January 23-24, 2020

Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park
Chicago, IL


Program Schedule

Thursday, January 23rd
Clients find great value in their attorneys knowing their business.  Get an inside look at the operations and business side of the transportation industry, the evolution of the industry through technological developments and the legal challenges arising out of such developments.  During the Bootcamp program panelists will:

 - Explain the operations of domestic motor carriers, property brokers, customs brokers, domestic and international freight forwarders and load boards; 
 - Explore the technological developments in the industry, including the growing use of TMS (transportation management systems) software, load boards, analytics and electronic logging devices; and 
 - Examine the legal implications of recent operational and technological developments.

Friday, January 24th
The 2020 Chicago Regional educational program features timely topics of interest to attorneys practicing all modes of transportation law. Topics have been chosen based on suggestions received from past attendees as well as recent developments in the law that affect the transportation industry. We hope to see you there!​

Thursday, January 23rd - Focus on the Industry Boot Camp: An Inside Look at the Transportation and Logistics Industry and Its Developing Trends and Challenges

Friday, January 24th - Chicago Regional Seminar

12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Registration
1:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Opening Remarks and Introductions
Jeffrey Simmons, TLA President, Chief Legal Officer, GlobalTranz, Scottsdale, Arizona
Kathleen C. Jeffries, Partner, Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, LLP, Pasadena, California
1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Insiders’ Look at Operations and Business Side of the Industry
Moderator: Kathleen C. Jeffries, Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, LLP, Pasadena, California
Presenter(s): Stephen Bindbeutel, Truckstop.com, Phoenix, Arizona
Jessie Essman, Forager, Chicago, Illinois
Ryan M. Lanterman, AIT Worldwide Logistics, Inc., Itasca, Illinois
Brian J. Smith, Wilson Logistics, Inc., Missoula, Montana


 
 
2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Refreshment Break
3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Exploration of Technological Developments Affecting the Industry
Moderator: Kathleen C. Jeffries, Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, LLP, Pasadena, California
Presenter(s): Brandon Copeland, GlobalTranz Enterprises, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ
Ray Fennelly, AIT Worldwide Logistics, Inc., Itasca, Illinois
 
3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Examination of Legal Implications of Operational and Technological Developments in the Industry
Moderator: Kathleen C. Jeffries, Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, LLP, Pasadena, California
Presenter(s): Kevin J. Oakleaf, YRC Worldwide, Inc., Overland Park, Kansas
Nathaniel G. Saylor, Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, P.C., Heber City, Utah
 
4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Open Forum/Questions and Answers
Moderator: Kathleen C. Jeffries, Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, LLP, Pasadena, California
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Corporate Counsel and Young Lawyers Reception
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Cocktail Reception
Join us for the Opening Reception from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. where we will gather together to greet old friends and welcome our new members and first-time attendees. 
7:15 p.m. -
Welcome Dinner at Nacional 27
Chicago’s restaurants are some of the best in the world, so don’t miss the annual Welcome Dinner where we will show our appreciation for the moderators and speakers who make the Chicago Regional Seminar such a success.  All attendees and their guests are encouraged to attend. Dinner is planned for 7:15 p.m.  The dinner registration is $105 per person. The deadline to register for the dinner is January 3.
7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Registration
7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
Buffet Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.
Opening Remarks
Jeffrey Simmons, TLA President, Chief Legal Officer, GlobalTranz, Scottsdale, Arizona
David B. Hall, Shareholder, Baker Donelson, Birmingham, Alabama
Stephanie S. Penninger, Senior Director, Transportation Counsel, XPO Logistics, Inc., Greenwich, Connecticut
 
8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Self Introductions
8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
“SHEDD”ing Some ‘Aquarium’ Light on the Challenges Facing Cannabis Companies When Expanding Their Businesses Across Interstate, Interprovincial and International Borders
Much like different habitats and management rule the different aquatic species’ ability to reproduce and survive at Shedd’s Aquarium, whether it be warm, salty, tropical waters for the green sea turtle, icy, Arctic waters for the penguins or cool, freshwater for the colourful sunfishes, so do varying rules and regulations affect a cannabis and hemp business’ ability to expand and survive in Canada and the United States.
 
