Conversations on Civil Justice: Do We Need an International Court of Civil Justice? Friday, April 4, 2025, 1:00 p.m. PT
What is a transnational mass tort? How are these cases currently being handled? Do we need an international court of civil justice for these cases? Please join Maya Steinitz, Professor of Law at Boston University School of Law and author of The Case for an International Court of Civil Justice, and renowned mediator Ken Feinberg for a discussion of the issues.
Plaintiff-Side Practice: Scholars and Practitioners in Dialogue, Friday, March 7, 2025, Chicago, Illinois
This symposium brought together scholarly and practitioner perspectives on plaintiff-side practice to explore topics such as the history of the plaintiffs’ bar, the impacts of tort reform, the role of plaintiff-side litigation in public interest law, the implications of the changing role of the civil jury, and how complex litigation may be changing plaintiff-side litigation. Cosponsored with the American Bar Foundation (ABF), with additional support from the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Mass Torts Bankruptcies
Defendants in mass torts are increasingly filing for bankruptcy, raising significant concerns for plaintiffs who had expected to resolve their claims via traditional litigation methods. This program discussed why bankruptcy cases involving mass torts are sometimes controversial, how proceedings in bankruptcy cases impact those with claims involving mass torts, and the likely future issues in these cases. Featuring The Honorable William J. Lafferty, III, Bankruptcy Judge in the Northern District of California, Professor Andrew Bradt of Berkeley Law, and Leslie A. Brueckner of Singleton Schreiber. Made possible with support from the AAJ’s Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Conversations on Civil Justice: Legal Issues After a Disaster, Friday, January 24, 2025, 1:00 p.m. PT
Why is litigation an important part of providing civil justice following disasters such as fires and hurricanes? How does litigation help to deliver relief for those affected? What can we expect in future and currently pending disaster related litigation? This program discussed some of the legal issues that arise after a disaster with Gerald Singleton, Managing Partner at Singleton Schreiber and Michal Meilar, Partner at Ver Ploeg & Marino. The Conversations on Civil Justice Series is supported by a gift from the AAJ’s Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Conversations on Civil Justice: Post-Chevron Deference to Agency Interpretations of the Law: The Implications of Loper Bright, Friday, December 6, 2024, 1-2 p.m. Pacific Time (webinar)
Why is it now easier to challenge federal agency interpretations of the law? How have recent Supreme Court decisions changed the legal analysis for regulatory challenges? What are the implications for federal agencies and civil litigation? This program discussed post-Chevron deference to agency interpretations of the law, and the implications of Loper Bright with Matt Wessler of Gupta Wessler, Berkeley Law Professor Sharon Jacobs, and Judge Jeremy Fogel (Ret.), Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute. The Conversations on Civil Justice Series is supported by a gift from the AAJ’s Robert L. Habush Endowment. Cosponsored with the Berkeley Judicial Institute.
Conversations on Civil Justice: The Latest Developments in Mandatory Arbitration, Friday, November 1, 2024, 1-1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (webinar)
Why is mandatory arbitration increasingly under challenge? How might recent research on consumer understandings of mandatory arbitration change the analysis? What are the latest legal and political developments in this area? This program discussed the latest developments in mandatory arbitration with F. Paul Bland, co-chair of Appeals and Complex Briefing at Berger Montague and one of the nation’s leading appellate lawyers challenging forced arbitration clauses, and Professor Myriam Gilles of Cardozo Law, a leading mandatory arbitration scholar. The Conversations on Civil Justice Series is supported by a gift from the AAJ’s Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Suing the Firearms Industry: The Latest Attempts to Hold Gunmakers Accountable, Friday, October 18, 2024, 1-1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (webinar)
Why is it so difficult to hold gun manufacturers liable for gun violence? How are some cases attempting to hold gunmakers accountable? What are states doing to make it easier to sue? This program discussed the latest developments in gun liability litigation with Alinor Sterling, counsel for the plaintiffs in the Sandy Hook Litigation, and Robert S. Peck , President of the Center for Constitutional Litigation and author of several articles on holding corporations, including gun manufacturers, accountable. Supported by a gift from the AAJ’s Robert L. Habush Endowment.
NoticeAsisst: The Future of Class Action Drafting, Tuesday, September 17th, 2024, 11 a.m. Pacific Time (webinar)
In this program, the Impact Fund introduced their new, free class notice software, aimed at making class notices simpler and more readable.
Unjust Debt, Friday, August 16, 2024, 12-1 p.m. Pacific Time (webinar)
This program featured Berkeley Law bankruptcy guru Professor Abbye Atkinson in conversation with University of North Carolina School of Law’s Professor Melissa Jacoby about her book, UNJUST DEBTS.
Conversations on Civil Justice: Artificial Intelligence and Evidence, Friday, April 19, 2024, 1-1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (webinar)
AI is changing the way civil litigation is practiced. What are the implications for the evaluation and presentation of evidence? This program considered this question by providing some technical background on AI and discussing some of the potential legal issues. Professors and Law and Technology experts Michele E. Gilman (University of Baltimore) and Andrew Selbst (UCLA) were our featured speakers. Presented with support from the AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Symposium: Artificial Intelligence and Evidentiary Considerations, Friday, April 12, 2024, 8:30 A.M. – 5:30 P.M., Goldberg Room, Berkeley, CA
This in-person symposium brought together leading scholars, practitioners and judges to discuss how developments in Artificial Intelligence may impact the presentation and admissibility of evidence in civil cases. Cosponsored with the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology. Presented with support from the AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Conversations on Civil Justice: Social Media, Privacy, and Free Speech, Friday, March 22nd, 2024, 1-1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (webinar)
What are the cutting-edge issues in the courts on social media, privacy, and free speech? What’s moving in Congress and state legislatures? And what’s on the radar for state and federal action? Please join us for a discussion of the complex legal landscape related to social media, privacy and free speech – with consumer privacy litigation expert, Andre Mura of Gibbs Law, and Nicole Ozer, Technology & Civil Liberties Director of the ACLU of Northern California. Presented with support from AAJ’s Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Democracy’s Last Line of Defense: Preserving an Independent Judiciary, Thursday, March 14, 2024 (Boston)
This Symposium with the National Judicial College brought together prominent members of the judiciary and the legal profession who are concerned about threats to a fair and impartial judiciary.
Symposium on the Sex Abuse Litigation, Feb. 29, 4-5:30 p.m., Berkeley Law
This in-person short symposium on the sex abuse litigation featured presentations from two leading sex abuse litigation practitioners, Ray Boucher and John Manly, with two leading scholars on the legal profession, Laura Beth Nielsen (Northwestern) and Robert Nelson (American Bar Foundation). Cosponsored with the Berkeley Center for Law and Society.
Conversations on Civil Justice: How to Evaluate a Case, Friday, February 23, 2024, 1-1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (webinar)
What are the most important considerations in evaluating potential civil litigation? How do litigators and litigation funders assess cases differently? Please join us for a discussion of case assessment and evaluation with Roman Silberfeld, National Trial Chair of Robins Kaplan, LLP, and Allison K. Chock, Director, Omni Bridgeway Management (USA), LLC, for a discussion of the issues from their different perspectives. Presented with support from the Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Impact Fund Class Action Conference 2024, Thursday - Friday, February 22 - 23, 2024 (San Francisco & webinar)
Each year, the Impact Fund hosts this invitation-only event to bring together leading plaintiffs' class action practitioners to discuss important new developments, share knowledge and ideas, and develop strategies for the future. The Conference provided an unparalleled opportunity for attendees to connect and forge relationships with like-minded advocates across the country.
Conversations on Civil Justice: Jurisdiction After Mallory, Friday, February 9, 2024, 1 - 2 p.m. Pacific Time (webinar)
How has Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co changed corporate exposure to jurisduction? What are the remaining limits on personal jurisdiction? This webinar featured Ashely Keller and Zina Bash (both of Keller Postman), who argued the Mallory case in the Supreme Court on behalf of the plaintiffs, along with civil procedure expert Andrew Bradt (Professor, Berkeley Law) for a discussion of the state of personal jurisdiction after Mallory. Moderated by Judge Jeremy D. Fogel (Ret.) (Berkeley Judicial Institute). Presented with support from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment and the Berkeley Judicial Institute.
Access to Justice in California: Challenges and Policy Innovations, January 26, 2024, Santa Moncia, CA
Cosponsored by the Deborah L. Rhode Center for the Legal Profession at Stanford Law, the RAND Institute for Civil Justice, the UCLA School of Law Program on Legal Ethics and the Profession and the Civil Justice Research Initiative. An invite-only, educational gathering that brought together policymakers, academics and legal services providers to learn about national developments in regulation and access to justice.
Conversations on Civil Justice: Justice at Trial, Friday, December 1, 2023, 1 - 1:30 P.M. (Webinar)
What does it take to be a great trial lawyer? What is their role in advancing social justice? This short webinar featured renowned trial lawyer James Brosnahan (Morrison Forester) discussing his new book Justice at Trial with Denyse Clancy (Kazan, Mclain, Satterley & Greenwood), one of a handful of lawyers in the country who is nationally recognized in both trial and appellate advocacy. Brosnahan has tried an astonishing 150 cases to conclusion and was named among the top 30 trial lawyers in the United States in the Legal 500. Clancy has served as lead counsel in cases recognized in the National Law Journal’s Top 100 verdicts listing and is the winner of the National Civil Justice Institute’s Appellate Advocacy award. The Conversations in Civil Justice series, including this program, is sponsored by the AAJ’s Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Symposium: The N.D. of California Class Action Guidelines, Thursday, November 1, 2023, 3 - 5:30 P.M. Pacific Time, Bancroft Hotel, Berkeley, CA
This in-person program brought together leading scholars, practitioners and judges for a discussion of the special class action guidelines in the N.D. of California. Cosponsored with The Impact Fund and the Federal Bar Association of the Northern District of California.
The Making of Lawyers' Careers: Inequality and Opportunity in the Legal Profession, October 16, 2023, 2240 Pidemont and via Zoom
How do race, class, gender and law school status condition the career trajectories of lawyers? And how do professionals navaigate these parameters? This program featured a discussion with Robert Nelson, Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University and co-author of a new book that provides an account of the last two decades in the legal profession in the United States. Cosponsored with the Center for the Study of Law and Society and the Center for Law and Work.
Conversations on Civil Justice: The Supreme Court and Judicial Review, Friday, September 29, 2023, 1 - 1:30 P.M. Pacific Time (Webinar)
What is the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review? How and why is that power currently being challenged? This program featured a discussion of the issues with Supreme Court advocate Deepak Gupta of Gupta Wessler and Jennifer Ahearn of the Brennan Center. The Conversations in Civil Justice series, including this program, was sponsored by the AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
The Civil Legal Aid Crisis in Eviction Cases: Options and Opportunities, Friday, June 23, 2023, 8AM – 5:30 P.M. Eastern Time
This program, cohosted with the RAND Institute for Civil Justice and the Berkeley Judicial Institute discussed the civil legal aid crisis in housing cases and identified actionable strategies for change. An average day in a typical housing court will see about 97% of tenants appearing without an attorney. Conversely, about 81% of landlords appear with legal representation. In an adversarial legal system that assumes both parties have representation, tenants can be at a severe disadvantage. This disparity persists despite research that shows the vast majority of tenants with representation experience positive outcomes. They avoid displacement or meet their goal of achieving additional time to move out, allowing them to locate long-term safe and stable housing. This program was supported by a generous gift from the AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Conversations on Civil Justice: Policing and Civil Justice, Friday, April 28, 2023, 10 - 10:30 A.M. Pacific Time (Webinar)
Why does civil litigation so rarely result in justice for police misconduct? What are the legal and social costs of this protection for police? This program featured a discussion of these issues with Professor Osagie K. Obasogie (Berkeley Law and UC Berkeley School of Public Health) and Professor Joanna Schwartz (UCLA Law), author of "Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable (2023)."
