19th Annual Federal Court Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts (in California)

Agenda

Don’t want to attend in-person? Prefer the convenience of online live seminars?

You can Live Stream either program!

San Francisco In-Person or Live Webcast: Friday, April 28, 2023

Los Angeles In-Person or Live Webcast: Thursday, May 25, 2023

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time 

(be sure to pick the correct option when you register)

 

9:00 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.
Intro to Federal Court 

• Practical Differences Between State Court and Federal Court Practice
• Material Differences Among California’s Federal Districts
• Highlights from the Local Rules and Local Practice
• Rule 1

9:40 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Complaint and Answer Rules, Differences, Advice and Strategies

• Plausibility Standard: Rule 8’s Short and Plain Statement
• Forms of Complaints and Answers/Defenses
• Defenses vs. Affirmative Defenses
• Practice Pointers and Pitfalls
• Removal
• Rule 16.1
• Case Management Reports

10:30 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.
10 Minute Break

10:40 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Rule 12 and Other Motions

• Top ten tips for drafting Rule 12(b)(6) motions, responses, and replies
• How to enhance the effectiveness of memoranda addressing motions to dismiss
• How to address procedural issues that frequently arise when briefing motions to dismiss
• Additional Rule 12 motions
• Ex Parte Motions
• TRO or preliminary injunctions

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Discovery & eDiscovery

• CM/ECF brief overview/advice
• Interrogatories, request to produce – differences between state and federal
• 2015 Amendments to the Rules of Civil Procedure
  • Scope of discovery / proportionality
  • Requests for production and responses
  • Failure to preserve / sanctions
  • How courts have interpreted them
• E-discovery
  • Overview and considerations
  • Sources and preservation
  • Authentication
  • Federal Rule of Evidence 502

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch (on your own)

1:30 p.m. – 1:40 p.m.
Motion/Oral Argument Tips

1:40 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Depo Strategies

• Online Depos
• Federal v. State differences
• Subpoenas & affidavits
• Deadlines
• Strategy and Deciding whom to depose
• Taking good depositions
• Making effective use of depositions at trial or for settlement

2:30 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Drafting and Replying to Motions for Summary Judgment

• Drafting
• Timing
• Strategies
• Tips
• What judges want, need and don’t want to see
  

3:20 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
10 Minute Break

3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Pre-Trial Matters

• Pretrial Conference and Order (FRCP 16)
• Your Jury:
  • What is unique about Jury Selection in Federal Court?
  • Questionnaires and Voir Dire
  • Jury Instructions in Federal Court
  • Jury Verdict Forms in Federal Court
• Motions in Limine
• Client and Witness Prep.

4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Trial Presentation

• Introduction of Exhibits
  • Evidentiary Objections
• Direct and Cross-Examinations
  • Purpose, audience and format requirements
  • Basic direct examination skills
  • Basic cross examination skills
• Preserving the Record for Appeal

 

 

 

Dates/Times/Locations

Watch the Live Webcast of the program held at either location or Attend In Person at either location!

 

San Francisco in-Person or via Live Webcast:

April 28, 2023
Hotel Nikko
222 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

Los Angeles in-Person or via Live Webcast:
May 25, 2023
Hilton Santa Monica Hotel & Suites
1707 Fourth Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Start/Stop times for both locations:
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (for In-Person: lunch on your own)
Check in between 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

 

Parking information for San Francisco attendees:

Valet Parking is available for $65 plus tax per day per car, including in and out privileges. There will be additional charges for oversized vehicles. 

Valet entrance is at 180 Ellis Street, just before Mason Street.

All of the hotel garages in the area have comparable rates; and there is a public 1,100-car Mason O’Farrell garage directly across the street.

Parking information for Los Angeles attendees:

A reduced rate of $18/day. 

Testimonials

“Terrific program. It’s been awhile since I handled federal court cases, and this has been an excellent brush up and update, plus the tips from very experienced practitioners are invaluable.” – Linda M. Battram, Esq.

“Good variety of panelist, good mix of opinion and specific procedures.” – Thomas McCarrick, Esq.

“I enjoyed the practical nature of the presentation and the back and forth discussion. The panel put together was an excellent combination of different experiences. I loved hearing from the Judges, who were both practitioners, the clerk who generally deals with the various motions, and the various attorneys from both sides plaintiff and defense.” – Cynthia D. Vargas, Esq.

“Information is succinct. Easy to understand. Lots of really good information. Nice to get insight from practitioners as well as a judge’s perspective.” – Dawn M. Reitsma, Esq.

“This was helpful, especially as an introduction to federal practice. I wish I had taken this course a few months early, I feel like I absorbed much of this through trial and error in the last few months.” – Matthew Slentz, Esq.

“Excellent program — very good, practical advice.” – Sean Ryan Broderick, Esq.

“The program was great. It was just the kind of ‘refresher’ I was looking for. I appreciated each speaker’s stories and tips. Hearing stories is such a great way to learn and remember.”

“Good overall information about federal court practice. Helpful insights and tips.” – John P. Yasuda, Esq.

“Great to hear insights from judges and experienced practitioners, and a very experienced law clerk with private practice experience. The Q& A sessions were great to hear.” – Tracy Woo, Esq.

“Excellent and diverse speakers. The two judges really gave credibility to the topic.” – Derrick James McKain, Esq.

“Great – very valuable and practical advice (particularly to hear the judges’ thoughts on particular motions, standards, etc.).”

“This was one of the most interesting, helpful and useful MCLE programs I have ever attended! Good coverage of practical topics.” – Harvie Schrieber, Esq.

