Friday, January 10 • 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET

Troutman Pepper Locke Partner Michael Hartman will be co-chairing and providing the opening remarks for the Practising Law Institute’s (PLI) Class Action 2025 Conference. The conference will take place online and in person on Friday, January 10, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Class action lawsuits remain an integral and exciting part of high stakes litigation. The courts, including the Supreme Court, have taken notice. You will gain the tools and strategies you need to effectively litigate these complex cases. Our outstanding faculty of plaintiffs’ and defense counsel and academics will bring you up to date on important developments in class action litigation. You and your clients will benefit from this program whether your practice focuses on employment law, products liability, toxic tort, securities, antitrust, consumer fraud, or civil rights. The course also includes pragmatic tips on litigation strategies designed to improve your skills and your chances for success in the courtroom.

Partner Melissa O’Donnell will be speaking on the panel, “Best Practices in Litigation and Discovery,” at 11:00 a.m. ET.

This panel will discuss best practices in class action strategy and discovery, including how to effectively manage class action cases and sort through the complex discovery issues that often arise in the class action setting. After attending this panel, participants will be able to:

• Understand how litigation strategies have evolved based on recent Supreme Court and appellate class action rulings
• Build off “lessons learned” by lawyers prosecuting and defending major class actions lover the last few years.
• Assess considerations of discovery proportionality of in class action cases, including how litigants and Courts approach the issue of proportionality
• Negotiate discovery protocols, including ESI, expert stipulations, privilege protocols and protective orders
• Develop strategies for discovery from cell phones, social media, and other nontraditional sources.
• Better work with opposing counsel, third parties, and experts regarding the collection and analysis of transactional and other data
• Evaluate the interplay between discovery and engaging in the efficient and productive settlement and mediation of class action cases