Section 1983 and Police Use of Force: Building A Civil Justice Framework, Berkeley Law Warren Room, April 14, 2023
Conversations regarding police use of force have been persistent over the past several years as social movements following repeated police killings have demanded change and accounting. Section 1983 is the most often used mechanism to pursue civil suits against police officers for using excessive force that violates constitutional rights. This symposium, cohosted in collaboration with the California Law Review, explored the importance of bringing a civil justice perspective to Section 1983 use of force litigation. Speakers included Fred Smith, Jr. (Emory Law), Hedwig Lee (Duke Sociology), Erin Kerrison (Berkeley Social Welfare), Justin Feldman (Harvard Epidemiology), Frank Rudy Cooper (UNLV Law), Derecka Purnell (Columbia Law), Sarah Staszak (Princeton), Ndjuoh MeChu (Seton Hall Law), Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, Naomi Murakawa (Princeton African American Studies), Nikki Jones (Berkeley African American Studies), Joanna Schwartz (UCLA Law), Seth Stoughton (University of South Carolina Law), The Hon. Carlton W. Reeves, Professor Osagie Obasogie (Berkeley Law and Public Health), Dean Erwin Chemerinsky (Berkeley Law) and celebrated civil rights attorneys John Burris and Paul Hoffman. This program was supported by a generous gift from the AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Berkeley Boosts: Conversations on Civil Justice — The Civil Justice Crisis in Housing Cases, Friday, April 7, 2023, 10 - 10:30 A.M. Pacific Time (Webinar)
An average day in a typical housing court will see about 97% of tenants appearing without a lawyer while an average 81% of landlords have legal representation. What are the implications of this gross inequity for the civil justice system as a whole? How are courts dealing with the crisis? And what steps might be taken to address it? This program featured a discussion of the issues with the CJRI’s Richard Jolly (Professor at Southwestern Law); John Pollock, Coordinator of the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel; and Meghan Gordon, Housing Director for the East Bay Community Law Center.
Berkeley Boosts: Conversations on Civil Justice — Gun Liability Litigation, Friday, October 21, 2022, 10 - 10:30 A.M. Pacific Time (Webinar)
What are the latest developments in gun liability litigation? What works? What doesn’t? What are the best strategies for ensuring access to justice in the future? This program featured a conversation with Jonathan Lowy, a leading gun liability litigator and Executive Director of Global Action on Gun Violence, and Heidi Li Feldman, Professor of Law at Georgetown University, who is an expert on both the civil justice system and gun litigation.
Berkeley Boosts: Conversations on Civil Justice — Judicial Ethics and the Supreme Court, Friday, October 14, 2022, 10 - 10:30 A.M. Pacific Time (Webinar)
Should U.S. Supreme Court justices be held to the same ethical code of conduct as other federal judges? Is legislation needed to increase the transparency and accountability of the Court? What would be the implications of such legislation? This program featured Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, and Professor Amanda Tyler (Berkeley Law), an expert on the Supreme Court and author of "Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life's Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union" (2021) (with Ruth Bader Ginsburg). Topics included the pending legislative proposal, “The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act.”
Berkeley Boosts: Conversations on Civil Justice — Climate Change Litigation, Friday, September 16, 2022, 10 - 10:30 A.M. Pacific Time (Webinar)
What is the role of civil litigation in the movement to address climate change? What are the access to justice challenges in this area and what types of litigation are the most likely to be successful? Join us for a discussion of the latest developments with Matt Edling, counsel for the plaintiffs in BP P.L.C. v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and several other pending climate change cases, and Emily N. Strauss (Berkeley and Duke Law), author of a new paper on "Climate Change and Shareholder Lawsuits."
Ethics For Public Interest Attorneys, Wednesday, August 3, 2022, 12 - 1 P.M. Pacific Time (Webinar)
Public interest attorneys face unique ethical issues representing low-income workers, undocumented residents, unhoused community members, organizational plaintiffs, and others that may be unfamiliar with the legal process. This program provided ethics experts' advice on how to handle the sticky situations that sometimes arise.
Democracy's Last Line of Defense, Thursday, May 26, 2022, Chicago
A symposium on why and how to preserve the rule of law and an independent, impartial judiciary. This program featured leading figures from the legal, judicial, political, academic and media worlds. Organized by the CJRI in collaboration with the National Judicial College, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Berkeley Judicial Institute and Robins Kaplan, LLP.