“It was a great refresher on the federal rules and the panelists had great anecdotes from personal experience. My federal practice is heating up so a refresher was needed.” – Page Allinson, Esq.

“I thought the content was a great overview. I really liked the case-specific examples and pointers that the speakers drew on during their discussion.”

“I thought it was very interesting overall and I learned a lot (more than I usually get out of an MCLE).”– Alice Zajic, Esq.

“Invaluable to have the judge’s advice and opinions.” – Genevieve Coyle, Esq.

“Highlighting differences between State and Federal Court procedures in California was extremely helpful.”

“It was a really good seminar.  Very good. Thank you. It provided me very valuable assistance with the Rule 16 and 26 issues.” – Olivia Bissell, Esq.

“Great program! Very informative and interesting. Looking forward to future seminars.” – Iveta Ovsepyan, Esq.

“I am a new lawyer. This was a great course to help put many things in focus. Gave me great advice.” – Jeshawna R. Harrell, Esq.

“Great outlines for future reference. Concise presentation format. Very well done. Knowledgeable speakers.” – Michael Caballero, Esq.

“I am fully satisfied. This was a great primer for practicing in Federal Court. This was one of the best seminars that I’ve been to in my 13 years of practicing law. It makes me want to never go to state court ever again.” – Richard Jefferson, Esq.

“I enjoyed the experience shared amongst the speakers and their ability to provide personal context to some of the discussed issues.”

“I didn’t know much about federal civil practice, so it was nice to get a start to finish overview. It wasn’t overwhelming. It was a good procedural overview with practical tips.” – Kree D. Filer, Esq.

“This is a great survey course regarding differences between state and federal court. Judge Olguin’s comments always included practical advice that is extremely helpful and adds to the topics substantially. He is great. Judge Segal had the best, most substantive interjections. I’d go to any discussions or lectures led by her. Excellent!” – Grace Lau, Esq.

“Very good tune-up for me, who hasn’t practiced in federal court in 10 years.”

“The program was incredibly helpful.”

“The panelists covered every important topic in-depth. Thank you for having this seminar!” – Ari Kaufman, Esq.

“Good recap of basics of federal practice with useful pointers. Proper depth given the breadth of subjects.” – Matthew Roman, Esq.

“Engaging speakers and course material was presented in a concise and clear way.”

“Great topics, excellent speakers.” – Brittany Toth, Esq.

“I really enjoyed listening to the practitioner’s trial tips.”

“Very informative and definitely worth your time.” – Jesse Ruiz, Esq.

“As a state court criminal defense attorney, I found the review of FRCP helpful.”

“I specifically enjoyed the practical experiences shared by the presenters.” – Joe Anglin, Esq.

“I thought the program was informative, particularly when discussing motion strategy.” – Paul Thomas, Esq.

“A really good webinar, with great speakers.” – Luca Prisciandaro, Esq.

“I found the program very helpful as presenters shared personal experiences.” – Joseph V. Anglin, Esq.

“Excellent and well-rounded panel.” – Sean Ryan Broderick, Esq.

“Very interesting.” – Francisco A. Suarez, Esq.

“Excellent! Will be back! Everyone was great!” – David A. Wolf, Esq.

“Completely satisfied. This was outstanding!” – Nancy Woods, Esq.

“I like having the law clerk and judges’ perspectives.”

“Great program! Really informative!” – Deborah Gettleman, Esq.

“Loved it!” – Jugpreet Mann, Esq.

“Very helpful to have judges’ perspectives along with practitioners.”

“I think the program is great and does what it needs to do.”

“All speakers were good – especially the judge and the law clerk.” – Ann Hull, Esq.

“It was a good boot camp covering the basics, and it gave me a good insight into judicial thinking.”

“I enjoyed the CLE program and found the dialogue between the speakers very informative.”

“Great program. Thanks!” – Sean Ryan Broderick, Esq.

“Great to hear the perspective of a clerk. I found the voire dire tips to be very helpful. Loved the 8 components for opening statement and the points on evidence and cross-examination.” – Michelle Rahban, Esq.

“A very good program. All the speakers were helpful and informative.” – Richard Stoll, Esq.

“Very helpful and instructive.” – Gregory Yu, Esq.

“Great refresher course and helpful practical advice.” – Matthew Peters, Esq.

“Presentation was well-done and informative. The insights of the panel members was enlightening.” – Joseph A. Gordon, Esq.

“As a mother and a lawyer, I felt very respected and valued by Pincus. The rallying cry for equality for women is ‘The future is female.’ Well, that future looks like the way Venus and Grace treat your customers.” – Maha Ibrahim, Esq.

“It was great! Thank you!” – Ashleigh Musser, Esq.

“Very good speakers.” – Susan Horst, Esq.

“Well done, head to toe.” – John Cammack, Esq.

“This was a well-done presentation. Very informative.” – Philip John Downs Jr, Esq.

“The entire panel did a great job and delivered well.” –Tom Borchard, Esq.

“I was very satisfied!” – Courtney Arbucci, Esq.

“Highly satisfied. Hearing from multiple clerks was helpful.” – Tim O’Connor, Esq.

“Very satisfied – gave me what I wanted. Basic info with strategic uses.” – Joseph Charles, Esq.

“Very good, candid advice.” – Daniel Zarchy, Esq.

“Great job. Very informative and well presented.” – Jonathan T. Dawson, Esq.

“I really enjoyed the program and the speakers. Having a judicial clerk was also extremely valuable.” – Dana Ulise, Esq.

“Offering differing viewpoints of each party in an action is very informative.”

“Great speakers. I thoroughly enjoyed the information.” – Marty Nicholson, Esq.

“Excellent.” – Megan Irish, Esq.

“Very practical information. Very helpful for negotiating the federal arena.” – Helene Friedman, Esq.

“A great primer for both new and experienced attorneys.” – Peter Ton, Esq.

“Great CLE.”  – James Howard, Esq.

“Great presentation! Very informative!” – Kari Martin Higgins, Esq.

“Excellent.” – John P. Yasuda, Esq.

“Great information, very helpful.” – Oianka McElmurry, Esq.

“Good review and  run-down of the issues.” – Daniel Marsh, Esq.

“What a great concept to have the clerks conduct the seminar! So informative!” – Neyleen Beljajev, Esq.

“All the faculty were top notch – very professional and informative and competent.” – Paul Carreras, Esq.

“Good information regarding the different FRCP. Very Satisfied.” – Michelle J. Smythe, Esq.

“This was a good re-introduction; Very informative and insightful for someone looking to learn the ins & outs of Federal Court.” – Eric Wills, Esq.

“I was very pleased with this program. It is definitely worth the money and travel!” – Christina Milligan

“Important subject for practitioners in Federal Court. Good topic, good speakers.” – D. David Steele, Esq.

“Very enjoyable and knowledgeable seminar! Thank you!” – Aman A. Lal, Esq.

“Excellent program.” – Kori Macksoud, Esq.

“The speakers were good at recognizing the variety of lawyers in the audience.” – Phyra McCandless, Esq.

“I’m new to Federal Court. This program offered a good introduction.” – Katherine Broderick, Esq.

“Each speaker gave great examples…and I appreciated the fact that there were attorneys representing the plaintiff side and the defense side. I appreciated the insight of both judges. It was great to have them attend! This is a great seminar for Federal Court beginners or a refresher for seasoned veterans in Federal Court.” – Nicole Dennewitz, Paralegal

“An excellent program.” – Barbara Reardon, Esq.

“Very good – no boring, droning lecturing. Kept me engaged throughout. Women and a diverse panel – yay! Thanks for a great program.”

“The war stories and practitioners’ points are honestly the most helpful parts.”

“Information is succinct. Easy to understand. Lots of really good information. Nice to get insight from practitioners as well as a judge’s perspective.”

“Another very thorough crash-course put on by Pincus. Very helpful!”

“Part 2 was great, just like Part 1. Each panelist had unique experience and perspective that I appreciated.”

“Very informative & well presented.”

“Enjoyed listening to each speaker and their experience.”

“Wonderful insight from highly experienced persons. I liked that it was conversational with various people chiming in. That doesn’t work in these trainings, but it was well executed with this group at least. Kept things interesting whereas sometimes more structured trainings can get dry.”

“A very good program. I’ve been practicing for 12 years, but recently transitioned from almost all state court cases to federal court cases. I was worried the program might be geared towards brand new attorneys, but I found most of the information helpful.”

“Great speakers, very informative and comprehensive.”

“I found the program very helpful as presenters shared personal experiences
Was excellent and very informative.”

“All speakers were very knowledgeable. I appreciated hearing from the judge’s perspective, as well as Chaya’s as a Plaintiffs’ attorney vs. the other attorneys.”

“Judge Segal’s input to the panel’s advice was always welcome and appreciated. Laurie Smith consistently and effectively provided insightful remarks throughout the day. She’s an excellent panelist.”

“Today was EXCELLENT, thank you!”

“Speakers and materials were very knowledgeable and interesting.”

“It was great!”

“Good practical information.”

“Fabulous.”

“Good overview and refresher.”

“Everything was great and very informative.”

“I specifically enjoyed the practical experiences shared by the presenters.”

“Great speakers, very informative.”

“I thought the program was informative, particularly when discussing motion strategy.”

“This was helpful, especially as an introduction to federal practice. I wish I had taken this course a few months early, I feel like I absorbed much of this through trial and error in the last few months.”

“The content was excellent and the speakers were outstanding.”

“Felt it was extremely useful and met every expectation.”

“Great program!”

“I thought the program and presentation were excellent. We just filed a Rule 26 Disclosure today and I’m feeling pretty confident about what we did after listening to this. I enjoyed all the speakers but especially appreciated the observations of the Honorable Karen Stevenson.”

“I really enjoyed the advice about the tone of federal courts generally, and also how to prepare witnesses.”

“I thought all the speakers today were excellent.”

“This program is excellent for its target audience.”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“It was a beautiful program and I learnt a lot. There was a lot of theory that I enjoyed.”

“It was a lot of great information.”

“The content was presented well.”

“It was a good overview and refresher.”

“Very helpful tips and information.”

“Great topics, excellent speakers.”

“Very informative and engaging. Great speakers.”

“Very informative.”

“Good.”

“I liked the Judge.”

“The program was very informative and the speakers have a great rapport with each other.”

“All speakers were good – especially the judge and the law clerk.”

“Very detailed. Thank you.”

“Very useful, practical information.”

“Very well done.”

“Very well done. Good speakers.”

“Great content. Really enjoyed Judge Stevenson.”

“I enjoyed the program, very informative.”

“Very informative. Good.”

“A very helpful presentation.”

“Very informative.”

“I think the program was very informative and well put together. It was also nice to have everyone’s perspectives on various topics. I think the course was very thorough. I really appreciated more of the practical tips.”

“I found the program very helpful as an overview to litigation and many of the topics discussed have application in state court as well.”

“Excellent!”

“I thought the program was really interesting–especially the first part of the day. I really enjoyed hearing from Judge Corley and from Plaintiffs’ side firms. I also found the tips to be very helpful. It was a good overview of material.”

“Great!”

