| 8:00
a.m. |
Registrant Check-in
Plimsoll Ballroom Foyer,
3rd Floor |
8:00 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.
|
Excellence in
Diversity Reception honoring Sponsors and Co-hosts
Plimsoll
Ballroom Foyer, 3rd Floor
Open to speakers, sponsors, co-hosts, and
registrants |
8:40 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
|
Acknowledgments
Sponsor
and Co-host Recognition/Sponsor and Co-host Representative
Photos
Plimsoll Ballroom, 3rd
Floor
- Susan R. Laporte, Partner,
Kuchler Polk Weiner, L.L.C., New Orleans, LA, Conclave Chair
- Demarcus J. Gordon, Partner,
Kelly Hart Pitre, New Orleans, LA, Conclave Co-Chair
- Monica M. Vela-Vick, The Dugan
Law Firm, APLC, New Orleans, LA, Conclave Co-Chair
- Co-chairs, LSBA Diversity
Committee
- Chair and Co-chairs,
Conclave
|
| 9:00 a.m. - 9:05
a.m. |
Welcoming Remarks
Recognition
and Introduction of Associate Justice Piper D. Griffin, Louisiana Supreme
Court
Plimsoll
Ballroom, 3rd Floor
- Kristen D. Amond, LSBA Young
Lawyers Division Chair, 2024-2025, Kristen Amond, LLC, New Orleans,
LA
|
| 9:05 a.m. - 9:10
a.m.
|
Welcoming
Remarks
- Associate Justice Piper D.
Griffin, Louisiana Supreme Court, New Orleans,
LA
|
9:10 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.
|
Welcoming Remarks
Introduction of
Plenary Session One Speaker
Plimsoll Ballroom, 3rd
Floor
- Susan R. Laporte, Partner,
Kuchler Polk Weiner, L.L.C., New Orleans, LA, Conclave
Chair
|
9:20 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.
|
Plenary Session
One
- 1.00 General Credit
Hour
Plimsoll Ballroom, 3rd
Floor
Pitch
Perfect
The goal of this moderated session is to have
in-house counsel provide information to outside counsel on the following:
connecting with in-house counsel, and business strategies.
- Denia S. Aiyegbusi, Moderator, Partner, Deutsch Kerrigan
LLP, New Orleans, LA
- Caren M. Cook, Deputy General
Counsel Legal and Business Affairs, Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta,
GA
- Valeria C. Williams, Vice
President, General Counsel, Tennessee Titans, Nashville, TN
- Gregory F. Rouchell, Senior Vice
President of Human Resources, New Orleans Saints & Pelicans, New
Orleans, LA
|
10:20 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
|
Networking Break
|
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
|
Plenary Session Two - Artificial
Intelligence - 1.00
Professionalism Credit Hour
Plimsoll
Ballroom, 3rd
Floor
Artificial
Intelligence: Promises, Challenges, and the Transformation of the Legal
Profession
This session will explore the
transformative impact of artificial intelligence in the legal field. It
will discuss the societal benefits and associated risks of AI, emphasizing
critical issues such as accuracy, confidentiality, and bias. The focus
will extend to the legal profession, highlighting how AI can improve the
delivery of legal services and broaden access to justice. Additionally,
the session will examine AI's applications within courtroom settings and
underscore the necessity for ongoing education of legal professionals in
leveraging AI technology effectively.
- Daniel W. Linna Jr., Director of
Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law,
Chicago, IL
- Julian Posada, Ph.D., Assistant
Professor, American Studies Program, Yale University, New Haven,
CT
|
11:30 a.m. - 11:45
a.m.
|
Transition
Break |
| 11:45 a.m. –
12:10 p.m. |
Luncheon, Presentations, Committee on
Diversity in the Legal Profession Award
River
Ballroom, 3rd Floor
11:45
a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Introduction of Recipient of Committee on Diversity
in the Legal Profession Award
- Susan R. Laporte, Partner,
Kuchler Polk Weiner, L.L.C., New Orleans, LA, Conclave
Chair
12:00
p.m. - 12:10 p.m.