Berkeley Boosts: Conversations on Civil Justice -- The Media and the Courts, May 6th, 10-10:30 a.m. Pacific Time (via Zoom)
This webinar discussed the changing relationship between the media and courts, featuring journalist Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor and legal correspondent for Slate, in conversation with Professor Michael W. McCann, Gordon Hirabayashi Professor for the Advancement of Citizenship at the University of Washington. The program was supported by a gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Berkeley Boosts: Conversations on Civil Justice -- Arbitration, Friday, April 15th, from 10-10:30 a.m. Pacific Time (via Zoom)
In recent years, we’ve seen a dramatic growth in the use of mandatory, binding arbitration in the United States. How have these developments impacted access to justice? What are the latest developments in arbitration? What can we expect to see in the future? This program featured Karla Gilbride, Co-Director of the Access to Justice Project at Public Justice and counsel of record in Morgan v. Sundance (an arbitration case currently pending in the Supreme Court) and Sarah Staszak (Princeton), author of Privatizing (In) Justice: Arbitration and Litigation Reform in the U.S. (forthcoming, University of Chicago Press). The program was supported by a gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Access to Justice and the Sex Abuse Litigation, Friday, March 18, 2022, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time (via Zoom)
What are the best strategies for ensuring access to justice for sexual abuse and assault and preventing future abuse? This program featured a conversation with John C. Manly, the nation's preeminent attorney representing victims of sexual abuse and assault. The program was supported by a gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Bankruptcy and Mass Torts
Do bankruptcy proceedings in mass torts cases raise access to justice concerns? The U.S. Senate recently held a hearing on whether corporate bankruptcy filings are helping mass tort defendants to avoid accountability in the courts. This program discussed the issues and how they might be resolved. Featuring Professor Sergio J. Campos from the University of Miami School of Law and Budd Attorney Ellen Noble, a nonprofit practitioner with Public Justice. The program was supported by a gift from AAJ’s Robert L. Habush Endowment
Civil Justice and Local Organizations, Monday, January 24, 2022, 12:45 - 2 p.m. Pacific Time, via Zoom
For this program, the CJRI joined the Berkeley Center for Law and Society in hosting Professor Jamila Michener (Cornell) to present research on how non-legal grassroots organizations engage civil legal processes and shape the contours of civil justice.
Attacks on the Courts, Friday, January 14, 2022
This two hour Zoom event focused on some of the ethical issues raised by increased attacks on the independence and legitimacy of the courts. Featured speakers included: Alicia Bannon of the Brennan Center, The Honorable Reggie B. Walton (U.S.D.C. D.C), Dean Erwin Chemerinsky (Berkeley Law), Professor Nora Engstrom (Stanford Law), Professor Leslie C. Levin (UCONN Law), Professor Elizabeth G. Thornburg (SMU Law), James Brosnahan (Morrison & Foerster), and Denyse Clancy (Kazan Law). The event was supported by a generous gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Berkeley Boosts: The Gender of Gideon, Friday, November 19, 2021, 10 - 10:30 a.m.
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI is hosting a selection of webinars on civil legal issues. This program featured a discussion of recent research by Professors Kathryn A. Sabbeth and Jessica K. Steinberg suggesting that the constitutional guarantee of counsel adopted by the Supreme Court in Gideon v. Wainright accrues largely to the benefit of men, primarily because the decision ignores that millions of women face compulsory and highly punitive encounters with the justice system in the civil courts. Qudsiya Naqui, an Officer with the Civil Legal System Modernization Project at Pew Charitable Trusts joined the professors to discuss the potential implications of Sabbeth’s and Steinberg’s research for expanding access to civil justice.
Berkeley Boosts, Rural Access to Justice, October 22, 2021, 10 - 10:30 a.m.
This program focused on rural access to justice and judging and featured a discussion of Dr. Michele Statz’s recent research on rural access to justice considerations, with comments from Judge Gwen Topping of the Red Cliff Tribal Court. The program was supported by a generous gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Berkeley Boosts: New Issues in Litigation Funding, Friday, October 15, 2021, 10 - 10:30 a.m.
This short webinar, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI focused on new issues in litigation funding and featured Professor Maya Steinitz (University of Iowa College of Law), one of the nation’s leading experts on litigation finance, and Allison K. Chock, Chief Investment Officer – United States, for Omni Bridgeway, a global leader in dispute finance. This program was supported by a generous gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment. A video of this event will be posted shortly.
Selection of Leadership in MDLs, Friday, September 17, 2021 , 1- 3 p.m.
This two hour Zoom event focused on issues related to adequacy of representation, court approval of potential settlements and equitable issues in the selection of the Plaintiffs Steering Committee. The event was supported by a generous gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Qualified Immunity and Civil Rights Claims, Friday, August 27, 2021, 1 - 3 p.m.