“I am no longer afraid to practice in federal court.”

“Great mix of judges, clerks, and practitioners.”

“Excellent training!”

“Appreciate that everything advertised is what I got.”

“Thank you. Another excellent program.”

“Very informative and practical advice; good for new lawyers.”

“Excellent training.”

“I practice in federal court regularly and was hoping to get some practice tips to improve my representation and also to confirm or correct the lessons I have learned in practice – the program did exactly that.”

“If this faculty is an example of Pincus, I’ll always attend. Great work!”

“Very helpful! Materials are nice.”

“Speakers were knowledgeable and relatable. Very informative.”

“Good insight. Good comments.”

“I found this a very helpful nuts and bolts for new attorneys.”

“The information was helpful and the materials (checklists in particular) will be useful here on out.”

“Great speakers.”

“Outlines were extremely effective.”

“Great program.”

“Best CLE course I have ever attended!”

“I enjoyed the individual tips, stories & examples – makes it easier to remember procedures.”

“Great program. Law clerks’ views are most valuable.”

“Appreciated the FRCP updates: this was the best part of the program.”

“I practice class action law, so I enjoyed hearing about the speaker’s experience.”

“All excellent speakers – both in content and delivery.”

“Very happy. Not many CLE’s specialize in federal law. I wish I had taken this course earlier!”

“Motions presentation was worth the entire price. Humor works! Anecdotes were great!”

“Great Job! An excellent course. Informative presentations!”

“Very good program – the law clerk perspective should be heard by all lawyers.”

“Great practical advice.”

“I liked how Chaya M. Mandelbaum provided a deposition strategies outline in addition to the slides.”

“I most appreciated comments from judges and law clerks of federal courts as to insights of inner workings.”

“Excellent balance of substantive information, personal observations & idiosyncrasies of bench potentially relevant to practitioners.”

“Very good program.”

“Excellent.”

“I learned more about federal court civil procedure than any other class I have taken.”

“Good speakers.”

“Very good.”

“Liked the updates regarding the current situation.”

“Great program!”

“Very informative.”

“Very nice.”

Faculty

Judges:

San Francisco:
Hon. Jacqueline Scott Corley
Magistrate Judge
United States District Court, Northern District of California

Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley has presided over a variety of civil cases at all stages of the proceedings, from motions to dismiss through jury trial. She has also served as a settlement judge in nearly every type of federal litigation.

Just prior to her 2011 appointment to the Court, Judge Corley was a partner at Kerr & Wagstaffe, LLP in San Francisco as a civil litigator with an emphasis on federal practice. She represented individuals, government entities, and institutions as plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of matters that included trademark, copyright, patent, constitutional law, defamation, malicious prosecution, class actions, contract and probate.

From 1998 through 2009 Judge Corley served as a career law clerk to the Honorable Charles R. Breyer. She also served on the Northern District of California Alternative Dispute Resolution mediation and early neutral evaluation panels from 2006 through her appointment.

Judge Corley received her undergraduate degree from U.C. Berkeley, and her J.D. from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude, where she was an editor and Articles Chair of the Harvard Law Review. Upon graduation, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert E. Keeton of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She then practiced complex commercial litigation and white collar criminal defense at Goodwin, Procter LLP in Boston and was a litigation associate at Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP in San Francisco before joining Judge Breyer in 1998. 

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Los Angeles:
Hon. Fernando Olguin
District Court Judge
U.S. District Court, Central District of California

Judge Olguin began his legal career in 1989 as a judicial law clerk for a federal judge in the District of Arizona. In 1991, he was selected to be a member of the United States Attorney General’s Honors Program, where he worked in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. After leaving the Department of Justice in 1994, Judge Olguin joined the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (“MALDEF”) as the National Director of the Education Program. In 1995, Judge Olguin became a name partner in the Pasadena-based law firm, Traber, Voorhees & Olguin, a firm that litigated housing and employment cases.

Judge Olguin was appointed to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge in 2001. In December 2012, Judge Olguin was confirmed as a United States District Judge. He maintains his chambers in Los Angeles.

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Hon. Karen Stevenson
Magistrate Judge
United States District Court, Central District of California

Hon. Karen L. Stevenson is a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Central District of California.  Before her appointment  to the bench on August 10, 2015, Judge Stevenson was Of Counsel with Buchalter Nemer, where she specialized in complex business litigation and insurance defense.  During her career as a litigator and trial lawyer, she was a frequent speaker on e-discovery and data security.  A member of the L.A. County Bar Association Litigation Section Executive Committee, she is also a former Editor-in-Chief of the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation, Litigation News publications.  

In 2015, Ms. Stevenson was named by Savoy Magazine as one of nation’s most influential Black attorneys.  She received her J.D. from Stanford Law School (with distinction), an M.A. in European History from Oxford University, England where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and is  Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Hon. Suzanne H. Segal (Ret.)
Retired Magistrate Judge, CDCA
Neutral, Signature Resolution

After 18 years as a United States Magistrate Judge with the Central District of California, including four years as the Chief Magistrate Judge, Hon. Suzanne H. Segal (Ret.) joins Signature Resolution as a mediator, arbitrator and Special Master/Discovery Referee. During her tenure on the federal bench, Judge Segal presided over numerous trials, evidentiary hearings, motions and discovery conferences involving diverse subject matter. Judge Segal served as the settlement judge in hundreds of cases, settling business and insurance disputes, patent, trademark and copyright actions, and employment, civil rights, and tort cases. Judge Segal handled a wide range of motions and settlements arising out of class actions, particularly in the wage and hour context. 

