Editor’s note: this story is now updated post event, with links to video of the conference panels.
Retired Judge Richard Posner (7th Circuit) is a giant in many areas of the law. His influence is perhaps nowhere more important than in class actions. Having authored more than 40 opinions on class actions, Judge Posner has shaped the doctrine for decades to come.
On March 2, two noted authorities on class action, Lewis & Clark professor Robert Klonoff and Columbia University professor John C. Coffee Jr., co-hosted a day-long CLE conference at Columbia University that brings together preeminent judges, scholars, and practitioners to discuss Judge Posner’s impact on class action jurisprudence—one of the most significant and evolving areas of law in the United States legal system.
The first panel of the day, “Class Certification” is moderated by Robert H. Klonoff, Jordan D. Schwitzer Professor of Law and Former Dean at Lewis & Clark Law School. Panelists include John H. Beisner, Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; Myriam Gilles, Vice Dean, Paul R. Verkuil Chair in Public Law at Cardozo School of Law; Alan Morrison, Lerner Family Associate Dean for Public Interest & Public Service Law at George Washington University Law; and Judge Anthony Joseph Scirica, Senior Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit.
John C. Coffee Jr., Adolf A. Berle Professor of Law at Columbia University Law School, moderated the second panel on “Class Settlement, Fees, Claims Administration.” Panelists included: Arthur H. Bryant, Chairman, Public Justice; Elizabeth Cabraser, Partner, Lieff, Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP; Judge Robert M. Dow Jr., Judge, United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois; Brad S. Karp, Chairman, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; Allexandra D. Lahav, Ellen Ash Peters Professor of Law at University of Connecticut School of Law; and Henry Monaghan, Harlan Fiske Stone Professor of Constitutional Law at Columbia University Law School.
At lunch, Judge Robert M. Dow, Jr. offered his perspective on Judge Posner, in remarks entitled “Thoughts from the Bench. ” Professor Klonoff moderated a panel of Posner Clerks: Professors Scott Hemphill, Kathryn Judge, Edward R. Morrison, and Tim Wu.
The final panel of the day explored the “NFL Concussion Case Study,” moderated by Professor John C. Coffee, Jr. Panelists include: Elizabeth J. Cabraser, Samuel Issacharoff, Bonnie & Richard Reiss Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University Law; Brad S. Karp; Robert H. Klonoff; Judge Lee H. Rosenthal, Chief Judge, United States District Court, Southern District of Texas; and Chris Seeger, Founding Partner, Seeger Weiss LLP.
The event was sponsored by Lieff Cabraser, Paul Weiss, Seeger Weiss, and Skadden Arps.
