Gibbs Law Group Co-Sponsors Duke Law Center for Judicial Studies “Future of MDL” Conference

Gibbs Law Group LLP will co-sponsor the Duke Law Center for Judicial Studies “Future of MDL” Conference, on May 2-3, 2013 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel. The invitation-only event is part of the Duke Conference: Bench-Bar-Academy Distinguished Lawyers’ Series.

Multi-District Litigation (MDL) is a mechanism by which similar lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions are consolidated before one court for pretrial proceedings. The seven judges appointed to serve on the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation play a vital role in the MDL process, as they decide whether cases should be consolidated and select the judge(s) and court to conduct the proceedings. The goals of the MDL Panel are to conserve the time and resources of the parties, their counsel, and the judiciary, as well as foster consistent rulings in lawsuits with common legal issues. The “Future of MDL” Conference is a continuation of the ongoing interchange on improvements to the MDL process between the bench and bar.

The program will focus on a recent project to evaluate the MDL process and proposals to improve it, as well as a recent survey of experienced MDL lawyers. The conference agenda will also include six sessions with panel discussions on the following topics: Assignment of Cases to MDL; Selection and Location of MDL Judge; Selection of Counsel; Common Benefit Fund/Attorney Fees; Remands; and Federal-State Court Coordination.

For more information about the event, please visit the Multi-District Litigation (MDL) Conference Website.