Judge Segal has broad experience in securities litigation, including matters brought by private investors and the SEC. In addition, Judge Segal has extensive experience in matters involving the False Claims Act and related actions involving the healthcare industry. 

Judge Segal has served as a Special Master or Discovery Referee in cases involving the False Claims Act, mass tort and insurance claims, patent litigation, and product liability claims. 

Before her appointment to the bench, Judge Segal served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office for 12 years. As an AUSA, Judge Segal handled a variety of cases, including contract, employment, civil rights, Medicare reimbursement and tort claims. She also brought consumer and civil rights actions on behalf of the Department of Justice. From 1999 to 

2002, she served as the Chief of Civil Appeals for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Prior to serving in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Judge Segal was a civil litigator at Dewey, Ballantine and Adams, Duque and Hazeltine.

Judge Segal has also served as a lecturer in Law at UCLA School of Law and Loyola Law School. 

Judge Segal is known for her work ethic and persistent dedication to reach a positive result for the parties. 

 

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San Francisco Faculty: 

Sean Callagy, Esq.
Partner
Arnold & Porter

Sean Callagy has a wide range of experience in commercial litigation matters. He has litigated widely in federal and state courts, including claims under trade secret law, contract and business tort laws, the Lanham Act, and federal patent and copyright laws. He has also litigated matters arising under the Sherman Antitrust Act and state unfair trade practice statutes. Mr. Callagy has represented clients at all stages, from administrative agencies to federal and state trial proceedings, from preliminary remedies to post-trial motions, as well as in courts of appeal and the US Supreme Court. Mr. Callagy also has significant courtroom experience. This includes acting as second-chair in a three-week federal copyright jury trial, and also having served as a volunteer Assistant District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco during spring of 2015, in which Mr. Callagy tried three cases to jury verdict and handled numerous other courtroom proceedings.

Mr. Callagy also has provided counseling to clients concerning general copyright, trademark, and patent advice, as well as antitrust implications from the formation of patent pools and merger clearance by antitrust enforcement agencies. While in law school, Mr. Callagy served as an extern to the Honorable Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. He served as Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Business Law Journal and was a member of the Board of Advocates.

Prior to law school, Mr. Callagy was a Fulbright Fellow in Hamburg, Germany, where he taught at the Emilie-WüstenfeldGymnasium and attended the University of Hamburg. Mr. Callagy is fluent in German.

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Kate E. Lazarus, Esq.
Partner
Kwun Bhansali Lazarus LLP

Kate specializes in complex litigation, and has a wide range of experience in both state and federal court. She has handled cases in the areas of intellectual property, contract, fraud, securities, and criminal law.   

Kate has tried both civil and criminal cases, in court and in arbitration. Her trial experience includes a copyright case with a damages claim of over a billion dollars, an eight-week federal criminal trial involving corporate accounting, and a week-long confidential arbitration in which the opposing party took nothing and was responsible for her client’s attorney’s fees. Kate has experience in all phases of litigation, from the pleadings stage to depositions to examining witnesses at trial.  Kate focuses on digging into the challenges a client faces, and developing efficient and effective solutions with an eye towards her client’s business goals.

Kate has maintained an active pro bono practice, in particular in the area of immigration law.  Kate grew up in San Francisco and is active in her community. She serves as the President of the Planning Association for the Richmond, and is on the board of the Lowell High School Alumni Association.  

 

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Micha Star Liberty, Esq.
Owner
Liberty Law

Micha Star Liberty is the owner of the Liberty Law Office — a diverse legal practice primarily representing individuals who have suffered a serious injury or abuse, including child sexual abuse. The firm also represents employees who have been discriminated against or harassed in the workplace, and Micha has assisted businesses with finding a common ground when releasing an employee on best terms.

Ms. Liberty is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She has held the title of President and Vice President of multiple legal and political organizations, expanding her network of associates and resources, which often helps to expedite the legal process for the greater benefit of her clients.

Ms. Liberty is a frequent lecturer and published author, focusing much of her public speaking on trial practice, discovery techniques, the importance of mentoring, and best practices for opening a law office and law office management.

In 2015, the Consumer Attorneys of California — an organization made up of more than 3000 lawyers in California alone — presented her with the Street Fighter of the Year award at their 54th annual convention held at The Palace in San Francisco. Ms. Liberty was granted the award after holding the Contra Costa County School District accountable for a child sexual molestation case in which school officials were aware of the abuse and took no action. In years past, she was also presented the Defender of Justice Award, the Outstanding Service Award, and the Presidential Award of Merit in 2005 and 2006.

Ms. Liberty was a contributing author and editor for the following practice guides: California Client Communications Manual, and California Basic Practice Handbook, both published by Continuing Education of the Bar.

Aside from her thriving law practice, she is a certified mediator with over 40 hours of training, and she has performed private mediations as well as mediations for the Contra Costa Superior Court.

Ms. Liberty has worked at the White House and for two Members of Congress: for U.S. Representative Mel Watt, from North Carolina, and for U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo.

She has also served as a judicial extern to Senior United States District Court Judge Thelton E. Henderson. While in law school, she served as a Moot Court Board member, teaching assistant, and an editor for the Women’s Law Journal.

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Meghan F. Loisel, Esq.

Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe LLP

Meghan Féronie Loisel joined the firm in 2016 because she wanted to represent employees who stand up for their rights.  Meghan helps employees subjected to workplace discrimination or retaliation to hold their employers accountable.  She also works to ensure that employers honor the contractual commitments they make to their employees and pay them the wages and benefits owed.  Meghan’s litigation practice includes both individual cases and class actions in court and arbitration. 

