2025 Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Seminar

March 26–28, 2025
Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead | Atlanta, Georgia

Excel Advanced Litigation Strategies Shaped by the Current Legal Environment!

Save up to $700 when you register on or before February 14, 2025!
View registration information.

The practice areas of toxic torts and environmental law are continuously evolving with new defense strategies, changing case law, and soaring jury verdicts. This year’s conference will be held in sunny Atlanta. Join us at the nation’s premier conference for toxic tort and environmental law practitioners to reconnect with colleagues and discover the latest strategies in the field. Register today for three days of education, business development opportunities, and more!

What You Will Learn:

How to use genetic testing in toxic tort litigation.
How to navigate privilege issues surrounding work with environmental consultants.
The latest developments in PFAs and benzene litigation.
An overview of recent Supreme Court rulings and their present and future impact on toxic tort and environmental regulation and litigation.
How to handle the rise of safetyism and conspiracy beliefs during jury selection.

Expand Your Network By:

Attending a variety of networking events, including cocktail hours, dine-arounds, a DRI Cares project, and a Premier Networking event.
Joining us at our Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee business meetings to learn about speaking, writing, and leadership opportunities within the committee.

Counsel Meetings with Major Companies
Take advantage of the opportunity to engage with key industry companies* including:

BASF Corporation
Evonik Corporation

*Subject to change

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Thank You to DRI's Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee Leadership

Tracey Rice — **Tracey Keegan Rice**
Program Chair

Roy Prather — **Roy D. Prather, III**
Committee Chair

Elizabeth M. Sorenson Brotten — **Elizabeth Sorenson Brotten**
Committee Vice Chair

Jaime W. Luse — **Jaime Walker Luse**
Law Institute

Join the Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee

Registration Information

Save up to $700 when you register on or before February 14, 2025!
Worry-free registration: Cancellations received thirty (30) days or more before an in-person seminar are entitled to a full refund.

Save Your Spot Today

	Member Pricing	Non-Member Pricing	Non-Member Bundle ^
Early Bird Registration* (Now thru Feb. 14)	$1,395	$1,795	$1,715
Regular Registration* (Feb. 15–Mar. 25)	$1,595	$1,995	$1,915
Onsite Registration*	$1,695	$2,095	$2,015
Group Registration (Non-Sponsored)	Group registration is for registering four or more attendees. Members and non-members receive a 15% discount off the member and non-member rates respective to the time the group registration is initiated (i.e. Early Bird, Regular or On-Site registration periods). There is one free registration with every 10 paid registrations. If you want to register for the group pricing, fill out the form here. Please note that online registration is not available for this offer.
Government	Government members will receive the applicable government rate for the seminar upon login. If the government rate does not appear after logging in, please call DRI directly at (312) 795-1101 to receive the discounted rate. Invoices can be sent after purchase upon request.

Not a DRI Member? Select the Non-Member Bundle and Save!

^ Not a DRI Member and new to DRI? Take advantage of the Non-Member / Trial Membership Bundle and receive up to 9 months of membership when you register for the seminar. You’ll be able to add this special offer to your cart at check out. Note: Trial membership processing can take up to 30 days from the date of purchase, please contact DRI Customer Service with any questions. Please note renewing members and members with recently lapsed memberships are not eligible for a Non-Member Bundle.

Learn more about membership at DRI and get started on your DRI journey today!

*If your membership recently lapsed, please renew your membership prior to registering to ensure you receive your discounted member rate. If you would like to join DRI to receive the member pricing and see the benefits of becoming a member, click here to go to the Application page.

Hotel Information

The seminar will take place at Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead, 3300 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30305.
To contact the hotel directly, call 404.237.1234.

A limited number of discounted hotel rooms have been made available at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. Take advantage of the group rate of $304.00 Single/Double.

Reserve your Room Online

The hotel block is limited, and rooms and rates are available on a first-come, first-served basis. You must make reservations by February 24, 2025, to be eligible for the hotel's group rate. Requests for reservations made after February 24 are subject to room and rate availability.

Full Agenda

*Schedule and Speakers subject to change

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Time (Eastern)	Session
12:00 p.m.	Registration
12:00 p.m.	Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Pre-Seminar Luncheon Click here to signup for luncheon.
4:00 p.m.	Small Group Networking Click "Small Group Networking" tab below for details.
6:00 p.m.	Networking / Cocktail Hour
7:30 p.m.	Dine-Arounds Join colleagues and friends at selected restaurants for dinner (on your own).