This special two-hour webinar provided an overview of current law and prospects for change for the doctrine of qualified immunity in civil rights cases. The program featured Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, Berkeley Law, with comments from Professor Karen Blum of Suffolk Law; Nusrat Jahan Choudury, Legal Director of the ACLU of Illinois; and Judge Carlton Reeves. The event was supported by a generous gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment
Berkeley Boosts Webinar: The Implications of Nestle v. Doe, Friday, August 20, 2021, 10 - 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI is hosting a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during Covid-19. In this half-hour webinar, Professors Paul Hoffman (UC Irvine School of Law) and Beth Van Schaack (Stanford Law) discussed the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Nestle v. Doe for human rights litigation in U.S. courts. The program was supported by a generous gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
CJRI Civil Justice Awards Ceremony, CSLS & JSP Reception, May 28th, 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time
Thanks to a generous gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment, on May 28, 2021, the CJRI presented Marc Galanter (Wisconsin Law) with CJRI's first Historic Achievement in Civil Justice Research award and Nora Engstrom (Stanford Law) with CJRI's inaugural Best Article prize.
Berkeley Boosts Webinar: Debt Collection During Covid | Friday, April 16 | 10 AM PT
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI is hosting a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during Covid-19. In this half-hour webinar, Erika Rickard of Pew Charitable Trusts and Miguel Soto of the East Bay Community Law Center discussed debt collection issues during Covid. The event was supported by a generous gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
A Conversation with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.)| Wednesday, April 14 | 1 PM PT
A discussion, including extended Q&A, with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.). Co-sponsored with the Berkeley Law consumer Advocacy and Protection Society, and the UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice.
Berkeley Boosts Webinar: Insurance Issues for Small Businesses During Covid | Friday, March 12 | 10 AM PT
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI is hosting a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during Covid-19. In this half-hour webinar, Andre Mura of Gibbs Law Group and Summer Gerbing and Lani Torres of the East Bay’s iconic Ivy Room discussed a range of insurance-related issues that small businesses have had to navigate during the pandemic. The event was supported by a generous gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
A Conversation with Rep. Katie Porter (CA)| Wednesday, February 17 | 1 PM PT
A discussion with Rep. Katie Porter, a CJRI Board member. Co-sponsored with the Berkeley Law Consumer Advocacy and Protection Society, the UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice and the Berkeley Law student chapter of the American Constitution Society.
Access to Justice and Legal Services Regulatory Reform| Monday, February 8 | 12:45 PM PT
Across the country, a range of regulatory reforms are afoot that seek to expand access to civil justice by permitting new ways of funding, staffing, delivering and profiting from legal services. Professor Rebecca Sandefur of Arizona State University provided an overview of these developments and discussed what empirical evidence tells us about which developments are the most promising. Co-sponsored with the Center for the Study of Law and Society and the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice.
Berkeley Boosts Webinar: Civil Remedies for Voting Rights Violations | Friday, December 4 | 10 AM PT
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI is hosting a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during Covid-19. This webinar discussed civil remedies for voting rights violations. Speakers included Professor Justin Levitt, Loyola Law, and Kristen Clarke, President & Executive Director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The program took place on Friday, December 4th at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, via Zoom. This event was supported by a generous gift from AAJ's Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Berkeley Boosts Webinar: Attacks on the Judiciary | Friday, November 13 | 10 AM PT
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI is hosting a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during Covid-19. This webinar discussed the implications of recent attacks on the judiciary. Speakers included James J. Brosnahan, Morrison & Foerster and Denyse Clancy, Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood. The program took place on Friday, November 13th at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, via Zoom. This event was supported by a generous gift from the Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Valerie Hans, Professor of Law, Cornell Law, Deciding on Dollars | Berkeley Online | October 30, 2020
Legal systems often require the translation of qualitative assessments into quantitative judgments, yet the conversion process can be challenging. Civil jurors report that arriving at damage awards that are commensurate with a plaintiff’s injuries is one of the most difficult aspects of their decision making. In this webinar, Professor Hans presented recent experimental and survey research that helps us to better understand the process by which jurors move from qualitative judgments about the severity of an injury to quantitative decisions about money damage awards. The event was supported by a generous gift from the Robert L. Habush Endowment.
