Sixth Annual Meeting and Presentation of the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association

8:00 CLE Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 Welcome by Chief Judge Rudolph T. Randa, U.S. District Court

8:45 Session One

The Eastern District En Banc:
Perspectives and Pointers from the Bench

Joseph D. Kearney, Dean, Marquette University Law School, will moderate the discussion by a panel of district judges, magistrate judges and bankruptcy judges of the Eastern District who will address practice pointers and observations on a variety of issues arising in civil, criminal, and bankruptcy practice

9:45 Break

10:00 Session Two

CIVIL TRACK
Resetting the Pleading Bar: Just How Much Has Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 127 S. Ct. 1955 (2007), Changed Long-Settled Practice?

This program will explore and debate the implications of the United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, in which the Court overruled the 50-year-old precedent of Conley v. Gibson, and, in the view of some observers, may have radically changed general pleadings requirements.

Moderator: G. Michael Halfenger, Foley & Lardner

Panelists:
Chief Judge Rudolph T. Randa, U.S. District Court
Scott W. Hansen, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren
Richard M. Esenberg, Marquette University Law School
Karyn L. Rotker, ACLU WI Foundation

BANKRUPTCY TRACK
Bankruptcy Crimes and Bankruptcy Fraud: An Insider’s Perspective

After a brief presentation on the historical treatment of bankruptcy crimes, including a time when courts imposed the death penalty for filing a fraudulent bankruptcy, the panel will conduct an interactive discussion of the investigation, prosecution and defense of bankruptcy crimes. The panel will also address the important relationship between the Office of the United State Trustee and the Office of the United States Attorney in dealing with bankruptcy fraud.

Moderator: Bruce Arnold, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek

Panelists:
Mark L. Metz, Leverson & Metz
Gordon P. Giampietro, U.S. Attorney’s Office
David W. Asbach, U.S. Trustee’s Office
Mark A. Cameli, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren
Richard A. Ruffin, Callahan Investigations, LLC

CRIMINAL TRACK
Implementation and Impact of the Retroactive Crack Guideline Amendment in the Eastern District of Wisconsin

Effective November 1, 2007, the crack guidelines were reduced to address the disparity in sentencing crack defendants and cocaine powder defendants. On December 11, 2007, the U.S. Sentencing Commission voted to make that change retroactive. A panel will discuss the implementation and impact of this historic decision, along with related issues such as the Supreme Court’s decision in Kimbrough.

Moderator: David N. Yellen, Dean, Loyola University Law School

Panelists:
Judge Lynn Adelman, U.S. District Court
Terri L. Full, U.S. Probation Office
Nancy Joseph, Federal Defender Services of Wisconsin
John J. Manning, U.S. Attorney’s Office

11:45 Luncheon, Awards Presentation and Program

LUNCHEON PROGRAM
Hon. Diane S. Sykes, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

Judge Sykes has served on the bench of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals since 2004. Prior to her federal judicial service, Judge Sykes served as a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, sat on the bench in Milwaukee County and practiced law with Whyte & Hirschboeck. Judge Sykes began her career as a law clerk to the Honorable Terence T. Evans

Please make checks payable to the EDWBA, and send to: EDWBA, 424 East Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202

To receive a refund, notice of cancellation must be received before 5 p.m. on April 11, 2008. A $10 administrative fee will be assessed. Questions? Contact Katy Borowski, kborowski@milwbar.org or 414.276.5933