Continuing Legal Education Program

Information

Join us for the Federal Bar Association – Alaska Chapter – District Conference at the Hotel Captain Cook on Tuesday, August 15 from 9:15am – 5:00pm. Featuring a lunch panel with visiting Ninth Circuit judges—including the Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit—and 6.5 CLE credits (2 ethics credits). Panel topics include the law, technology, and ethics of AI; a SCOTUS Indian Law update; a discussion about originalism informed by the recent U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs and Bruen decisions; and an informative and entertaining presentation on what juries like and dislike, led by U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska Chief Judge Sharon Gleason. There will be a welcome reception the night before at the home of FBA President Sarah Schirack, and time for networking between the bench and the bar throughout the conference.

To read full details and register by August 10, visit  https://www.fedbar.org/event/alaska-chapter-2023-district-conference/. 

To get the member discount for this event and support continued programming by the FBA Alaska Chapter, please join or renew your membership at https://members.fedbar.org/eweb/Dynamicpage.aspx?webcode=FBAMbrJoin 

(Note: select the Alaska Chapter as your home chapter)

Agenda:

August 14

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. - Welcome & Networking Reception

All members of the bench and bar, and all visitors, are invited to a welcome reception at the home of FBA President, Sarah Schirack, 1820 Westchester Cir. Hosted by the 2023 Board of the Federal Bar Association - Alaska Chapter:

• Sarah Schirack, FBA President - Counsel, Perkins Coie
• Jamie McGrady, FBA Treasurer - Director, Federal Defenders of Alaska
• Mike O’Brien, FBA President Emeritus - Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine
• Mark Cucci - Chief Assistant Attorney General, State of Alaska
• Andrea Hattan - Attorney-Advisor, NOAA
• Brewster Jamieson - Shareholder, Lane Powell
• Lloyd Miller - Partner, Sonosky Chambers
• Michelle Nesbett - Senior Counsel, Birch Horton
• Danee Pontious - Owner, Pontious Law
• Anna Russell - Alaska Branch Librarian, US Courts Library


August 15

9:15 - 9:30 a.m. - Opening Remarks 


9:30am - 10:45am - SCOTUS Indian Law Update + Expert Q&A 

SCOTUS had a busy term for Indian Law. Learn about the recent Arizona v. Navajo Nation (trust responsibility) and Brackeen (ICWA) decisions and their implications, and get a chance to ask experts in the arena about their broader reach, how we got here, and anything else Indian Law. 1.25 General CLE credits

Lloyd Miller - Partner, Sonosky Chambers LLP

Erin Dougherty - Senior Attorney, Native American Rights Fund
- Primary amicus brief author in recent Brackeen SCOTUS case, representing 497 federally recognized tribes and 62 tribal and Indian organizations.


10:45am - 11:00am - Morning Break
 

11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. - A Discussion on Originalism, Bruen, and the Direction of SCOTUS 

Join us for a discussion on originalism, focusing on the 2022 SCOTUS Bruen gun rights decision. Learn about the legal doctrine, how it has influenced recent court decisions, and how it may affect future SCOTUS and lower court decisions. Two legal scholars will parse the strengths and deficiencies of it, including the difficulties lower courts have highlighted in implementing Bruen’s historical constitutional interpretation method. 1.25 General CLE credits

Paul Haagen - Professor, Duke School of Law

Maimon Schwarzchild - Professor, Univ. of San Diego School of Law

Moderator: Susan Orlansky - Cooperating Counsel, ACLU


12:15pm - 1:15pm - Lunch Panel with Visiting Ninth Circuit Judges
Moderated by Sarah Schirack, Counsel, Perkins Coie LLP .75 General CLE credis.
 

1:15 - 3:15 p.m. - The Law, Technology, and Ethics of AI 

Learn about cutting edge AI issues that have practical import for litigators. The discussion will touch on what law firms and in-house counsels should be thinking about when using AI, ethical considerations, and how AI can be used to shrink the access-to-justice gap. 2 Ethics CLE credits.

Dr. Sonja Ebron - CEO, Courtroom5
- Uses AI to provide people with the tools & resources needed to help settle civil cases, with or without a lawyer

Gwyn McAlpine - Dir. of Knowledge Management Services, Perkins Coie
- Investigates & educates on how to use AI effectively & ethically in practice

Damien Riehl - VP, Solutions Champion, vLex
- Helps integrate AI-backed technologies to improve legal workflows & power legal data analytics


3:15pm - 3:30pm - Afternoon Break


3:30 - 4:45 p.m. - What Juries Like and Don't Like

Sharpen your trial skills with this engaging presentation that has relevance to civil and criminal practitioners alike. 1.25 General CLE credits

Chief Judge Sharon Gleason - Chief Judge, USDC for D. Alaska

Jamie McGrady - Director, Federal Defenders for D. Alaska

4:45 - 5:00 p.m. - Closing Remarks

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS