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2025 CENTRAL TEXAS FEDERAL
BENCH BAR CONFERENCE PROGRAM

7:45-8:30am

Registration
Continental Breakfast

8:30-9:30am

Welcome
- Judge Robert Pitman, U.S. District Judge, Austin
- Austin Mayor Kirk Watson
- Trey Duck, Nix Patterson

Plenary 1
Standing Orders

- Judge Derek Gilliland, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Waco (moderator)
- Judge Leon Schydlower, U.D. District Judge, El Paso
- Judge Alan Albright, U.S. District Judge, Austin and Waco
- Judge Jason Pulliam, U.S. District Judge, San Antonio

9:30-9:45am

9:45-10:30am

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 at Trial
- Judge David Alan Ezra, San Antonio and Austin
- Zack C. Ewing, Kirkland & Ellis
- Stephen B. Crain, Bracewell

10:30-10:45am

10:45-11:30am

BREAK

Breakout 3
The Fourth Amendment and Digital Data: Developments
for Civil and Criminal Lawyers

- Judge Richard B. Farrer, U.S. Magistrate Judge, San Antonio (moderator)
- Judge Henry J. Bemporad, U.S. Magistrate Judge, San Antonio
- Judge Andy Austin, Retired U.S. Magistrate Judge, Austin

Breakout 4
Remember the Local Rules? Law Clerks’ Advice and
Observations

- Judge Mark Lane, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Austin (moderator)
- Sarah Holland, Permanent Clerk for Judge Pitman
- Andrea Houston, Permanent Clerk for Judge Lane
- Hannah Miller, Permanent Clerk for Judge Chestney
- Mark Scott, Permanent Clerk for Judge Albright

11:30-11:45am

BREAK

11:45-1:00pm

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, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Austin (moderator)
- Justice Brett Busby, Supreme Court of Texas
- Judge Lora Livingston, District Judge, 261st Civil District Court,
   Travis County (retired)
- Santosh Aravind, Scott Douglass & McConnico
- Alisa DeLuna, Executive Director of Volunteer Legal Services
   of Central Texas
- Deb Fowler, Executive Director of Texas Appleseed

1:00-1:15pm

1:15-2:15pm

BREAK

Plenary 3
Psychology of Jury Trials

- Judge 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

2:15-2:30pm

2:30-3:15pm

BREAK

Breakout 5
Employment Law Update: Muldrow and Beyond

- Judge Elizabeth S. (“Betsy”) Chestney (moderator)
- Andy McSwain, Beard Kultgen
- Julie A. Springer, Weisbart Springer

Breakout 6
Storytelling in IP Cases

- Judge Susan Hightower, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Austin
- Leah Bhimani Buratti, Botkin Chiarello Calaf

3:15-3:30pm

3:30-4:15pm

Breakout 7
Modern Communication Platforms in E-Discovery

- Judge Xavier Rodriguez
- Judge Dustin Howell
- 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

4:15-6:00pm

Networking Reception/Happy Hour

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