from Judge Vratil
to Attorneys
date Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 5:05 PM
subject 2008 Tenth Circuit Bench & Bar Conference
Dear Colleague:
Several weeks ago I asked Tim O'Brien, our Clerk of Court, to send you information about the upcoming Bench & Bar Conference which the Tenth Circuit is hosting in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on September 4-6, 2008. I want to follow up on that earlier email to strongly encourage you join the federal courts of the Tenth Circuit at that meeting. A fabulous program has been arranged. It is not only timely and relevant, but it will also help you fulfill virtually all of your CLE requirements for the entire year - approximately 16 hours of credits (including ethics credits) are presently being sought.
Here are highlights of the program:
• A Supreme Court update will be presented by Justice Stephen Breyer, U.S. Supreme Court, who will report his perspective on the just-finished term of court. The ever-popular, always-amazing Erwin Chemerinsky will report on key cases from the same term. Former Solicitor General Paul Clement will express view the views of counsel.
• Our Friday luncheon speaker will be Dr. Jim Loehr, world renowned Performance Psychologist, and author of numerous books on Human Performance. Dr. Loehr has appeared on The Today Show, Nightline, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS, and many other national TV programs; Loehr's elite sports clients include golfers, tennis players, and Olympians who are household names across America. The Saturday science luncheon speaker will be Dr. Laurie Leshin, of the Center for Science and Technology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, who follows one of the most popular conference sessions on science in 2006. Dr. Leshin will present an unrivaled update on the search for life in the universe.
• Peer Review under Daubert will be presented by Dr. Drummond Rennie, formerly an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine and presently an editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association; the popular Professor Stephen Saltzburg, George Washington University, author of numerous books and articles on evidence, procedure, and litigation; and Phillip Howard, founder and chair of Common Good.
• Developments in Constitutional Law as Seen by Media Lawyers will feature Jeffrey Rosen of George Washington University, author of The Supreme Court, the Personalities and Rivalries that Defined America; The Most Democratic Branch, The Naked Crowd, and others; Jan Greenburg, ABC News Legal Correspondent, covering the Supreme Court and national legal issues; and Stuart Taylor, columnist for the National Journal and Newsweek,with appearances on all major television and radio networks.
• A Primer on Islamic Law will be conducted by Theology Professor Ori Soltes of Georgetown University, who has lectured in 23 universities here and abroad on Islamic culture; Professor Sherman A. Jackson, University of Michigan, Executive Director of the Center of Arabic Study Abroad; and Barrister Andrew Allen, Deputy Director of the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law at the University of London, who has served as an expert witness on Islamic Law in Commonwealth courts in cases involving the law of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and numerous other Islamic countries; with introductions and comment by Asma Gull Hasan, author of American Muslims: The New Generation and Why I am a Muslim.
• The Preservation, Discovery and Admission Of Electronic Evidence will be presented by the Honorable Shira Scheindlin, SDNY, who decided Zubulake v. UBS Warburg, one of the landmark cases in electronic discovery; Kenneth Withers, director of Judicial Education for The Sedona Conference, a policy think-tank on issues of technology, justice, and intellectual property; Thomas Clare, litigation partner, Kirkland & Ellis; David Isom, co-chair of the national e-discovery practice group for Greenberg Traurig; with introductions and comment by Richard Holme, partner, Davis Graham & Stubbs.
• Specialty Breakout Sessions will cover topics on Criminal Sentencing featuring Professor Douglas Berman, author of the weblog Sentencing Law and Policy, and a casebook featuring the same name, Jill Wichlens, Federal Public Defender and David Kubichek, AUSA; Criminal Procedure featuring Professor Marc Falkoff of Northern Illinois, author and co-counsel for Al-Odah in the Boumediene cases, Gerald Goldstein, Past President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Laura Fashing, AUSA; Ethics, a program organized by the American College of Trial Lawyers and Professor Melissa Hart, University of Colorado; Bankruptcy featuring Professor Jeffrey Morris, University of Dayton, a widely-recognized expert on Bankruptcy Law; and Indian Law featuring Professor Taiawagi Helton; University of Oklahoma.
• Training for Lawyers on the New Circuit Electronic Filing System. This session will be conducted by Circuit court staff. It is intended to assist lawyers in the transition to appellate electronic filing.
Our Opening Reception will again be held on Thursday evening at the Penrose House. Other traditional events such as the popular Fireside Chat and Sing-a-Long are included in the program. The closing Dinner-Dance will be at the Broadmoor's Cheyenne Lodge, a spectacular venue on the site of Cheyenne Mountain with music provided by 8Trac.
Of special interest to our own Bar will be Kansas Karaoke Night, which will follow the Fireside Chat in the Ross Room of the Broadmoor Hotel on Friday evening, September 5. I don't want to give away all of the secrets but I will say that you have not lived until you have seen the Honorable John W. Lungstrum on his air guitar. We greatly hope that you will join us for this unique opportunity to socialize with federal practitioners from throughout the State of Kansas.
You may register for the Tenth Circuit 2008 Bench & Bar Conference on-line by accessing our conference website at http://www.ck10.uscourts.gov/conference/index.php?id=4 and selecting "Click Here to Register Now." A headcount must be provided to the Broadmoor by the end of July. The general registration fee is $325; reduced registration is provided for students and recent bar admittees. You may obtain full details on activities and conference information on the website.
Rooms at The Broadmoor are available (hurry -- they are running out) at the reasonable rate of $269/night plus fees and taxes by calling 1-800-634-7711. Hotel reservations, at the reduced rate, remain open through July 21, 2008, unless the block is filled before that date. On the website you will also note the alternative/overflow hotels. There are various options that start at $83/night plus fees and taxes for the Doubletree World Arena.
I look forward to seeing you at our conference. If you have any questions, please call the Tenth Circuit Judicial Resources Team at 303.844.2067.
Sincerely,
Kathryn H. Vratil
Chief Judge
United States District Court for the District of Kansas
529 Robert J. Dole United States Courthouse
500 State Avenue
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
913.551.6550 telephone
913.551.6596 fax