Participants will gain insights about the rules regulating the transportation of cannabis and hemp interprovincially, interstate and across the international border and the resulting challenges that cannabis and hemp organizations have faced in expanding their businesses. The methods that these issues have been resolved will also be discussed.
 
Presenter(s): Gary Broadbent, GenCanna Global, Inc., Winchester, Kentucky
Bob Morgan, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP, Chicago, Illinois
Jaclyne Reive, Miller Thomson LLP, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dean A. Rocco, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP, Los Angeles, California
 
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
All Modes Lead to Chicago: Multi-Modal Lightning Round
A fast-paced overview of hot topics, recent legal developments, and emerging issues affecting our clients in the rail, trucking, aviation, and maritime modes of transportation.
 
Presenter(s): Matthew C. Koch, Minichello & Reeb, P.C., Chicago, Illinois
Patrick Foppe, Lashly & Baer, P.C., St. Louis, Missouri
Matthew Hammer, Daley Mohan Groble, P.C. Chicago, Illinois
Sarah G. Passeri, Holland & Knight, LLP, New York, New York
 
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Refreshment Break
10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
“Near Accident/Near Miss” Data Collection and Related Fleet Safety Records--What It Takes to Navigate the Litigation Minefield Surrounding Nonevent Data Collection And Investigation
In the Digital Age, motor carriers have more ability than ever to gather data and feedback on their drivers and their fleets from so-called “nonevents” or near misses.  Motor carriers across the country, large and small, continue to invest in “Big Data” technology like video telematics and electronic data recorders that can provide accurate, and even visible, insight into what happened and why, including identifying trends across entire fleets.  Companies use this data to make decisions on discipline, retention, coaching, training, and operations, with the goal of improving safety.  As with anything safety related, however, this information is becoming a target for discovery in litigation.  This panel will consider what information can be created about a nonevent or near miss; how it can be used against the trucking company; when and whether to collect data and use event recording devices; whether and to what extent to document nonevents or near misses; and whether and what information to retain about a fleet.
 
Moderator: David B. Hall, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP, Birmingham, AL
Presenter(s): Ronald L. Bair, Bair Hilty PC, Houston, Texas
Jesse Elison, Fox Rothschild, LLP, Atlanta, Georgia
Scott Cordess, Gulf States Toyota, Inc., Houston, Texas
 
11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
One Dark Night When We Were All in Bed: How Not to be the Cow that Burns Down the Company in a Casualty Case
In 1871, a cow being milked by Mrs. C. O’Leary kicked over a kerosene lantern igniting a fire that would devastate Chicago.  The fire spread across 3.5 miles of the City of Chicago, killed 120 people, left thousands homeless and forever changed the landscape of Chicago.  Learn how not to be the cow that burns down the company in a casualty case.  You can’t win a case with your client’s deposition – but you sure as heck can lose it.  There is an inevitable push/pull, tension, between in-house safety programs, risk management, and outside counsel – specifically during the deposition process. 
 
Moderator: Stephani R. Johnson, Wilson Elser, Dallas, Texas
Presenter(s): Tammy Warn, Skyline Express, LLC; AV Logistics, LLC; C&K Trucking, LLC, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Jon Peavy, RBX, Inc., Springfield, Missouri
Valerie Mosman, Associate, Wilson Elser, Dallas, Texas
 
12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Alan Hanson - Guest Speaker/Buffet Lunch
Guest Speaker Alan Hanson, Chief Counsel, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Public Enemies: America's Newest “Crime Wave” – the Birth of Privacy and Data Security as a Concern for Transportation Companies
Chicago has been the site of some of the most famous thefts in history.  From John Dillinger’s depression era bank robberies to the Purolator heist of 1974- at the time the biggest in the history of the country. A class action lawsuit filed earlier this year in Illinois alleges a record theft of a different type- the largest theft of medical data in history. 
 
Data, and its use, misuse, or theft is making headlines weekly.  New technologies necessitate new rules and regulatory bodies are increasingly responding to the call.  Data Security and Privacy are subject to significant regulation, both at the state and federal level.  Unfortunately, the regulation is not uniform and is in a constant state of evolution. Transportation and Logistics companies are dealing with rapid and extensive data growth as technology facilitates the accumulation and retention of data of all types. 
 