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Time (Eastern)	Session
8:30 a.m.	Registration & Coffee Service Get to know the early risers in our group over a cup of coffee.
9:00 a.m.	Welcome and Introductions Jaime Walker Luse, Tydings, Baltimore, MD Tracey K. Rice, Copeland & Rice LLP, Houston, TX
9:15 a.m.	Offense is the Best Defense: Tackling the Impediments to Obtaining and Using Genetic Testing in Toxic Tort Cases Genetic testing has become the standard of care in diagnosing and treating a vast array of diseases, but attempting to use it use in toxic tort litigation still tends to be treated as avant-garde. Why is that, and what can be done about it? This session will begin with a discussion about recent scientific studies regarding genetic causation. We then will address various hurdles to obtaining genetic material from plaintiffs and using the results of genetic testing in toxic tort cases. Finally, we will explore potential solutions to overcoming these hurdles and consider some potential avenues of using genetic testing as a sword, rather than merely a shield, in genetic-causation cases going forward. Scott Emery, Segal McCambridge, New York, NY Ali Spindler, Irwin Fritchie, New Orleans, LA Len Van Zyl, ArrayXpress, Raleigh, NC
10:15 a.m.	Coffee Break
10:45 a.m.	DRI Insights Quick Hits Advances in PFAS Analyses: More Information Brings More Challenges PFAS often exist as complex mixtures in the environment and in diverse forms in products. Analytical advances are expanding the number of distinct substances that can be identified and approaches for characterizing the combined PFAS amounts in samples. These advances provide clear advantages for source fingerprinting, determining degradation pathways and planning remediation or substitution strategies. At the same time additional information means more information to deal with regarding claims of exposure and demands for effective cleanup technologies. We will discuss the higher resolution PFAS picture emerging from expanding analyses and implications for site and case management. Robert P. DeMott, PhD, DABT, Ramboll, Tampa, FL
11:15 a.m.	U.S. Supreme Court Update The United States Supreme Court has issued a number of pivotal opinions impacting environmental and toxic tort practice. This session will delve into some of those opinions with differing insights from a private practitioner and a law professor. Mindy Goldstein, Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, GA Elbert Lin, Hunton Andrews Kurth, Richmond, VA
12:15 p.m.	DRI Networking Lunch Join all seminar attendees for lunch and networking opportunities that are second to none.
2:00 p.m.	The Rise of Nuclear Verdicts and Responding to Anchoring Techniques by Plaintiffs Description coming soon. Michael A. Gross, JD, CogentEdge/Magna Legal Services, St. Petersburg, FL
3:00 p.m.	The Trace Case: Benzene Litigation in a Post-Benzene World Jake Sawyer, Lewis Brisbois, Chicago, IL Dr. Julie Goodman, Gradient, Boston, MA
4:00 p.m.	PFAS on Trial This panel presentation will explore the evolving PFAS legal landscape, beginning with a federal regulatory update. We'll delve into litigation trends, including the types of claims being brought against defendants and the parties driving these legal actions. For contaminated multi-party PFAS sites, the discussion will also cover best practices to identify additional responsible parties in support of equitable cost apportionment as well as strategies for negotiating with the EPA to include all parties on site consent orders. Finally, this presentation will explore common technical issues associated with PFAS data and investigations. Kelly Calder Mowen, Orndorff Mowen PLLC, Pittsburgh, PA Ashley L. Thompson, ArentFox Schiff, Chicago, IL Emmie Chen, P.E., Geosyntec, Atlanta, GA
5:00 p.m.	Adjourn
5:00 p.m.	Toxic Tort and Environmental Law Committee Business Meeting
6:00 p.m.	Premier Networking Reception Join fellow seminar attendees at our Premier Networking Reception. More details to come.
8:00 p.m.	Dine-Arounds Join colleagues and friends at selected restaurants for dinner (on your own).

Friday, March 28, 2025

Time (Eastern)	Session
8:30 a.m.	Registration and Coffee Service
9:00 a.m.	Welcome and Announcements Alex Saunders, Irwin Fritchie, New Orleans, LA
9:10 a.m.	Informational Quick Hits Hair Relaxer Litigation Multi-district litigation (MDLs) are intended to streamline discovery efforts and create efficiencies in litigation often involving thousands of claimants and dozens of defendants. Whether this goal is achieved often rests on the parties’ ability to negotiate a reasonable discovery plan and the court’s docket management efforts. The Hair Relaxer Litigation, an MDL and emerging state coordinated actions, involving more than two dozen defendants, hundreds of over-the-counter consumer products, thousands of claimants, and exposure periods spanning decades, provides a current example of the importance of focused discovery efforts to overcome the discovery challenges, including product verification, in mass consumer tort/product liability MDLs. Amanda Crawford-Steger, Sidley, Dallas TX Colleen Baime, Baker McKenzie, Chicago, IL Bans and Restrictions Strategies for countering Plaintiff’s use of bans and restrictions in toxic tort litigation. David Schifrin, Hollingsworth LLP, Washington, DC Industrial Talc – The Lesser Known Toxic Tort While cosmetic talc has taken the spotlight, industrial talc cases are proving that they are here to stay. This session will explore the current state of industrial talc litigation and recent verdicts. Andrew Kornblau, Landman Corsi Ballaine & Ford P.C., Philadelphia, PA
10:10 a.m.	Coffee Break
10:25 a.m.	Privilege Issues Surrounding Work with Environmental Consultants Companies and site owners facing lawsuits from alleged releases often are working with environmental consultants on site cleanup and insurers, all at the same time. This session will provide insights to the audience about how to navigate these competing interests, all without jeopardizing privilege. Erich Almonte, King & Spalding, Houston, TX
11:25 a.m.	How to Cross Examine a PFAS Expert Common issues encountered in sampling, analytical methods, data/lab report. Jaana Pietari, Ramboll, Maynard, MA Dominique Savinelli, Husch Blackwell, Chicago, IL
12:25 p.m.	Adjourn

Small Group Networking

Beer Tasting
Date: Wednesday, March 26 from 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Pricing: $85/person - can be added when you register for the seminar
Location: Onsite at Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead

Our beer tasting experience offers a curated selection of four unique brews, each chosen to highlight a different style and flavor profile. Whether you’re a beer enthusiast or just beginning to explore the world of craft beer, this tasting is designed to expand your palate and deepen your appreciation for brewing artistry. Space is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Bourbon Tasting
Date: Wednesday, March 26 from 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Pricing: $85/person - can be added when you register for the seminar
Location: Onsite at Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead

Dive into the rich heritage and complexity of bourbon with our exclusive tasting experience. You will sample four distinctive bourbons that showcase the diversity of this iconic American spirit. Space is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

CLE Information

Earn up to TBD hours of continuing legal education hours (CLE) from this seminar.

View CLE Credit by State

In some states that charge late CLE submission fees, there will be a $100 late fee to report CLE credits submitted more than 30 days after a seminar/virtual event. Click here for details on CLE late fees.