Meghan focused on employment law during law school, working as a law clerk representing low-income workers at Legal Aid at Work.  After completing a litigation fellowship with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Freedom Project in New York City, she returned to the Bay Area and worked for Santa Clara County as a deputy county counsel.  This role provided Meghan with insight into public employee representation.  She was herself a public employee and union member.  She also defended the County and its employees in employment, civil rights, and tort cases.  Meghan relies on this balanced view of employment litigation to provide her clients with evenhanded assessments of their cases. 

Meghan graduated from New York University School of Law and is a member of the California Bar and New York Bar.

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Chaya Mandelbaum, Esq.
Partner
Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP

Chaya Mandelbaum is a Partner at Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP where he represents employees in individual and class action litigation and negotiations across the spectrum of employment law. He has extensive experience in wage and hour, discrimination, retaliation, harassment and leave of absence matters.

Chaya also recently served as Chair of the California Fair Employment and Housing Council.  He was appointed and re-appointed to the position by former California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. and his appointment and re-appointment were confirmed by the California Senate.  The Council promulgates regulations related to employment and housing discrimination and holds hearings on civil rights issues confronting the state.

Before joining Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, Chaya was a Senior Litigation Counsel at Sanford Heisler.  At Sanford Heisler, he represented employees in class actions involving wage and hour, discrimination and other civil rights claims.

Previously, Chaya was a Trial Attorney in the Office of the Solicitor for the United States Department of Labor.  In that capacity, he successfully represented the Secretary of Labor in numerous significant enforcement actions, including a multi-million dollar wage and penalty recovery based on violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.  He obtained successful results in both jury and bench trials during his tenure. 

Prior to his service at the Department of Labor, Chaya worked in the Labor and Employment Practice Group at Morgan Lewis & Bockius, where he represented employers in matters involving wage and hour, employment discrimination and labor relations.

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Ami Sanghvi, Esq.
Partner
The Marek Law Firm

Ami began her legal career pursuing economic justice for the homeless in New York City through individual and class action representation. She began working on civil rights issues with a focus on gender justice and employment discrimination. Ami spent over ten years as a Trial Attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She has advised on federal investigations, litigated cases in federal court, settled cases with meaningful injunctive relief to affect workplace change, and taken cases through federal jury trials. Ami is a passionate advocate for employee rights and believes in each person’s unqualified right to enjoy a dignified workplace.

​Ami received her Juris Doctor from the Fordham University School of Law and her Bachelor’s degree with honors in Sociology from New York University. Ami is a member of the New York bar and the California bar. She is a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association and the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California.

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Laurie E. Smith, Esq.
Career Law Clerk
U.S. District Court, Central District of California

Laurie Smith has served as a career law clerk for the Honorable John F. Walter, U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of California for more than 15 years. Prior to that, Ms. Smith litigated at several law firms in Northern and Southern California. Ms. Smith served as Managing Editor for the Virginia Tax Review Law Journal and is a 1996 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law.

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Los Angeles Faculty: 

Damian D. Capozzola, Esq.
Founder
The Law Offices of Damian D. Capozzola

Damian D. Capozzola is a sole practitioner in his nineteenth year of litigation practice. Damian has handled significant litigation matters across a broad spectrum of industries and has represented some of the world’s largest defense contractors, food manufacturers and wholesalers, and telecommunications companies.

Damian has successfully first-chaired nine jury trials, three bench trials, and two arbitrations, and has contributed to successful trial results and settlements in a number of other matters while practicing at three leading national law firms and then since 2013 as founder of his own firm.  He has extensive experience in taking and defending depositions, and he has written and lectured on litigation strategies — including the effective use of technology in the courtroom — and working with experts.  Since 2006 he has been the co-author of the Thomson Reuters/West Trial Practice Series treatise Expert Witnesses in Civil Trials: Effective Preparation and Presentation.

Damian also has experience with a range of employment, personal injury, and environmental issues, from mass tort litigation to multi-party groundwater contamination mediations to advising clients on discrete issues.  Finally, through the years, he has devoted a significant amount of pro bono time prosecuting misdemeanor crimes for two local municipalities. Most recently, Damian secured guilty verdicts on both counts in a two-day bench trial in which the defendant was represented by an attorney with an established track record of filing civil rights lawsuits alleging officer misconduct.

In 2011 Damian was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger (and was subsequently reappointed by Governor Brown) to the California Law Revision Commission, which he chaired in 2014.  He is also a Past-President of the Los Angeles Italian-American Lawyers. 

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Jessica Rankin Corpuz, Esq.
Shareholder
Weintraub | Tobin

Jessica Corpuz represents clients in all aspects of litigation, including in particular the handling of complex business and commercial disputes.  She has successfully represented clients in trial, mediation, arbitration, and appeal, including millions of dollars in jury verdicts as well as published reversals of adverse trial court rulings on appeal.

Over the course of her career, Jessica has litigated cases in the fields of entertainment, international law, private equity and corporate transactions, real estate, and environmental law, among others.  She handles cases on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants and has represented clients in cases before both federal and state courts, in California and across the country.

She has been selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2014-2020.  She is also an active member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Los Angeles Conservancy.

Jessica earned her B.A. in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara and received her J.D. from Loyola Law School, where she was the President of the International Law Society and participated in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

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Pamela K. Graham, Esq.
Senior Counsel
Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC

Pamela Graham is Senior Counsel and a member of Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley’s litigation practice group. Pamela’s practice covers a wide range of litigation matters, including land use, employment law, municipal finance and public revenues, medical marijuana, and water issues. Her current engagements include defending Goleta Water District and the City of Santa Barbara against challenges under Proposition 218 to their water rates; litigating civil code enforcement actions for the City of Pasadena against illegal medical marijuana dispensaries; defending the City of South Pasadena in a writ of mandate action challenging aspects of the City Council’s approval of a conditional use permit for a hydrogen fueling station; and defending the City of Sierra Madre in a dispute arising from a code enforcement action against an unpermitted home improvement project.