Introduction of Keynote Speaker
- Susan R. Laporte, Partner,
Kuchler Polk Weiner, L.L.C., New Orleans, LA, Conclave
Chair
|
12:10 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.
|
Keynote
Session- 1.00
Professionalism Credit Hour
River
Ballroom, 3rd Floor
The
Future of the Legal Profession: From Diversity to Democracy and Everything
In-Between
Join
us for an engaging conversation with American Bar Association President
Mary Smith as she discusses diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal
profession. From the Supreme Court's affirmative action decision to
attacks on law firms and corporate diversity programs to the ABA's
policies and programs on diversity, this conversation will be focused on
how lawyers can ensure that the legal profession reflects America.
President Smith, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, will discuss
her Native American heritage and the state of Native Americans in the
legal profession and in Louisiana. Finally, she will discuss the work of
the ABA Task Force for American Democracy and the relationship between DEI
and democracy.
- Mary Smith, President, American
Bar Association, Washington, D.C.
- Wayne J. Lee, Moderator,
Partner, Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann, L.L.C., New Orleans,
LA
|
| 1:10
p.m. - 1:20 p.m. |
Transition
Break |
1:20 p.m. – 2:20
p.m.
|
Plenary Session
Three - Best Practices (Jury Selection) - 1.00 Professionalism Credit
Hour
Plimsoll Ballroom, 3rd
Floor
Seeking
Diversity in Jury Selection: Best Practices
Juries
act as the conscience of the communities from which they are drawn. Jury
diversity ensures that this “conscience” truly reflects the community. A
panel of three experts approach the issue of diversity from three
perspectives. Paula Hannaford-Agor, from the National Center for State
Courts, addresses pretrial efforts and research in this area. Dr. Jeffrey
Frederick, renown trial consultant, addresses the issue of diversity in
voir dire and jury selection, focusing on the need to avoid stereotypes
and providing tips for being more effective in voir dire. Lindsey Cheek,
veteran trial attorney, compliments the discussion with views from the
trenches based on her years of trying cases before
juries.
- Jeffrey T. Frederick, Ph.D.,
Jeffrey Frederick Trial Consulting Services, LLC, Charlottesville,
VA
- Paula Hannaford-Agor, Director,
Center for Jury Studies, Williamsburg, VA
- Lindsey A. Cheek, The Cheek Law
Firm, LLC, New Orleans, LA
|
| 2:20 p.m. – 2:30
p.m. |
Networking
Break
|
| 2:30 p.m. - 3:30
p.m. |
Plenary Session
Four -
Pipeline to Diversity in the Legal Profession (DEI and the U.S. Supreme
Court) - 1.00
Professionalism Credit Hour
Plimsoll
Ballroom, 3rd Floor
Navigating Diversity and the High
Court
In
July 2023, the United States Supreme Court's decision in Students for Fair
Admissions (SFAA), authored by
Chief Justice John Roberts, held that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
makes it illegal for colleges and universities to consider race in their
admissions decisions. The Supreme Court applied strict scrutiny to
colleges and universities to consider race in their admissions decisions.
The Supreme Court applied strict scrutiny to colleges' consideration as
race as a factor requiring that schools' policies by narrowly
tailored to serve a compelling
interest.
SFAA
ignited a discussion in the country about diversity, equity, and inclusion
(DEI) initiatives and race preferences, in not only the public sector, but
also the private sector. Diversity became politicized, and even law firms
became targets of lawsuits.
This
session will explore the impact of SFAA and how race is being considered
in implementing and assessing the legality of diversity initiatives in
both the public and private sector. Panelists will examine cases both
before and after SFAA, and the impact of SFAA as it relates to Title VI
and Title VII.
- Alena M. Allen, Dean, LSU Paul M.
Hebert Law Center, Baton Rouge, LA
- Esther G. Lander, Moderator,
Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP, Washington,
D.C.
- John C. Brittain, Professor of
Law, University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of
Law, Washington, D.C.
|