8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Welcoming Remarks 

Lisa A. Rickard, President, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform

9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

Taking Stock Developments in Securities and Mergers and Acquisitions

This panel will address the dramatic rise in lawsuits relating to mergers and acquisitions, suggest reforms, as well as discuss other key issues in securities litigation.

• The Honorable Leo E. Strine, Jr., Chancellor of the Court of Chancery, Delaware State Courts

• Adam C. Pritchard, Frances and George Skestos Professor of Law, The University of Michigan Law School

• W. Neil Eggleston, Litigation Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Introduced and Moderated by:  Andrew J. Pincus, Partner, Mayer Brown

9:50 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.

Monetizing Litigation Claims: What will they think of next? 

This panel will examine third-party litigation financing, an example of the growing trend in the United States of litigation as profit machine.

• John H. Beisner, Partner, Co-Head, Mass Torts and Insurance Litigation Group, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

• Robert C. Weber, Senior Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel, International Business Machine

• Daniel Fisher, Senior Editor, Forbes

Introduced and moderated by: Page C. Faulk, Vice President, Legal Reform Initiatives, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform 

10:50 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.

The Current “State” of Affairs:  A Conversation with State Attorneys General

This panel will address issues of import to state attorneys general and the business community, such as privacy in the digital age, transparency in private attorney contracting, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as well as recent regulatory actions by the Environmental Protection Agency, National Labor Relations Board and other federal agencies impacting the states.

• The Honorable Douglas F. Gansler, Attorney General of Maryland

• The Honorable E. Scott Pruitt, Attorney General of Oklahoma

• The Honorable Luther Strange, III, Attorney General of Alabama

Introduced and moderated by:  The Honorable Thurbert E. Baker, Partner, McKenna Long & Aldridge; Former Attorney General of Georgia 

11:50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Transition Break

12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Annual Legal Reform Awards Luncheon 

Special remarks by:  Thomas J. Donohue, President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce 

Keynote Address – A Perspective on This Election Year

• Rudolph W. Giuliani, 107^th Mayor of New York City (1993–2001)

Introduced by:  Thomas J. Donohue, President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

2012 Legal Reform Awards

Presented by:  Lisa A. Rickard, President, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform

Judicial Achievement Award

• The Honorable Myron T. Steele, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Delaware

State Legislative Achievement Award

• Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves

• The Honorable Briggs Hopson, Mississippi Senate

• Speaker Philip Gunn, Mississippi House of Representatives

  The Honorable Mark Baker, Mississippi House of Representatives

Outstanding Alliance Award

• The Latino Coalition

Research and Policy Award

• American Tort Reform Association

Outstanding Organization Award

• Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry

1:40 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.

Litigation Goes Global:  Senior Legal Officers Share Perspectives on Transnational and Extraterritorial Litigation

This panel will address senior company lawyers’ perspectives and experiences with trends in use of the U.S. courts by non-U.S. citizens and residents, as exemplified by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and the Ecuadorian litigation against Chevron Corporation.  It will also address the flip side of the coin:  the spread in Europe and elsewhere of US-style litigation, especially class actions, against multinational companies. 

• Alex Dimitrief, Vice President & General Counsel, General Electric Energy

• Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr., Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

• Jonathan C. Drimmer, Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Barrick Gold Corporation

Introduced and Moderated by:  John B. Bellinger, III, Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP 

2:40 p.m. — 3:00 p.m.

3:00 p.m.  – 4:00 p.m.

Perspective from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Commissioner Nord will address the impact of burdensome health and safety regulations on U.S. global competitiveness

• The Honorable Nancy A. Nord, Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Federal Regulatory Overreach:  Fresh Approaches

This panel will address federal regulatory and prosecution policies, focused on the false claims act, exclusion authority, foreign corrupt practices act and other Department of Justice activities. 

• Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Virginia

• David W. Ogden, Partner, Co-Chair, Government and Regulatory Litigation Practice Group, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP 

• Robert M. Cary, Partner, Williams & Connolly LLP

Introduced and moderated by: George J. Terwilliger, III, Senior Partner, White & Case LLP

Additional Speakers to be Announced

Political Outlook 2012

This panel will feature an analysis, as well as a spirited point-counterpoint on the 2012 elections with key political figures from each major party. 

• The Honorable Edward G. Rendell, Former Governor, Pennsylvania

• The Honorable Richard J. Santorum, Former Senator, Pennsylvania 

Introduced and moderated by:  Scott W. Rasmussen, Founder and President, Rasmussen Reports and Political Analyst 

Networking Reception and Giveaway

Official Rules