Yesterday, I attended the Hawaii Chapter of the Federal Bar Association's first annual conference at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
The conference began with a Supreme Court Review by former Stanford Law School Dean Kathleen Sullivan and the Honorable William A. Fletcher of the Ninth Circuit. They discussed the 2008-2009 Term of the U.S. Supreme Court and provided captivating insight and analysis on the broader trends of federalism, states' rights, freedom of speech, civil rights, due process and criminal procedure.
The next panel addressed the Twombly/Iqbal cases from the last two years and the far-reaching impact of these two decisions. The panelists were Robert Kohn, the Honorable Gerald B. Tjoflat of the Eleventh Circuit, and Professor Linda Krieger of the University of Hawaii Law School. Twombly/Iqbal set forth, and most would agree change, the standard of pleadings for complaints in federal court. The impact of these decisions on claims of discrimination have yet to be fully realized but regardless of what your philosophical bent is, the cases did change the pleading requirements for federal court.
A presentation on current trends in copyright law was next. The presenter was Raymond Dowd of New York. Where art meets the law, disputes can arise.
The next presentation was by Lawrence Baca, Federal Bar Association President and a longtime staff attorney with the Department of Justice. His topic was "Legal Status of American Indians: A Cautionary Tale to Native Hawaiians - Careful What You Ask For, You Might Get It." His lecture focused on the Constitutional support (or lack thereof) for the U.S. Supreme Court's Indian cases precedent.
The final presentation was on mediation in federal litigation. Private mediator Simeon Baum and Chief Ninth Circuit Mediator Claudia Bernard conducted mediation exercises with the conference and highlighted successful techniques for alternative dispute resolution.
The highlight was the chitchat at the reception in the Kamehameha Suite at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Panoramic views of Waikiki Beach at sunset, discussions of Supreme Court trends and heavy pupus...not a bad way to cap off a week.
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