What mass tort and damage issues lie ahead for plaintiffs, defendants and insurers?
Are there emerging or foreseeable new issues specific to drugs and medical devices?
What litigation changes may flow from new molecular science?
What’s ahead for insurance and litigation financing?
For new thoughts and insights into the future, consider attending an April 12-13, Perrin Conference in London. The one and a half day conference is titled Emerging Risks on Dual Frontiers: Perspectives on Potential Liabilities in the New Decade. As indicated by the title, the point of the conference is a free-wheeling look out into the future of mass litigation.
The conference is being held at The Waldorf Hilton in London. Jeffrey Baker from Alan Gray, Inc., Cindy Koehler from Liberty Mutual Group, Larry P. Schiffer from Dewey & LeBeouf LLP and Susan Stone from Sidley Austin LLP are this year’s program chairs. Registration and the agenda are here.
Perrin’s strong roaster of speakers will cover a wide range of emerging issues. Specific litigation topics include hydrofracking, nanotechnology, genetically modified organisms, climate change, BPA, MtBE, phthalates, asbestos, environmental, and pharma claims.
Yours truly will provide some insights on potential future litigation impacts of microRNA, DNA sequencing and epigenetics, as well as examples of new litigation claims arising from new science about old products.
On the insurance side, speakers will cover the mass disasters such as the BPO oil rig disaster, and the mass disasters in the Far East. Other speakers will cover the Solvency II legislation and its impacts for insurance.
Financing of course remains key to litigation. Therefore, one of the panels will look at the impacts of third party litigation funding (TPLF). The panel will include Selvyn Seidel, who has headed up two litigation financing businesses after having chaired international litigation for Latham – Selvyn "gets" it all. TPLF continues to grow and is itself a game-changing factor for litigation.
I hope to see you there – it should be quite a gathering.