The Federal Litigation Section presented an excellent and well-attended program at the FBA Annual Meeting in Chicago in early September. The title of the program was "Revolution or Reaffirmation - the Supreme Court's New Class Action Decisions." The formal presentation was followed by a panel discussion. The program was moderated by Rob Kohn, the vice chair of the Section.
Professor Jim Pfander of Northwestern Law School discussed the Walmart case, Elizabeth Cabraser discussed the Bayer and Halliburton opinions, and Frank Carroll, Section Chair, discussed the Stolt-Nielsen and AT&T Mobility cases. Our distinguished panel of Chief Judge James Holderman of Chicago, Chief Judge Gerald Rosen of Detroit, and former Judge Layn Phillips of Los Angeles, along with the speakers, discussed the implications of these decisions for federal practitioners in the class action area.
Judges Holderman and Rosen also discussed their methodologies for handling class certification matters, including discovery and scheduling.