Sunday, August 27, 2006

Federal Bar Association Annual Meeting in Vegas

I am sitting in McCarran Airport in Las Vegas typing away on my laptop. I am returning from the Federal Bar Association's annual meeting, which was held in a resort just outside of Las Vegas. The meeting was interesting and informative, with great CLE programs. Our chapter won an award for setting up the Second Circuit swearing-in ceremony.

The program on electronic discovery was terrrific - it was just enough information to scare the pants out of all of us. The duty to turn over native files (a file in Excel in Excel), digging through your client's computer systems before the first Rule 26(f) conference, and issued related to metadata will revolutionize the practice of law and put anyone who is not keeping up on technological issues at a further disadvantage. The presenter, George Paul, who authored The Discovery Revolution, was terrific. His thesis was that lawyers are the priests of information and that we'd all have to become technologists versed in computer systems and hire forensic experts even for run-of-the-mill cases. He also believes that much more diplomacy and statesmanship will be involved with the discovery process, since a lack of good faith can create such tremendous liabilities for both attorneys and clients.

Lots of carping about the costs of complying with Sarbanes-Oxley. A great appellate practice panel with four Ninth Circuit judges - highly entertaining and informative. I have a better insight into why Ninth Circuit decisions seem to be all over the place. Great panel on the FBI's programs involving private business.

I spent about 20 minutes talking to Bishop Pepe, whose diocese is the southern half of Nevada. He is a Canon lawyer, originally from Philadelphia. His church on the Las Vegas strip services 3.5 million visitors annually. The land is worth $11 million per acre.

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