Trial Magazine

The first six months of my AAJ presidency have been a whirlwind. I crossed the country at least a dozen times to meet with trial lawyers and learn more about what is important to you. I launched a blue ribbon committee made up of AAJ members who are volunteering their time to strengthen AAJ’s continuing legal education, and I focused a lot of energy on the midterm elections—both in supporting pro-civil-justice candidates and encouraging volunteers to help protect Americans’ right to vote.

Now that I am at the halfway mark, I want to take stock of where we have been and what is ahead of us. First, I plan to continue my travels to meet with trial lawyers throughout the country, and I want to hear from you: What could AAJ be doing better? If your state or local trial lawyer association has an upcoming event that you want an AAJ officer to attend, please let us know at state.affairs@justice.org.

Second, I am so grateful for the resources AAJ provides. Since July, AAJ has held three colleges and two seminars to educate members (see p. 54 for the CLE lineup at the Winter Convention in Miami); approved four new Litigation Groups; and updated AAJ Litigation Packets and the AAJ Exchange to ensure you have the most current information at your fingertips. These resources have been vital to my practice, and I encourage you to explore and use them in your own practices. (A few good places to start: www.justice.org/CLE, www.justice.org/litigationpackets, and www.justice.org/networking.)

Read through this month’s issue of Trial on products liability to learn about holding manufacturers accountable when consumer goods are hacked (p. 26), overcoming fraudulent joinder (p. 36), using Daubert motions offensively (p. 20), and cases involving defective military products (p. 44). And for more resources related to products liability, join AAJ’s Products Liability Section, which includes a subscription to the Products Liability Law Reporter, filled with verdicts and settlements each month.

Election Day may have passed, but the fight to protect justice is far from over. We must continue to focus on advocacy to protect our clients' rights.

Third, Election Day may have passed, but the fight to protect justice is far from over. We must continue to focus on advocacy to protect our clients’ rights—not only on Capitol Hill but also in regulatory agencies and the courts. One area that we are focused on now is the Judicial Conference’s proposed amendment to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(b)(6) on corporate depositions. The amendment would establish a meet and confer process in which the serving party and the organization must confer in good faith about the number and description of the matters for examination and the identity of each person designated to testify.

The public comment period for this proposal is open through Feb. 15, 2019. AAJ will submit comments on behalf of its members, but this is an opportunity for you to add your own voice to the discussion. Defense interests will advocate for limits on the number of topics and other restrictions that would hinder your ability to get the information you need.

Interested AAJ members are encouraged to submit comments (https://tinyurl.com/y8memw8y). For more information, please contact Senior Director of Policy and Senior Counsel Sue Steinman (susan.steinman@justice.org) or Staff Attorney Amy Brogioli (amy.brogioli@justice.org), and keep an eye on the AAJ Legislative and Regulatory Update for more information (www.justice.org/advocacyupdate).

We have a lot of work ahead of us in the next six months, and I look forward to accomplishing much more!

Elise R. Sanguinetti is a partner at Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos in Oakland, Calif. She can be reached at elise.sanguinetti@justice.org.