Pamela has broad litigation experience in both state and federal courts, handling all phases of litigation from the pleading stage through appeal. She has successfully defended a number of jury and bench trials.

Prior to joining Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, Pamela was an attorney in the commercial litigation workgroups at Irell & Manella LLP for seven years and at Drinker, Biddle & Reath LLP for five years. There, Pamela represented a diverse range of clients in the entertainment, retail, and other prominent Southern California industries in a variety of commercial litigation matters, including cases involving business torts, employment disputes, securities fraud, and trademark and copyright litigation.

Pamela earned her law degree magna cum laude from Loyola Law School in 2001. While at Loyola, Pamela served as the Chief Production Editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review. She was also the recipient of the Dean’s Academic Scholarship from 1999 through 2001, as well as the First Honors Award in legal research and writing, torts, and federal courts. Pamela earned her Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communication and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1996.

Immediately following law school, Pamela served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ronald S.W. Lew of the United States District Court, Central District of California.

During her legal career, Pamela has advocated pro bono for the rights of children in the foster care system. Partnering with the Alliance for Children’s Rights, Pamela has assisted over 25 families with the finalization of adoptions and advocated for lawful individualized education plans and services. Pamela has also worked with the March of Dimes for the past 10 years, bringing awareness to and fundraising for the fight against premature birth.

Pamela has served as adjunct faculty at Southwestern Law School, where she taught legal analysis, writing and skills, and at California State University, Northridge, where she taught advanced business law.

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Winston P. Hsiao, Esq.
Counsel, Litigation
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

 Winston Hsiao’s practice focuses on complex civil litigation in state and federal courts. He represents clients in a wide range of suits, including securities and shareholder litigation, tax shelter and accounting malpractice, trade secret actions, contract disputes, unfair competition claims and fraud claims.

Mr. Hsiao also has represented clients in private arbitrations, internal investigations, criminal matters and appeals. His clients include U.S. and international companies in the financial services, tax consulting, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical insurance, energy, education, consumer products, logistics and food industries.

Winston is a Graduate of UCLA Law School and has his B.A. from Yale University.  He Clerked for Justice Norman Epstein at the CA Court of Appeal, Second District.

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Adam K. Shea, Esq.
Partner
Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP

 Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP founding partner Adam Shea is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with extensive experience and success representing individuals and families in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and across Southern California.

Mr. Shea has a proven track record of helping those who have been harmed by negligence, wrongful conduct, violations of safety rules, and defective products – including automotive and tire product defects. In this area,  Mr. Shea specializes in bus and truck collisions involving other vehicles and pedestrians, accidents resulting from tire failures, rollovers of 15 passenger vans, trucks and utility vehicles, as well as cases involving claims of roof crush, defective fuel systems, defective restraint systems, seat back failures, child safety seat defects, airbag deployment failures, van conversion defects, and vehicle crashworthiness. He has obtained some of the largest jury verdicts and settlements in California in these types of cases and was an integral part of the trial team in Lampe v. Continental Tire that resulted in a .6 million verdict, which is the largest jury verdict in history in a lawsuit involving a defective tire.

Mr. Shea also represents injured parties in cases involving commercial truck accidents, trash truck accidents, airplane accidents, helicopter crashes, train disasters, and governmental liability for dangerous condition of public property. He has achieved over 200 settlements and jury verdicts in excess of ,000,000 in these types of cases, including numerous record settlements and verdicts.

Mr. Shea is a member of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (“ABOTA”), and has been selected by his peers for inclusion in, Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers,  Best Lawyers of America, National Trial Lawyers: The Top 100 Trial Lawyers, and Super Lawyers. He has been recognized for his legal ability and ethical standards by the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell peer review ratings with an A-V rating, the highest possible rating.

In 2011, Mr. Shea was a finalist for the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) Trial Lawyer of the Year for his representation of three young boys who lost both their parents when their van rolled over after a tread separation in the rear tire in the case of Barber v. Mossy Ford (San Diego Superior Court). The jury found that the car dealership had performed a faulty tire repair that led to the tread separation, and reached a record verdict of ,465,864. Pre-trial settlements with other defendants resulted in a combined recovery for the family of ,763,000 – as well as an agreement by the dealership to improve their training of its technicians to improve consumer safety.

A frequent lecturer at a wide variety of legal education seminars, Mr. Shea travels throughout the country sharing his expertise with his professional peers. He has appeared on national news programs, including NBC News, and has authored numerous articles in legal publications on various topics.

Mr. Shea is a member of several professional organizations, including the Board of Governors of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, the Board of Directors of the Attorneys Information Exchange Group, the Consumer Attorneys of California, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, and the American Association for Justice.

A 1990 graduate of UCLA, Mr. Shea earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles in 1993. When on break from his legal practice, he enjoys spending time with his family and coaching his son in a variety of youth sports, as well as serving on the Board of several youth sports leagues, including the local football league, basketball league, and Little League.

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Laurie E. Smith, Esq.
Career Law Clerk
U.S. District Court, Central District of California

Laurie Smith has served as a career law clerk for the Honorable John F. Walter, U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of California for more than 15 years. Prior to that, Ms. Smith litigated at several law firms in Northern and Southern California. Ms. Smith served as Managing Editor for the Virginia Tax Review Law Journal and is a 1996 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law.

