1:00

Registration 

1:30 - 2:30

Ethical Responsibilities in High-Profile Cases
Presented by: James P. Cooney III, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Jim Cooney was the lead counsel for Reade Seligman, one of the falsely accused players in the “Duke Lacrosse Case” that riveted the nation. He will present the actual evidence in this case and discuss how the trial teams for the falsely-accused players broke down the case leading up to the revelation of prosecutorial misconduct. He will also explore some of the ethical issues embedded in this case, and in particular counsel’s duty to make public statements when prejudicial information has been released.

2:30 - 3:50 

Juries & Nuclear Verdicts
Presented by: Matthew Hefflefinger, Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen and Melissa Loberg, Ph.D., Courtroom Sciences, Inc.

“Nuclear” verdicts, or verdicts that are significantly higher than what one would expect given the severity of injuries in the case, are causing concern for defense counsel and insurers. Several explanations for recent nuclear verdicts have been posited. Not all of these explanations hold up to scientific analysis. The speakers will debunk the myths surrounding nuclear verdicts and describe defense strategies to combat the actual, scientifically validated, predictors of nuclear verdicts. Specifically, the speakers will discuss methods of averting recent plaintiff tactics, addressing changes in the country’s demographics during jury selection, and effectively evaluating the effects of COVID on jurors’ attitudes and decision-making.

3:50 - 4:20 

Refreshment Break

4:20 - 5:20

Views from the Bench

Moderated by: Laura Beasley, Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice
Panelists: Hon. David Dugan, United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois, Hon. Heinz M. Rudolf, Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court, Illinois, Hon. Sarah Pitlyk, United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, and Hon. Joseph P. Whyte, Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit, Missouri

This program will provide valuable insights for new attorneys and seasoned litigators, allowing for an opportunity to pose questions to a joint panel of Missouri and Illinois Judges in a comfortable environment.

5:20

Comments from the Clubhouse

Presented by: John "Mo" Mozeliak (invited), St. Louis Cardinals

5:50

Party Suite Reception & Dinner

7:15

St. Louis Cardinals v. Milwaukee Brewers

Laura K. Beasley is a member of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC in Belleville, IL. Ms. Beasley focuses her practice in the areas of manufacturing, insurance, transportation, pharmaceuticals, and medical device. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geography in 1996 from Austin Peay University and her law degree from Southern Illinois University School in 2001. She is a member of several bar associations and currently serves as First Vice President of the IDC Board of Directors. She is licensed to practice in both Illinois and Missouri state and federal courts.

James P. Cooney III is the Chairman of the Litigation Department and a Partner at Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. He practices both civil and criminal law, including trial and appellate work. He is recognized as one of the leading litigators and “white collar” criminal attorneys in the State of North Carolina. The Litigation Department of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP consists of nearly 300 attorneys and paralegals across 7 states.

Jim Cooney has represented individuals and businesses in some of the most difficult and high-profile cases in North Carolina. He has tried more than 60 jury cases and argued more than 45 appeals in the State and Federal courts. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and a Permanent Member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. Jim has been selected as one of the top trial lawyers in North Carolina in civil and criminal work; in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022, he was selected as one of the top ten civil attorneys in North Carolina. In 2007 he was the top vote recipient for criminal attorneys in North Carolina and in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016 was voted the best attorney for “Bet Your Company” cases. For 2014 he was named as the best attorney in Healthcare Litigation. In 2004 he received the N.C. Bar Association’s William Thorp Pro Bono Award and in 2010 the N.C. Bar Association’s Wade Smith Professionalism Award for Criminal Defense. He is a member of the “Legal Elite Hall of Fame” in North Carolina and was awarded the Professionalism Award by the Mecklenburg County Bar in 2020.

Jim is a 1979 graduate of Duke University, where he was summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and a 1982 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was the Research and Projects Editor of the Virginia Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif.

Hon. David W. Dugan practiced law for 30 years focusing primarily on personal injury and commercial civil litigation. In 1996 he was certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and later became a member of the Civil Justice Act Panel for the Southern District of Illinois. In 2017, he was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as a Circuit Judge and was in 2018 elected by the Madison County citizens to retain that position. In February 2020, Judge Dugan was nominated by President Trump to serve as a District Judge for the Southern District of Illinois. The American Bar Association deemed him to be “well qualified” for that position. Judge Dugan was confirmed by the United States Senate and received his commission in September 2020.

