LCJ Members Focus on Rule Reform, Emerging Litigation Issues at Fall Meeting

LCJ members gathered at our sold-out Fall Membership Meeting in New York City to consider solutions to pressing concerns in complex litigation and to consider the impact of pending and potential new civil litigation rules. Our fast-paced program, led by Cindy Randall (Microsoft) and Bob Christie (Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice), benefitted from the active participation of nearly 200 LCJ member attorneys.

Adam Ciongoli, Chief Legal and Policy Officer at Fox Corporation and Jon Palmer, Corporate Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Microsoft, led off the program with a conversation about their top concerns and the road ahead.

U.S. District Court Judge Jesse Furman, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules, and Fordham Law Professor Dan Capra, the Advisory Committee’s Reporter, joined us for an “open mic” discussion of recently proposed Rule of Evidence 707, which would address the admissibility of machine generated evidence, including AI generated evidence.

Toyota North America Vice President and General Counsel Elizabeth Gibson joined Microsoft Associate General Counsel Becky Francis and Davis Wright Tremaine’s Fred Burnside to reconsider superiority in class action certification decisions.

American Jury Center’s Stuart Simon was joined by Orrick’s Eric Hochstadt for a startling look at changing juror attitudes, highlighting new research and practical strategies for engaging juries.

We wrapped up Thursday’s program with the provocative – and fun – LCJ Shark Tank, where we considered new ideas for litigation rule improvements. Our Sharks -- Altria Senior Assistant General Counsel Ian Samuel, Troutman Pepper’s Barry Boise, and Orrick’s Wendy Butler Curtis -- were ready with tough questions for our eight rule entrepreneurs. Congratulations to ExxonMobil’s Robert Levy for emerging as this year’s Shark Tank “winner.”

Our Friday program kicked off with Bradley’s Todd Presnell (“Presnell on Privileges”), Google Discovery Counsel Adam Gajadharsingh, and Deere Associate General Counsel Emily Knott, discussing the most important privilege challenges faced by legal departments.

Friday’s finale featured U.S. District Court Judge Karoline Mehalchick, National President of the Federal Bar Association, and California Superior Court Judge Barbara Kronlund, who joined former LCJ President and Ford Counsel Doug Lampe for a conversation on how lawyers and judges can partner to strengthen public trust in the courts.

The meeting also featured a report by LCJ President Scott Kreamer on LCJ’s organizational progress and a presentation by LCJ General Counsel Alex Dahl on opportunities for LCJ member engagement in LCJ’s rule advocacy program. We were also pleased to recognize our 2025 LCJ Outstanding Contributors.

We also took time to celebrate our successes, recognizing the importance of new FRCP 16.1 on MDLs and the enactment of significant new federal amendments providing increased flexibility for privilege logging. Thanks to Scott Kreamer, Chris Guth and Jonathan Redgrave for leading the toast to the new rules.

We look forward to our next in-person member meeting in Washington, DC on May 6-8, 2026.