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Paul Traina, Esq.
Trial Attorney
Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP

Paul Traina has practiced law for the past 25 years spending his first five years representing automobile manufacturers and insurance companies and the last twenty years representing consumers on a pure contingency basis. Paul is an experienced, fiercely competitive litigator and trial lawyer and has obtained verdicts and recoveries for his clients totaling over 3 billion dollars.  Paul has and continues to represent clients in matters involving catastrophic injuries, defective products, whistleblower litigation, class actions, professional liability cases, and business/commercial litigation and is a frequent guest lecturer at Loyola Law Schools Trial Advocacy Class. Paul has lectured around the country on topics ranging from class actions, conflicts of interest, opening and closing arguments, and direct and cross examinations of both lay and expert witnesses.

Paul was born and raised in Charlotte, Michigan. He attended the University of Minnesota where he earned degrees in History, Political Science and Philosophy.  After college, he moved to California for law school where he attended Pepperdine University.  During law school, he clerked at various firms and the Ventura Public Defenders Office. After graduation, Paul started his legal career at the defense firm of Harrington, Foxx, Dubrow and Canter where he worked for 4 years doing heavy litigation and trying cases.

In 1996, Paul joined the prestigious law firm of Engstrom Lipscomb & Lack, a firm made famous by the PG&E chromium-6 matter portrayed in the blockbuster movie Erin Brockovich.  As young partner, Paul litigated and tried large complex injury cases on behalf of businesses and consumers with both Walter Lack and Thomas Girardi and continued litigating and trying cases during his tenure at Engstrom before joining the Stalwart Law Group in July of 2017.

Paul is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and Consumer Attorneys of California. He was recognized as one of Southern California’s Super lawyers from 2004-2009.

Paul routinely speaks on legal matters with sitting federal and state judges and other experienced litigators.

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Jennie Wang VonCannon, CIPP/US
Partner
Crowell & Moring LLP

Jennie Wang VonCannon is a partner in the Los Angeles office and is a member of the firm’s White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement and Privacy & Cybersecurity groups. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US). Jennie previously served for over 11 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and was appointed the Deputy Chief of the Cyber & Intellectual Property Crimes Section of the National Security Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Jennie now practices white-collar criminal and regulatory defense with a focus on data privacy and cybersecurity matters, and litigates a wide range of matters in state and federal court. In December 2021, she was part of the trial team that secured a full acquittal after three months of trial for a doctor charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California with 33 health care fraud-related felonies.

During her tenure as a federal prosecutor for the Central District of California, Jennie investigated and prosecuted computer intrusion, trade secret theft, cyberstalking and extortion, and copyright infringement cases, and supported a law enforcement squad dedicated to the investigation and disruption of national security threats posed by a particular nation-state. As a former member of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force of the Criminal Division, Jennie also investigated and prosecuted myriad offenses, including street gang racketeering, large-scale narcotics, child exploitation and human trafficking, bank and mail fraud, and identity theft.

Jennie is the chair and founding member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) Privacy and Cybersecurity Section, and an executive committee and life member of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. She has spoken at several industry programs on key topics such as: the California Privacy Rights Act, Ethical Duties of Technology Competence, and The Impact of the 2020 U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission Report.

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Fees

Registration fees are per person.

LIVE WEBCAST REGISTRATION FEES:

Individual: $425

Group: $404 per person for 2 or more from the same company registering at the same time

Government employee/Legal Aid* Rate: $380

Law Students/paralegals*: $240 (current JD students only)

IN PERSON REGISTRATION FEES:

Individual: $445

Group: $424 per person for 2 or more from the same company pre-registering at the same time

Government employee/Legal Aid* Rate: $399

Law Students/paralegals*: $260 (current JD students only)

 

Program materials:

Registration includes an electronic copy (.pdf) of your seminar handbook .  This will be emailed to all attendees one week in advance of the program.  Be sure to check your spam folder if you don’t see it by then.  Please put info@pincusproed.com in your address book to make sure you receive your pdf of the program handbook.

Like almost all legal CLE events, we provide your handbook in electronic form only, as just described, to reduce the significant waste of paper that otherwise occurs.

However, for in-person attendees only: If you would also like to order a printed copy of the seminar handbook, you may purchase it in advance. This will be provided to you the day of the program when you check in.  A printed copy of the handbook $25.  To do so, please be sure to check the box when you register.  If you want a hard copy, please order it when you register; there may not be any available for purchase the day of the program.

Printed handouts are not available for live webcast attendees.  Please do not select handout when you register if you are going to attend via live webcast.

* Law Student Rate is for current law students only.  Please bring your law school ID to show when you check in for the program.

** Legal Aid attorneys are those attorneys employed by Legal Aid/non-profit firms.  It does not include attorneys who have their own practice, or are employed by law firms, that volunteer their time for non-profit causes or take on pro-bono cases. It also does not include attorneys who serve on non-profit boards.

Full and partial scholarships may be available to a limited number of Legal Aid attorneys, based upon registration. Please call (877) 858-3848 to discuss or email your request to info@pincusproed.com.

CLE Credits

CA General:  This program is approved for 6.75 units of general CLE in California.

NY General: This course is eligible for approval, under New York’s CLE Approved Jurisdiction policy, for 6.75 CLE units. Pincus Professional Education is a CA Accredited Provider, which is a NY approved jurisdiction. See Section 6 of the New York State CLE Board Regulations and Guidelines for further information.

This program is approved for CLE in the states listed above.  Upon request, Pincus Pro Ed will provide any information an attorney needs to support their application for CLE approval in other states other than what is listed above. Many attorneys ask for this and are approved in other states.