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2025 CENTRAL TEXAS FEDERAL
BENCH BAR CONFERENCE PROGRAM
7:45-8:30am
Registration
Continental Breakfast
8:30-9:45am
9:45-9:50am
9:50-10:00am
10:00-10:45am
Welcome
- Hon. Robert Pitman, U.S. District Judge, Austin
- Hon. Kirk Watson, Mayor of Austin
Plenary 1
Standing Orders
- Brian Nash, Morrison Foerster (Moderator)
- Hon. Leon Schydlower, U.S. District Judge, El Paso
- Hon. Alan Albright, U.S. District Judge, Waco and Austin
- Hon. Jason Pulliam, U.S. District Judge, San Antonio
- Hon. Derek Gilliland, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Waco
BREAK
Breakout 1
Loper Bright: Impacts on Federal Practice
- Professor Tara Grove, U.T. School of Law
- Scott Keller, Lehotsky Keller Cohn
Breakout 2
Depositions: Preparing for Them and Using Them at Trial
- Trey Duck, Nix Patterson (Moderator)
- Hon. David Alan Ezra, Senior U.S. District Judge, San Antonio and Austin
- Zack C. Ewing, Kirkland & Ellis
- Stephen B. Crain, Bracewell
- Jessica Underwood, Nix Patterson
Presentation of the J. Stephen Ravel Award
10:45-11:00am
BREAK
11:00-11:45am
Breakout 3
The Fourth Amendment and Digital Data: Developments
for Civil and Criminal Lawyers
- Hon. Richard B. Farrer, U.S. Magistrate Judge, San Antonio (Moderator)
- Hon. Henry J. Bemporad, U.S. Magistrate Judge, San Antonio
- Hon. Andy Austin, U.S. Magistrate Judge (Ret.), Austin
Breakout 4
Remember the Local Rules? Law Clerks’ Advice and Observations
- Hon. Mark Lane, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Austin (Moderator)
- Sarah Holland, Law Clerk for the Hon. Robert Pitman
- Andrea Houston, Law Clerk for the Hon. Mark Lane
- Hannah Miller, Law Clerk for the Hon. Betsy Chestney
- Mark Scott, Law Clerk for the Hon. Derek Gilliland
11:45-12:00am
BREAK
12:00-1:15pm
Lunch
State of the Western District of Texas
- Chief Judge Alia Moses, Chief U.S. District Judge, Del Rio
Plenary 2
Access to Justice: A Call to Action
- Liane Noble, Vinson & Elkins, Austin (Moderator)
- Hon. Brett Busby, Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, Liaison to the
Texas Access to Justice Commission
- Alisa DeLuna, Executive Director of Volunteer Legal Services of Central
Texas
- Gabriella McDonald, Deputy Director of Texas Appleseed
- Betty Balli Torres, Executive Director of Texas Access to Justice
Foundation
1:15-1:30pm
BREAK
1:30-2:30pm
Plenary 3
Psychology of Jury Trials
- Hon. Robert Pitman, U.S. District Judge, Austin (Moderator)
- Professor Bob Duke, U.T., Co-Host of Two Guys on Your Head
- Professor Mike Golden, U.T. School of Law
- Shayna S. Cook, Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum
2:30-2:45pm
2:45-3:30pm
BREAK
Breakout 5
Employment Law Update: SCOTUS, Fifth Circuit, Executive Orders, and More
- Hon. Elizabeth S. (“Betsy”) Chestney, U.S. Magistrate Judge, San Antonio (Moderator)
- Andy McSwain, Beard Kultgen Brophy Bostwick & Dickson
- Julie A. Springer, Weisbart Springer Storm Hatchitt
Breakout 6
Telling the Story: Tips for Crafting the Narrative in IP Cases
- Hon. Susan Hightower, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Austin
- Leah Bhimani Buratti, Botkin Chiarello Calaf
3:30-3:45pm
3:45-4:30pm
Breakout 7
Modern Communication Platforms in E-Discovery
- Hon. Xavier Rodriguez, U.S. District Judge, San Antonio
- Hon. Dustin Howell, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Austin
- Andrea D’Ambra, Norton Rose Fulbright
Breakout 8
Bankruptcy Law: A Primer for Civil Lawyers
- Jennifer F. Wertz, Jackson Walker
- Natalie Friend Wilson, Langley & Banack
BREAK
4:30-6:00pm
Networking Reception/Happy Hour
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