Conference Agenda
Day 1, Friday, December 01, 2023
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast & Registration
8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Welcome By Co-Chairs
Chad D. Mountain, Maron Marvel, Philadelphia
Shounak "Ruku" K. Sarkar, Maron Marvel, Wilmington, DE
Eric Williams, Williams Law Office LLC, Metairie, LA
8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Mallory Decision
Moderator: Chad D. Mountain, Maron Marvel, Philadelphia
Panel:
Erin C. O’Leary, Fishkin Lucks LLP, New York
Monique M. Weiner, Kuchler Polk Weiner LLC, New Orleans
9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Jones Act Benzene Litigation
Melissa D. Fuller, Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP, New Orleans
Eric Williams, Williams Law Office LLC, Metairie, LA
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Refreshment Break
10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Low Dose Causation and Recent Scientific Literature
Keith Patton, Patton Law, P.C., Albuquerque, NM
Tanya Tyer Smitherman, Henry Oddo Austin & Fletcher, P.C., Dallas
11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Genomics Update
Len van Zyl, CEO, ArrayXpress Inc., Raleigh, NC
Shounak "Ruku" K. Sarkar, Maron Marvel, Wilmington, DE
12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
A Roundtable Discussion Around Proposed Benzene Exposure Levels
Allison Stock, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S. , Vice President | Environmental, Health & Safety, J.S. Held, New Orleans
John Spencer, CIH, CSP, Senior Vice President, J.S. Held, Columbia, MD
2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Benzene Exposure in the Home: Is this the Next Wave of Litigation?
Gregory M. Anding, Kean Miller LLP, Baton Rouge, LA
Linda Broocks, Kean Miller LLP, Houston
James M. Hall Jr., Kean Miller LLP, Houston
Rhon Jones, Beasley Allen Law Firm, Montgomery, AL
Patrick Kerzic, Ph.D., DABT, CTEH, Little Rock, AR
3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Refreshment Break
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Ethics and DEI Panel
• Implications of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
• How to Navigate with the Evolving Landscape Considering the Recent SCOTUS Ruling
William Zoeller, Vice President | EH&S Claims Service Line Lead, J.S. Held, Brooklyn Park, MN
Tricia Estacio, People, Diversity and Inclusion Program Lead, , J.S. Held, Arlington, VA
4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
AI’s Impact on Litigation
Ignatius Grande, Esq., Director, Global Investigations + Strategic Intelligence, Digital Forensics, Corporate Investigations, E-Discovery, Data Security, Berkeley Research Group, LLC, New York
5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
Networking Cocktail Reception
Networking Cocktail Reception Sponsored by JS Held.
