are encouraged to mark their calendars and plan to register early for the DC meeting.
May 3-5, 2023
St. Regis Hotel
Washington, DC
LCJ welcomed to Washington, DC, corporate and law firm members for an invigorating and insightful program featuring key rule developments and emerging issues. Twenty-six companies and 36 law firms participated in the program. Panels highlighted pending rules proposals on class action superiority and third-party litigation funding, emerging AI and privacy issues, and opportunities for participation in anticipated public comment periods on MDLs and privilege logs.
Meeting attendees enjoyed an evening of networking while taking in views of the Capitol, at an opening reception hosted by Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. President Doug Lampe (Ford Motor Company) and meeting co-chairs Barry Boise (Troutman Pepper) and Beth Chiarello (Sidley Austin) welcomed members and guests to two days of programming which highlighted LCJ reform initiatives and issues significantly impacting civil litigation.
LCJ members are urged to mark their calendars now for the Autumn membership meeting, set for November 29-December 1 in New York City.
November 30 – December 2, 2022
Westin Times Square
New York, NY
LCJ marked its return to New York City with a record setting 150 members and guests participating in three days of rules-focused programming and networking. Thanks to LCJ’s Fall meeting co-chairs, Ed Fanning (McCarter & English) and Gail Rodgers (DLA Piper), who led the development of the outstanding meeting program and served as hosts for the event.
Outstanding speakers helped make the program a success. U.S. District Court Judge Robin Rosenberg, U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor, and Professor Richard Marcus participated for the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules in an important discussion of draft rules for MDLs. Former FBI agent Michael McAndrews, now chief technology officer at cyber security firm PacketWatch, provided a “tour” of the dark web and its threat to companies and firms. LCJ General Counsel Alex Dahl reported on LCJ’s recent successes and provided a look ahead at 2023.
May 4-6, 2022
St. Regis Hotel
Washington, DC
LCJ returned to Washington, DC, for a successful three-day annual meeting and 35th-anniversary celebration from May 4-6, with over 100 members and guests in attendance to discuss emerging issues and trends impacting the courts. LCJ President H. Mills Gallivan and Program Chair Scott Kreamer welcomed members and guests at the St. Regis Hotel across from the White House after a two-year absence from the nation's capital.
Headline speakers at the meeting included Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite, Jr., FTC Commissioner Noah Phillips, and Bayer Senior Vice President and General Counsel Scott Partridge. High-level panelists presented on diverse topics: recent and occasionally headline-grabbing Supreme Court developments and the upcoming Court calendar; third party litigation funding and how it really works; social inflation and how its spiral impacts insurers and their policyholders; hot topics of concern to corporate heads of litigation; and factors driving rising liability costs for the auto industry. Attendees were also treated to remarks by American Ukraine Business Council Eric Stewart on the Ukraine War, the response by U.S. corporations, and its impact on the rule of law in Central Europe.
December 1-3, 2021
Virgin Hotels
Nashville, TN
LCJ’s first in-person meeting after the Covid 19 lockdown was held in Nashville, Tennessee. Members and guests gathered in the land of country to rekindle lost friendships and discuss issues impacting civil justice reform. LCJ Fellow and Program Chair Stephanie Douglas planned an informative program of cutting-edge legal reform topics including updates on LCJ’s latest work on Rule 702, TPLF, MDLs, and more. LCJ was pleased to be able to hear from the Honorable Robert Dow and Professor Richard Marcus on their “sketch” ideas for an FRCP that could provide guidance and transparency to the early stages of MDL cases.
