ETHICS, SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, MINORITIES IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
AND PRACTICAL TIPS FOR TRIAL LAWYERS ON AGENDA FOR MIAMI PROGRAM

CHICAGO, April 17, 2006 -- Practical information and trial techniques, coupled with programming to explore hot issues in law and the legal profession will be on the agenda for trial lawyers attending the American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section Spring Meeting on May 17 - 21 at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami. High on the agenda will be a luncheon on May 18 featuring Mark Curriden who will speak on legal history, focusing on a turn of the century lynching trial that changed the course of history and is an example of how lawyers and the legal system can be effective champions of individual rights. Curriden’s talk will be based on his book Contempt of Court: A Turn of the Century Lynching That Launched 100 Years of Federalism.
 
The program will bring together plaintiffs’ lawyers, defense lawyers, and insurance and corporate counsel for in depth-programming designed to address rapidly changing issues in law and practice.  The meeting will feature nationally recognized experts who will address trends and hot topics in the following plenary sessions:

• Ethical Issues in Insurance Defense Litigation
• The Legal Landscape of Same-Sex Marriage and Domestic Partner Benefits, Rights and Responsibilities
• Glass Ceilings to Open Doors: Minority Advancement in the Legal Profession
• Winning Your Case – What’s Voir Dire Got to Do With It?

In addition to high profile panel discussions and continuing legal education programs, TIPS committees will be meeting and doing in-depth analysis of new and emerging issues in insurance and liability law.  Among the subjects on the table for the committees are animal law, medicine and the law, various insurance issues, employment law, toxic torts, the contingent fee, consumer law and worker’s compensation.

A full brochure for the meeting, including a list of speakers, can be found at www.abanet.org/tips/spring06/home.html.

The ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section is the only national professional group to bring together plaintiffs’ lawyers, defense lawyers and insurance and corporate counsel for the exchange of information and ideas. The section has more than 36,000 members and 34 general committees that focus on substantive and procedural matters in areas including aviation and space law, fidelity and surety law, medical malpractice, transportation law and others.  

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law in a democratic society.

Editors Note: Reporters are invited to cover sessions at the TIPS Spring Meeting free of charge.  Media credentials can be obtained by contacting Deborah Weixl, ABA Division for Media Relations and Communication Services, at 312/988-6126 or e-mail weixld@staff.abanet.org.

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