THE EFFECTS OF IDEOLOGY, RACE AND GENDER ON CLASS CERTIFICATION DECISIONS | Friday, October 16 | 1250-2 PT
Professors Burbank (Penn Law) and Farhang (Berkeley Law) presented their research on the effects of ideology, race and gender on the voting behavior of Federal Court of Appeals judges when members of three-judge panels decide issues of class certification. The program took place via Zoom on Friday, October 16th from 12:50 - 2:00 pm. The event was supported by a generous gift from the Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Symposium: Covid-19 and the Courts cohosted with the RAND Corporation | via Zoom | October 1, 2020
This all-day virtual symposium featured discussions among practitioners, scholars, and judges on some of the key issues that have arisen during the pandemic in regard to resolving civil disputes, such as meeting the challenges of civil jury trials and pre-trial management in the era of social distancing, developing effective court rules to address a rapidly changing legal environment, and preparing for what the future may hold. The program took place via Zoom on Thursday, October 1st from 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This event was supported by a generous gift from the Robert L. Habush Endowment.
Brian Fitzpatrick, The Conservative Case for Class Actions | Berkeley Online | September 25, 2020
Vanderbilt Law Professor Brian Fitzpatrick discussed his new book, The Conservative Case for Class Actions. This event was supported by a generous gift from the Robert L. Habush Endowment.
EMPLOYMENT LAW DURING COVID-19 | Friday, September 4 | 10:00 AM PDT |
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI is hosting a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during COVID-19. This webinar discussed issues of employment law, including the obligation of employers to provide safe work environments for essential workers. Speakers: Professor Catherine Fisk, Berkeley Law, and Jennie Lee Anderson. This event was supported by a generous gift from the Robert L. Habush Endowment.
THE PANDEMIC AND INEQUALITY | Friday, August 14 | 10:00 AM PDT
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI is hosting a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during COVID-19. This webinar discussed the impacts of the pandemic on inequality with Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law, and Zoë Melissa Polk, Executive Director of the East Bay Community Law Center.
COVID 19'S IMPACT ON CONSUMER LAW | Friday, July 31 | 10:00 AM PDT
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI hosted a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during COVID-19. Our fourth webinar was on the impact that the pandemic crisis has had on consumers, including practical constraints in consumer pursuit of claims, and effects of pending consumer protection legislation. Speakers: Deepak Gupta and Professor Lauren Willis.
CASE MANAGEMENT DURING A PANDEMIC | Friday, July 10 | 10:00 AM PDT
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI hosted a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during COVID-19. This webinar explored the logistics of how courts and litigants have managed their dockets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers: Roman Silberfeld, National Trial Chair for Robins Kaplan LLP and leading litigator in complex civil actions. And Lori Cohen, Vice Chair of Greenberg Traurig, also a leading litigator in complex civil suits.
CIVIL REMEDIES FOR POLICE BRUTALITY | Friday, June 12 | 10:00 AM PDT
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI hosted a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during COVID-19. Our second webinar was on Civil Remedies for Police Brutality featuring human rights lawyer Paul Hoffman and policing scholar Jeannine Bell.
JURY TRIALS IN THE ERA OF COVID-19 | Friday, May 22 | 10:00 AM PDT
As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI hosted a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during COVID-19. The first webinar was on Jury Trials in the Era of COVID-19, and considered the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and social distancing practices on state and federal courts’ ability to conduct jury trials. Speakers: Robert A. Clifford, Valerie Hans and Richard Jolly, and with introductory remarks by Dean Erwin Chemerinsky.
Hale Litigation Program | Berkeley Law | March 5, 2020
This program brought together the leading trial lawyers in the Hale v. State Farm class action lawsuit, winners of Public Justice's 2019 Trial Lawyer of the Year award, to discuss the outcome of the case and the role of dark money in the judicial system. This program took place on 297 Goldberg Room from 4 to 5:30 PM followed by a reception.
Thinking About Law & Accessing Civil Justice: Legal Consciousness, Dispute Processing, and Civil Legal Needs Today | UC Irvine Law | February 7, 2020
Problems with civil legal implications are incredibly common in everyday life. Yet only a fraction of individuals who experience a civil legal problem will engage legal actors or institutions to address it. While some individuals are able to obtain satisfying and just outcomes without recourse to law, others are not. How do individuals’ knowledge and beliefs about law and legal institutions influence their behavior? How are these beliefs formed? What does this tell us about things we can do to enhance access to civil justice? This conference brought together leading scholars to address these questions about how individuals think about law and the implications for access to civil justice.
