The Federal Practice Section will sponsor the tenth biennial Bench-Bar Conference at Saint Clements Castle. All members of the bar are invited. Chief Judge Stefan R. Underhill has encouraged the district’s judges to forgo scheduling court proceedings so that we can assemble for a convivial and informative retreat.
The program will include panel discussions on (a) prominent cases in the upcoming Supreme Court term, (b) what people really want from the court system and whether they are getting it, (c) immigrant family separation litigation, and (d) litigation funding. Judge Underhill will remark on the state of the district. The judges of the district court will present their awards for pro bono and other court service at lunch, and there will be a reception at the end of the day.
AGENDA
8:00 a.m. – Continental Breakfast and Registration
8:45 a.m. – Welcome and Introduction – Honorable Victor A. Bolden, Chair of the Conference, and
Robert M. Frost and Kristen L. Zaehringer, Federal Practice Section Co-Chairs
9:00 a.m. – Honorable Stefan R. Underhill, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut,
speaking on the state of the district
9:15 a.m. – Panel Discussion – Highlights of the Upcoming Supreme Court Term
Panelists:
Beth S. Brinkmann, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP, Washington
Judith Resnik, Arthur Liman Professor of Law, Yale Law School, New Haven
10:45 a.m. – Coffee Break
11:00 a.m. – Panel Discussion – Financial and Ethical Aspects of Litigation Funding
Moderator:
Adam S. Mocciolo, Partner, Pullman & Comley LLC, Bridgeport
Panelists:
Ken Epstein, Investment Manager & Legal Counsel, Bentham IMF, New York
Hon. Allan L. Gropper (Ret.), Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham University, New York
Nicholas F. Kajon, Partner, Stevens & Lee, New York
Edward Reilly, Principal, Themis Legal Capital, New York
12:30 p.m. – Lunch
Presentation by the Judges of the District Court of awards for pro bono work and court service
Recognition of the Honorable Janet C. Hall for her dedication and service as Chief Judge for the District of Connecticut (2013-2018)
2:00 p.m. – Panel Discussion – Immigrant Family Separation Cases: What Were They About and What Is the Next Wave of Litigation?
Moderator:
Erin O’Neil-Baker, Principal, Hartford Legal Group
Anand Balakrishnan, Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union Immigrants’ Rights Project, New York
Michael J. Wishnie, William O. Douglas Clinical Professor of Law, Yale Law School, New Haven
3:30 p.m. – Reception (appetizers and cash bar)
Click here to view Printable Agenda