Thursday, October 1 

SUPREME COURT UPDATE:

 8:45am – 9:35am 

Tom Dupree will discuss the big cases, the big issues, and the big personalities that shaped the past term – and preview the cases the Supreme Court will tackle as the new term begins.

LOOKING AHEAD: PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO FEDERAL RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE:

9:35am – 9:55am  

SURE, LET’S BACKDOOR REGULATE AI VIA EXISTING PRODUCT LIABILITY FRAMEWORKS – WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

9:55am – 10:15am   

As Washington continues to vacillate between various philosophies regarding the regulation of AI, Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), joined by co-sponsors Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), Senator Angus S. King (I-ME), and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), have proposed Senate Bill 2937 – the AI LEAD Act – as a means of attempting to backdoor regulate AI via exist product liability frameworks. This presentation will examine the proposed Act and its potential implications for manufacturers, developers, distributors, and the defense bar. This session will provide an overview of the current status of the legislation, the scope of conduct and technologies it targets—which potentially go well-beyond what we conceive of as “AI technology,” such as chatbots—and the liability concepts embedded within the proposal. The presentation will explore how traditional product liability theories — including defect, warning, causation, foreseeability, and allocation of responsibility across the supply chain — may or may not be adapted or expanded to fit the AI context.

KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT? WHAT AI FORCES DEFENSE COUNSEL — AND LAW DEPARTMENT CLIENTS — TO ASK ABOUT THE PRACTICE OF LAW, THE BUSINESS OF LAW, AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE:

10:25am – 11:15am     

PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE: FOLLOW UP DISCUSSION WITH DAMIEN RIEHL:

11:15am – Noon

FIRESIDE CHAT WITH AMAZON: ROAD SAFETY AT SCALE:

1:00pm – 1:35pm 

Complex transportation operations produce more data, faster signals, and harder judgment calls. Drawing on experience at Amazon, representing OEMs and suppliers in private practice, and as a former NHTSA safety regulator, this fireside chat will address how safety, legal, operational, and regulatory teams recognize emerging risk, evaluate what the facts show, and make decisions that hold up when reviewed later.

BEST PRACTICES FOR LITIGATING MATTERS INVOLVING “CONNECTED”/DIGITAL PRODUCTS:

 1:35pm – 2:15pm    

UPDATES FROM CHALLENGING JURISDICTIONS: CONSERVATIVE FRIENDLY NO LONGER MEANS CORPORATE FRIENDLY - NAVIGATING SHIFTING LANDSCAPES:

2:15pm – 2:55pm

 When Safety Features Become Class Litigation Targets: Insights from a Multi-State ADAS Class Action Trial

 3:05pm – 3:45pm

Class actions almost never reach a jury. In April 2026, one did. After five related class actions were consolidated, certified, and carried past summary judgment, the first ADAS software-defect class trial went forward in the Central District of California. Two weeks of trial, nearly 400,000 vehicles at issue, and a jury that returned a complete defense verdict for the New York class and, for the California class, a partial defense verdict and a partial deadlock. This panel takes apart what it takes to try a technology-driven class case — the legal and practical problems, what worked, what didn’t, and the lessons worth carrying into the next one.

IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT: ECONOMIC APPROACHES TO CAUSATION & HARM ATTRIBUTION IN PRODUCTS LIABILITY:

3:45pm – 4:30pm 

TRIAL MASTERS: LESSONS FROM LEGENDS:

4:30pm – 5:00pm    

Friday, October 2

NAVIGATING JURY PERSUASION STRATEGIES IN AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD:

 8:30am – 9:10am 

INTO THE PRODUCTVERSE: OUR INTERCONNECTED WORLD OF PRODUCT LIABILITY:

9:10am – 10:00am 

Welcome to the Productverse—where cars, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices may occupy different worlds, but the challenges of trying complex product liability cases often collide. This panel will put trial strategies from the automotive, pharma, and device arenas side by side, examining how each approaches experts, technical evidence, corporate witnesses, case themes, juror perceptions, and the plaintiff’s story. Which strategies translate across industries? Which are uniquely product-specific? And what can trial lawyers borrow from another corner of the Productverse to sharpen their own approach? 

THE ETHICS OF AI-GENERATED EVIDENCE IN PRODUCT LIABILITY TRIALS:

 11:00am – Noon 

This presentation will analyze the ethical implications of AI-generated evidence at trial. Panelists will explore recent proposed rule changes and the practical implications of introducing Gen AI-produced evidence in a jury trial, from the proponent and opponent perspectives. This program will also analyze specific ethical obligations implicated by AI-generated evidence and outline concrete strategies for navigating future evidentiary issues when Gen AI is involved.