It’s becoming vitally important for companies to understand where they’re collecting data, how they are using it, with whom they are sharing it, where they are storing it, and how they are disposing of it and to develop strong internal policies and practices to ensure compliance with applicable law.
 
This panel will focus on data privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act and similar laws as well as state laws governing data security practices and data breaches.
 
 
Moderator: Tyler N. Hayes, C.R. England, Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah
Presenter(s): Alison K. Evans, Benesch, Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff, Cleveland, Ohio
Brandon Moseberry, Baker & Mckenzie LLP, Chicago, Illinois
Alessandra V. Swanson, Winston & Strawn, Chicago, Illinois
 
2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
What’s Old is New Again: The Current Buzz Surrounding Using the Independent Contractor Model, “a Mere Lawyer’s Device, Conceived in Sin"
“The ‘legal literature’ about the independent contractor has been occupied, almost exclusively, with the question of how best to identify him. Since early last century…his actual existence as a member of society in good standing has gone without question – that is until very recently. Of late, however, there has been a growing tendency, somewhat emotional in character, to look upon him with disfavor, as little more than a sham, a mere lawyer’s device, conceived in sin and brought forth to provide undeserved immunity.” – Roscoe Steffen, “Independent Contractor and the Good Life,” 2 U. Chi. L. Rev. 501 (1935).
 
Some things don’t change! For more than 80 years (at least), folks in Chicago (and elsewhere) have been pondering this issue. With panelists from the North, South, and in between, this panel will analyze issues involving use of independent contractors in the trucking industry in the U.S. and Canada and strategies for dealing with them.
 
Moderator: Richard A. Clark, Landstar System, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida
Presenter(s): Shannon Cohen, Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, P.C., Indianapolis, Indiana
Lisa Goodfellow, Partner, Miller Thompson LLP, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Jameson Rice, Associate, Holland & Night LLP, Tampa, Florida
 
3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Refreshment Break
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Don’t Be the Devil in a White City: Transportation In-House Counsel Roundtable
“It was so easy to disappear, so easy to deny knowledge, so very easy in the smoke and din to mask that something dark had taken root. This was Chicago, on the eve of the greatest fair in history.”  ― Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
 
What ghastly hauntings keep transportation in-house counsel up at night and what are outside counsel doing to cause or help alleviate their insomnia? Business considerations impact in-house counsel more than ever as they assist companies in assessing and mitigating risk leading up to, on the eve of and in the wake of major legislative and operational changes, casualties and new business ventures.  Each panelist will address emerging legal issues affecting their transportation practices – as of late, and what they expect their lawyers to do (or not do) to help them resolve those issues. 
 
Learn how to be the Statute of the Republic of the World’s Columbian exhibition and not the Jephtha Howe of an in house counsel’s gruesome tale. 
 
Moderator: Pamela A. Palmer, Clark Hill LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Presenter(s): Lisa A. Stephenson, CRST International, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Stephanie S. Penninger, XPO Logistics, Inc., Greenwich, Connecticut
Douglas G. Beck, Hub Group, Inc., Oak Brook, Illinois
Josh Jubelirer, Echo Global Logistics, Chicago, Illinois
 
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Tax Evasion Got Capone: Ethical Issues Posed in Emerging Areas of Trade and Transportation Law
This panel will explore the ethical issues posed in providing business and transportation/trade law advice to clients in the emerging cannabis business, and in the importation of products that are subject to new tariffs and other trade restrictions.  The panel will develop and explain principles that will be applicable to other situations where the rules are changing quickly, and there is tremendous business pressure to create solutions.
 
Moderator: Robert L. Reeb, Marwedel, Minichello & Reeb, P.C., Chicago, Illinois
Presenter(s): Cameron Roberts, Partner, Roberts & Kehagiaras, LLP, Long Beach, California
Peter Quinter, Shareholder,​ Gray Robinson, Miami, Florida
Dennis A. Rendleman, Center for Professional Responsibility, American Bar Association, Chicago, Illinois
 
 
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Wine & Cheese Reception