Matthew Hefflefinger is a Shareholder with Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen in Peoria, IL. He handles the defense of personal injury cases primarily focusing upon the trucking and construction industries. Matt is chair of the firm’s Trucking/Motor Carrier Litigation Practice Group. Beyond his experience in trucking and construction matters, he also handles cases touching upon a wide variety of areas in commercial litigation. Matt is a Martindale-Hubbell AV rated lawyer who has remained extensively involved in the community serving on a number of boards of community organizations. He has taught a Masters level course in the graduate business program at Bradley University and is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education seminars held across the country addressing cutting edge trucking litigation topics. He has also been instrumental in founding two local charitable organizations dedicated to, among
other things, awarding college scholarships to local high school seniors. In 2000, Matt was recognized as one of the “40 Leaders Under 40” by InterBusiness Issues, a leading publication in central Illinois. Born in Pennsylvania, Matt began his legal career with Heyl Royster while he was still in law school by clerking with the firm during the summer. Following graduation, he joined the firm in the Peoria office in 1989 and became a partner in 1997.

Dr. Melissa Loberg, Senior Litigation Consultant at Courtroom Sciences, Inc., has been conducting research, speaking and publishing articles in the area of psychology and the law for the past fifteen years. She has assisted insurers and corporate clients on hundreds of cases across the nation in both high and low-risk matters by applying her expertise in human behavior and decision-making to jury selection, focus group/mock trial research and witness training.

John "Mo” Mozeliak was named the St. Louis Cardinals Senior Vice President and General Manager in October 2007 after being promoted from Assistant General Manager – a position he had held for six seasons. Mo is the 12th general manager in the over 100‐year history of the Cardinals.

Hon. Sarah Pitlyk received her law degree from Yale Law School, after graduating summa cum laude from Boston College and earning master’s degrees from Georgetown University and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, where she studied as a Fulbright Scholar. Immediately before taking the bench, Judge Pitlyk served as Special Counsel for the Thomas More Society, a national public interest law firm, after earlier tenures at Clark & Sauer, LLC, in St. Louis, MO, and Covington & Burling in Washington, DC. From 2010 to 2011, she clerked for the Honorable Brett M. Kavanaugh, then a Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Judge Pitlyk was sworn in as a District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri on December 6, 2019.

Hon. Heinz M. Rudolf was elected Circuit Judge in 2018 by the voters of the 20th Judicial Circuit. Judge Rudolf has served as a judge for over sixteen (16) years having been appointed an Associate Circuit Judge in February 2006. His current assignment is Major Civil. Heinz has presided over (80) jury trials to verdict.

Judge Rudolf obtained a Joint Degree from Saint Louis University Law and Graduate School (J.D. and M.A.P.A.) in 1995. Heinz later earned his Ph. D in Public Policy Analysis and Administration from Saint Louis University in 2002. While taking evening classes in the doctoral program, Heinz worked as an Assistant State's Attorney followed by his work as an Assistant Public Defender. Prior to his appointment to the bench in 2006, Heinz worked as an associate for the law firm of Becker, Paulson, Hoerner and Thompson, P.C. where he primarily concentrated in civil defense trial litigation.

Heinz was elected to the St. Clair County Board in 2002 and served until 2006 when he was appointed to the bench. Judge Rudolf has served for several years as a member of the Illinois Judicial Conference Committee on Education and continues to teach on behalf of the Illinois Supreme Court at the Judicial Education Conferences.

Heinz has served on the Children First Foundation Board since 2008. Heinz completed extensive coursework to become an Advanced Science and Technology Resource (ASTAR) Fellow in 2009. Prior to the closure of the Belleville campus, Heinz taught for several years as an Adjunct Professor for Lindenwood University courses in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure. Judge Rudolf continues to mediate major civil, miscellaneous remedies, family and custody matters when asked by other judges in the 20th Judicial Circuit. In 2019, Heinz was formally recognized by the Illinois Judges Association (IJA) and received the Outreach Award for his presentations to teenagers regarding cyberbullying and underage drinking. He currently serves as the 5th District Chairperson for the IJA’s In-School Committee. In 2019, Heinz received the Land of Lincoln’s Joseph R. Bartylak Award.

Hon. Joseph P. Whyte is a Circuit Judge in the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit - State of Missouri. Judge Whyte served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Missouri for 2 years and was engaged in the private practice of law for almost 26 years. Judge Whyte earned his B.S. from the University of Missouri - Columbia, and his J.D. from St. Louis University School of Law. He is a member of The Missouri Bar - Lawyers’ Assistance Committee, MOLAP Volunteer Roster; Sts. Peter and Paul Parish; Fox Park Neighborhood Association; and, Patriot Guard Riders.