4:00-5:30 pm

Begin the event and enjoy the company of judges, speakers, and other attendees at Austin’s beautiful United States Courthouse. Light appetizers and drinks will be served. This invitation is extended to all conference participants.

7:45 – 8:30 am

Registration

Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 9:45 am

Welcome

• Andrew Broadaway, Vice President of the Central Texas Federal Bench Bar

• Hon. Robert Pitman, U.S. District Judge, Austin

Plenary 1: United States Supreme Court Update

• Prof. Erin Busby, Co-Director of Supreme Court Clinic, UT Law

• Prof. Lisa Eskow, Co-Director of Supreme Court Clinic, UT Law

• JT Morris, Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression

9:45 – 10:00 am

Break

10:00 – 10:45 am

Breakout 1: The Evolving Role of Magistrate Judges

• Hon. Robert Pitman, U.S. District Judge, Austin

• Hon. Mark Lane, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Austin

• Hon. Dan MacLemore, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Waco

Breakout 2: What Really Matters: Law Clerks on Local Rules and Local Practice

• Sarah Holland, Career Law Clerk to Hon. Robert Pitman

• Elizabeth (“Beebs”) Hartzell, Term Law Clerk to Hon. Mark Lane

• Katie Carmona, Richards Rodriguez & Skeith, Former Career Law Clerk to Hon. Lee Yeakel (Ret.)

• Desiree Durst, SolarWinds, Former Career Law Clerk to Hon. Andy Austin (Ret.) and Hon. Dustin M. Howell

10:45 – 11:00 am

Break

11:00 – 11:45 am

Breakout 3: Bridging the Gap: Mediation Strategies in Federal Cases

• Hon. Elizabeth S. (“Betsy”) Chestney, U.S. Magistrate Judge, San Antonio

• Eric Galton, Lakeside Mediation

• Tracy W. McCormack, JAMS

Breakout 4: IP Litigation Trends in the WDTX

• Hon. Alan D Albright, U.S. District Judge, Austin and Waco

• Kat Li, Kirkland & Ellis

• Paige Arnette Amstutz, Scott Douglass McConnico

11:45 am – 12:00 pm

Break

12:00 pm – 1:15 pm

Lunch

Presentation of Steve Ravel Award

• John Guaragna, DLA Piper

Plenary 2: Inside the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

• Hon. Priscilla Richman, U.S. Circuit Judge, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

• Hon. Leslie H. Southwick, U.S. Circuit Judge, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

• Lyle W. Cayce, Clerk of Court, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

• Marcy Hogan Greer, Alexander Dubose & Jefferson (Moderator)

1:15 – 1:30 pm

Break

1:30 – 2:30 pm

Texas Access to Justice Foundation Presentation

• Executive Board of the Central Texas Federal Bench Bar

• Betty Balli Torres, Executive Director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation

Plenary 3: Raising the Bar: Professionalism in Federal Practice

• Hon. David Alan Ezra, Senior U.S. District Judge, Austin and San Antonio

• Michelle Fernald, Fernald Advisory & Legal Consulting, Former Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Austin Division

• Paul Trahan, Norton Rose Fulbright

2:30 – 2:45 pm

Break

2:45 – 3:30 pm

Breakout 5: Criminal Law Update: Trends in Federal Prosecution

• Hon. Leon Schydlower, U.S. District Judge, El Paso

• Hon. Henry J. Bemporad, U.S. Magistrate Judge, San Antonio

• Maureen Franco, Federal Public Defender, WDTX

• Justin R. Simmons, U.S. Attorney, WDTX

Breakout 6: Employment Law Update: Federal Enforcement & Litigation Risks

• Austin Kaplan, Kaplan Law

• Scott Brutocao, Cornell Smith Mierl Brutocao Burton

• Tom Nesbitt, Nesbitt Legal

3:30 – 3:45 pm

Break

3:45 – 4:30 pm

Breakout 7: Immigration at the Crossroads: Federal Enforcement & Litigation Trends

• Hon. Richard B. Farrer, U.S. Magistrate Judge, San Antonio

• Leigh N. Ganchan, Ogletree Deakins

• Matt Harding, Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody, Former AUSA

• Kymberly Renaud, Lincoln-Goldfinch Law

Breakout 8: Discovery Under Fire: Disputes, Sanctions, and Survival Tips

• Hon. Elizabeth S. (“Betsy”) Chestney, U.S. Magistrate Judge, San Antonio

• Hon. Dustin M. Howell, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Austin

• Arthur Gollwitzer, Jackson Walker

4:30 – 6:00 pm

Networking Reception/Happy Hour at The Edge, JW Marriott’s Rooftop Bar

7:45 – 8:30 am

Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 9:15 am

Breakout 9: Data Centers and Their Relationship with Scarce Resources

• Carrie Collier-Brown, Husch Blackwell

• Travis Wussow, Jackson Walker

• AJ Smullen, Naman Howell

Breakout 10: Evolving Art of Admissibility

• Hon. Derek T. Gilliland, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Waco

• Prof. Elizabeth M. (“Liz”) Fraley, Director of Practice Court, Baylor Law

• Prof. Brian Pérez-Daple, Evidence, UT Law

9:15 – 9:30 am

Break

9:30 – 10:15 am

Breakout 11: Winning on the Papers: Effective Written Advocacy in Federal Court

• Hon. Kathleen Cardone, U.S. District Judge, El Paso

• Hon. Jason Pulliam, U.S. District Judge, San Antonio

• Prof. Lauren Tanner Bradley, Legal Writing, UT Law

• Pete Kennedy, Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody

Breakout 12: Complex Litigation in Data Privacy & Cybersecurity

• Hon. Susan Hightower, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Austin

• Eric Greenwald, The Law Offices of Eric A. Greenwald

• G. Karthik Srinivasan, Vela Wood

• Steve Toland, Toland Law

10:15 – 10:30 am

Break

10:30 – 11:30 am

Plenary 4: Bench vs. Jury: Effective Trial Advocacy

• Hon. Xavier Rodriguez, U.S. District Judge, San Antonio

• Hon. Lee Yeakel (Ret.), King & Spalding, Former U.S. District Judge, Austin

• Jamal Alsaffar, National Trial Law

• Prof. Anthony Bruster, Practice Court, Baylor Law

11:30 am – 12:00 pm

State of the Western District of Texas/Closing Remarks

• Hon. Alia Moses, Chief U.S. District Judge for the WDTX, Del Rio

• Philip J. Devlin, Clerk of Court, WDTX