Roundtable on Legal Remedies for Racial Trauma | UC Berkeley Law | January 31, 2020
This all day roundtable featured discussions with leading legal and public health scholars and practitioners on how to devise legal remedies to address injuries from racial trauma. This event was cosponsored by the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at Berkeley Law.
USC/George Tyndall Sex Abuse Litigation Program | UC Berkeley Law | January 23, 2020
Lieff Cabraser partner Annika K. Martin spoke on the use of the class action device in institutional sex abuse and assault cases, like the USC/George Tyndall case.
USING LITIGATION TO SHAPE GUN VIOLENCE POLICY | UCI LAW | SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
Richard Bridgford, founder and managing partner of a Newport Beach litigation law firm, drew upon his experience and his representation of hundreds of victims of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting to discuss how litigation can be an effective public policy tool for the adoption of federal laws mandating background checks and an assault weapon ban.
ETHICS IN LITIGATION FUNDING | BERKELEY LAW | SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
This program brought together leading scholars and practitioners to discuss ethical issues in litigation finance. This event was supported by a generous gift from the Robert L. Habush Endowment.
GUN VIOLENCE LITIGATION SYMPOSIUM | BERKELEY LAW | JUNE 24, 2019
This was the second in a series of programs on gun violence featuring scholars, litigators and activists. The series was cosponsored by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education, the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and the Berkeley Law Center for Human Rights.
ETHICS IN ARBITRATION SYMPOSIUM | UC IRVINE, SCHOOL OF LAW | APRIL 26, 2019
The CJRI hosted a symposium on “Ethics in Arbitration” at UC Irvine School of Law. The purpose of the symposium was to draw greater attention to the understudied ethical issues in domestic arbitration. UC Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of Law Carrie Menkel-Meadow, an internationally recognized expert in arbitration, delivered the keynote address at the symposium. This event was supported by a generous gift from the Robert L. Habush Endowment.
WOMEN AT THE SUPREME COURT | APRIL 11, 2019
This was a special program at Berkeley Law featuring women with significant Supreme Court practices.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: VICTIMS, RATEPAYERS, WALL STREET AND AN INTELLIGIBLE ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC POLICY FOR CALIFORNIA'S FUTURE | MARCH 11, 2019
A lunch-time lecture on the fire litigation, co-hosted by the Civil Justice Research Initiative and the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment. Richard K. Bridgford provided an overview of the California fire litigation. Bridgford is a Founding Partner at Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian. He is currently counsel for plaintiffs in several fire cases now pending in California.
CIVIL JURY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM | MARCH 1, 2019
Cohosted with the Civil Jury Project at NYU School of Law, the purpose of this program was to honor jurors and to learn from them about what can be done to improve civil trials.
A PUBLIC FORUM ON GUN VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS | UC BERKELEY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION | JANUARY 14, 2019
The Initiative facilitated a public discussion on the topic of gun violence in schools, featuring scholars, litigators and activists. The forum was co-sponsored by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education, the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and the Berkeley Law Center for Human Rights.
A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID VLADECK | 100 BOALT HALL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA | NOVEMBER 14th, 2018
Our speaker was David Vladeck, former Director of FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection under the Obama administration. Mr. Vladeck discussed: the future of consumer protection and the antitrust law, unfair and deceptive acts and practices, privacy and data security, and more.
EQUAL PAY 3.0: NEW FRONTIERS IN COMBATTING THE WAGE GAP | WARREN ROOM, BERKELEY LAW, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA | OCTOBER 29TH, 2018
This was a thought leadership conversation on equal pay issues presented by the Impact Fund in association with Berkeley Law and the Thelton Henderson Center for Social Justice. Confirmed speakers include Professor Catherine T. Albiston, Lori Andrus, and Patricia Shiu.
A CONVERSATION WITH SUPREME COURT LITIGATOR DEEPAK GUPTA | 100 BOALT HALL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA | OCTOBER 10TH, 2018
A lunch event with Civil Justice Research Initiative, the Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, CAPS, and ACS featuring prominent Supreme Court Litigator Deepak Gupta.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN FEDERAL COURT? | APRIL 9, 2018
The inaugural symposium of the Civil Justice Research Initiative at Berkeley Law brought together leading legal scholars and social scientists from around the country to share their research and discuss the legal process in federal courts.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM? | APRIL 28, 2017
This was a discussion of current obstacles to access to justice and the state of research in the civil justice field. What do we know about the civil justice system? What do we need to know?