Webinar: ADR in the Covid Era – Neutral, In-House, and Outside Counsel Perspectives

This presentation will seek to bring a spectrum of perspectives on Alternative Dispute Resolution and to explore the impact that COVID-19 has had on ADR. The panel will also discuss best practices for conducting remote ADR, effectiveness of remote ADR, and the availability of neutrals. Finally, the panel will address the current state of the law on issues such as application of mandatory ADR provisions to class action claims and the recent trend of mass arbitrations.

Presented by the FBA’s:

• Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
• Corporate Association Counsel Division
• Western District of Pennsylvania Chapter

About the Presenters:

Lawson Fite, General Counsel, American Forest Resource Council (moderator)

Lawson began his career as a Trial Attorney in the Wildlife and Marine Resources Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, focusing on litigation under the Endangered Species Act and other environmental statutes. He successfully represented the Coast Guard in an ESA challenge to efforts to respond to the Deepwater Horizon spill. Immediately prior to joining AFRC, Lawson was in private practice with a commercial litigation boutique. He gained first-chair trial and appellate experience as well as a reputation for creative problem-solving. Lawson successfully represented the Port of Vancouver USA in environmental litigation regarding the Vancouver Energy Terminal proposal, arguing and winning the case in summer 2015 before the Washington Court of Appeals. Lawson holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and an undergraduate degree in environmental science and public policy from Harvard University. He is a native of Vancouver, Washington and a graduate of Hudson’s Bay High School.

Lisa Brown, Lisa Brown Attorney LLC Dispute Resolution

Lisa Brown enjoys a close working relationship with her clients. She is passionate about providing quality, cost effective legal services, with a strong focus on risk management.  Lisa has served on the American Arbitration Association arbitration panel since 1992. She also serves as a mediator and arbitrator for the Arbitration Service of Portland and the Oregon State Bar Fee Dispute Resolution Program. Having litigated cases for many years, Lisa enjoys the opportunity to use her skills as a mediator, arbitrator and facilitator to assist parties in resolving their disputes and helping them avoid the agony and expense of litigation. Lisa’s extensive litigation experience enables her to successfully facilitate internal employment disputes before these internal conflicts escalate into litigation. She also investigates internal employment complaints relating to harassment, discrimination, retaliation and other employment matters.

Hon. Diane M. Welsh (Ret.), JAMS ADR; retired Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Hon. Diane M. Welsh (Ret.) is highly respected for her ability to successfully resolve disputes with sensitivity, patience, and persistence. Over the past 23 years, as a JAMS neutral and a United States Magistrate Judge, she has successfully resolved over 5000 matters, covering virtually every type of complex dispute. Specifically, Judge Welsh has extraordinary skill in resolving high-stakes multi-party commercial disputes, employment matters, catastrophic personal injury cases, class actions, mass torts and multi-district litigations (MDL’s). She was recognized as a 2016-2018 “ADR Champion” by the National Law Journal. Judge Welsh has conducted nearly 1,800 settlement conferences as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in virtually every area of civil litigation, including complex commercial, insurance, class action, mass torts, employment, serious personal injury, product liability, professional liability malpractice, antitrust, securities, government, civil rights, environmental, education, aviation, intellectual property, maritime, product liability, real estate, construction, consumer, sports, and entertainment  She served on the Alternative Dispute Resolution committee for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for 10 years, drafting local federal court rules for court-annexed mediation program.

William (Bill) G. Whitman, Lead Counsel, Litigation, FedEx Ground

William G. Whitman serves as in-house counsel for FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. William is Lead Counsel in the Government and Commercial Litigation Department at FedEx. Prior to FedEx, he was a litigator at the law firm of Bass, Berry & Sims in Memphis, Tennessee. He as well served as a federal law clerk for the Honorable Thomas M. Shanahan in the U.S. District Court in Nebraska.  He graduated from Notre Dame Law School.

Registration

Registration for this event is now closed. Contact meetings@fedbar.org with questions. 

Registration Fees

• FBA Member: $0
• Nonmember: $75

Live Captioning
Should you request live captioning or another accommodation in order to participate in this webinar, please contact meetings@fedbar.org at least 10 days before the event so we may make the necessary arrangements.

Cancellation Policy
No refunds will be made for cancellations received after the close of business on November 19, 2020. No-shows will be billed. Substitutions may be made at any time upon notification. Please contact Ariel White at awhite@fedbar.org with cancellation and/or substitution requests.

CLE

1 CLE Credit (60min state) / 1.2 CLE Credit (50min state)

Credit for these complimentary webinars will be processed/reported within 4-6 weeks of the webinar event date and available for credit in states that allow credit for live webinar presentations. Your bar number must be accurate in our database to receive credit.

Email Communication Policy

By registering for this event, you agree to receive email communications from the Federal Bar Association and affiliated sponsors of the program concerning event details, Continuing Legal Education certification, programming changes, upcoming events, surveys, and post-event communications.

Recording Disclaimer

By registering for an FBA webinar, you agree to the recording of audio and visual content presented during the live event and consent to subsequent use of the recording by the FBA. You agree that the recording is the sole property of the FBA and that the recording may be used by the FBA in any manner in its sole and absolute discretion. This recording may include questions and poll responses provided by you during the live event. If you do not consent to the recording and the FBA’s use of the same, do not register for the event.

If you have any questions regarding this program, please contact Caitlin Rider, Conference Manager.