Complex Litigation Ethics Conference 2024
The Complex Litigation Ethics Conference 2024 is an annual event dedicated to exploring ethical challenges in complex litigation. Organized by the Center for Litigation and Courts at UC Law San Francisco, the conference convenes judges, scholars, lawyers, and other professionals to discuss critical issues affecting the justice system.
Key topics for the 2024 conference include the ethics of combining litigation with arbitration, the role of legal journalists and lawyers amid government reprisals, and ethical considerations for class counsel and claims administrators in class settlements. Additional sessions will address the Federal Rules Advisory Committee's impact on ethics in complex litigation and the intersection of diversity, equity, inclusion, and ethics during cultural shifts.
The conference offers ample networking opportunities, including receptions and panel discussions featuring esteemed speakers such as Joshua P. Davis, Myriam Gilles, and Judith Resnik. Attendees can engage directly with experts and peers to discuss pressing ethical issues in complex litigation.
Legal professionals involved in complex litigation, including attorneys, judges, and scholars, will find the conference particularly beneficial. It provides a platform to stay informed about evolving ethical standards, share best practices, and contribute to the advancement of ethical conduct in complex legal proceedings.
Speakers(20)
Amanda Bronstad
Staff Reporter at American Lawyer Media
Amanda Bronstad is a staff reporter at American Lawyer Media, writing about class actions and mass torts across the country, and authoring the weekly newsletter 'Critical Mass' focused on these topics.
Cam Azari
Senior Vice President at Epiq
Cameron R. Azari, Esq., is Epiq’s Senior Vice President with over 23 years of experience as a nationally recognized expert in creating class action notification campaigns in compliance with federal and state class action statutes.
Daniel Girard
Founder at Girard Sharp
Daniel Girard founded Girard Sharp in 1995, focusing on dedicated representation in class actions involving investment losses and consumer financial services, and has served as lead counsel in a wide range of successful class actions.
Dena Sharp
Trial Lawyer at Girard Sharp
Dena Sharp is a trial lawyer focusing on common-sense solutions in complex litigation, serving as co-lead counsel in the In re Juul Labs Inc. multidistrict litigation, resulting in recoveries of nearly $2 billion.
E. Michelle Drake
Executive Shareholder at Berger Montague
E. Michelle Drake is an Executive Shareholder at Berger Montague’s Minneapolis office, focusing on consumer protection, improper credit reporting, and financial services class actions, with career settlements and verdicts exceeding $150 million.
Elizabeth Cabraser
Founding Partner at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
Elizabeth Cabraser is a founding partner of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, with unparalleled expertise in complex civil litigation, serving as court-appointed lead or class counsel in numerous high-profile cases.
Jennifer McClanahan
Founder and CEO at Leverage to Lead
Jennifer McClanahan is the founder and CEO of Leverage to Lead LLC, specializing in leadership development and organizational transformation, partnering with leaders to design systems fostering healthy, values-driven work cultures.
Jocelyn Larkin
Of Counsel at Impact Fund
Jocelyn Larkin joined the Impact Fund in 2000, serving as its Executive Director from 2010 to 2024, focusing on complex employment discrimination and class action practice on behalf of plaintiffs.
Joshua P. Davis
Research Professor at UC Law SF and Berger Montague
Joshua P. Davis is a research professor at UC Law SF and manages the San Francisco office of Berger Montague PC, recognized for his expertise in AI, antitrust, class actions, civil procedure, free speech, legal ethics, and jurisprudence.
Judith Resnik
Arthur Liman Professor of Law at Yale Law School
Judith Resnik is the Arthur Liman Professor of Law at Yale Law School, focusing on the relationship between democratic values and government services, collective redress, privatization, and equality.
Lindsay Nako
Executive Director at Impact Fund
Lindsay Nako is the Executive Director of the Impact Fund, a legal nonprofit providing grants for impact litigation, representing individuals and classes in strategic civil rights litigation, and training public interest attorneys.
Mariyam Hussain
Senior Counsel at Berger Montague
Mariyam Hussain is Senior Counsel at Berger Montague PC in the Employment Law and Forced Labor practice groups in Chicago, with experience in impact litigation advancing economic and social justice.
Melissa S. Weiner
Partner and Civil Litigator at Pearson Warshaw, LLP
Melissa S. Weiner is a partner and civil litigator focusing on combating consumer deception, with experience in class actions related to consumer protection, product defect, intellectual property, automotive, false advertising, and data breach.
Myriam Gilles
Catharine Waugh McCulloch Professor of Law at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Professor Myriam Gilles joined Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in July 2025, teaching and writing in civil procedure, complex litigation, and torts, and is among the most-cited civil procedure scholars in the country.
Richard Marcus
Coil Chair in Litigation at UC Law SF
Richard Marcus holds the Coil Chair in Litigation at UC Law SF, teaching since 1988, and serves as a Reporter of the US Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, focusing on discovery and class actions.
Richard Simmons
President at Analytics Consulting LLC
Richard W. Simmons is President of Analytics Consulting LLC, with over 35 years of experience designing and managing settlement administration and legal notice programs in complex litigation and regulatory enforcement actions.
Richard Zitrin
Lecturer Emeritus at UC College of the Law San Francisco
Richard Zitrin taught Legal Ethics for over 40 years, authored multiple legal ethics textbooks, and served as Chair of the California State Bar’s Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct.
Rose Clark
National Settlement Team Member at Huntington Bank
Rose Clark brings over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, including seven years as a key member of Huntington Bank’s National Settlement Team, and co-author of the Antitrust Annual Report.
Thomas Scott-Railton
Associate at Gupta Wessler
Thomas Scott-Railton is an associate at Gupta Wessler LLP, focusing on complex public interest and plaintiff-side appellate litigation, with experience in cases involving predatory loans, arbitration, access to justice, and immigrants’ rights.
W. Bradley Wendel
Professor of Law at Cornell Law School
Brad Wendel joined the Cornell faculty in 2004, teaching in the regulation of the legal profession and torts, with research focusing on the application of moral and political philosophy to problems of legal ethics.
Event Details
- Date
- October 17-18, 2024
- 2 days
- Location
- 🇺🇸 San Francisco, United States
- UC Law San Francisco
- Audience
- Legal professionals involved in complex litigation, including attorneys, judges, and scholars.
- CLE Credits
- 8 CLE credit hours, including 4 ethics hours