Message from the Chair

Allison K. Exall
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Dallas, Texas
aexall@akingump.com

The goal of the Toxic Torts and Environmental Litigation Committee is to address on-going changes in toxic tort and environmental litigation issues in both substantive and procedural areas. We hope that you will consider taking an active role in our Committee as we explore various facets of these issues in the coming year. In this newsletter we report on important evidentiary and procedural developments, including an update on Daubert case law and an article, authored by our former committee chair Alan Rudlin, regarding the use of federal environmental laws in state environmental litigation. In the Spring, we tackle genomics and the legal issues that are likely to arise in toxic tort litigation and environmental regulation in the aftermath of the mapping of the human genome.

In the next few weeks, you will receive an e-mail heralding the establishment of our Committee list serve. We hope that you will take advantage of this great opportunity to communicate with our committee members across the country. Need a recommendation on an mold expert in Florida? Stumped about particularities of state regulation in California? Try sending an e-mail on our list serve. Conclude a successful trial on a novel issue? Tell us about it! I hope the list serve will become an effective tool for fast, easy communication among our members. Take advantage of the collective knowledge of over 800 toxic tort and environmental practitioners who comprise our membership.

For those who like to get involved, there are many opportunities in our Committee. For example, we welcome your input to this Newsletter, either in the form of an article or news about a recent case you successfully tried or settled. Consider hosting a brown bag lunch in your community; volunteering for our Committee public service project; or making a program proposal for an upcoming conference. Let us hear from you!

I hope you will make plans to attend a conference in the coming year. If you were not able to attend the 10th Section Fall Meeting in Portland, Oregon in October (and even if you did attend the Portland conference!), make plans now to attend the 32nd Annual Conference on Environmental Law in Keystone, Colorado from March 13-16, 2003. Section programs are a great way to learn, network and have a lot of fun.

The purpose of this Committee is to serve its members. If you have a suggestion or idea, please send me an e-mail at aexall@akingump.com. I look forward to hearing from you.