4/29/20 - 5/2/20

Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort
Amelia Island, FL


Program Schedule

Click here to download the full conference brochure. 

The 2020 program schedule is jam-packed with CLE sessions, dining, networking, and other fun activities. This year's educational sessions will feature timely topics of interest for 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.

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Friday, May 1, 2020

Saturday, May 2, 2020

4:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Registration
7:00 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Registration
7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.
Welcoming Remarks

Jeffrey R. Simmons, Chief Legal Officer, GlobalTranz, Scottsdale, AZ; President, Transportation Lawyers Association

Marc S. Blubaugh, Partner and Co-Chair, Transportation & Logistics Practice Group, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, Columbus, OH; Co-Chair, TLA Education Program Committee

Heather C. Devine, Partner and Chair, Transportation & Logistics Practice Group, Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Toronto, ON, Canada; Co-Chair, TLA Education Program Committee; President, Canadian Transport Lawyers Association

8:15 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
The World Is Not Enough: Using Mergers and Acquisitions to Gain a Competitive Advantage in Transportation and Logistics
In the transportation  and logistics industry, carriers and third-party logistics providers can grow organically or through acquisition. Both types of growth have their benefits, but using acquisitions to a competitive advantage can quickly deliver significant benefits to shareholders and investors if done right. This combined session will start with a strategic overview and discussion involving members of the C-Suite and private equity and then drill down into the nuts and bolts of what lawyers need to do when putting together a deal. Whether you handle insurance defense, regulatory, general commercial work, or business litigation, mergers and acquisitions affect your clients’ needs and the daily services that you provide.
Moderator: Heather C. Devine, Partner,  Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Toronto, ON, Canada
Presenter(s): Part I (8:15 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.)
  
Robert Farrell, Chairman of the Board, GlobalTranz Enterprises, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ
Renée Krug, Chief Executive Officer, GlobalTranz Enterprises, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ
Jason Bass, Managing Director,  Harris Williams, Richmond, VA
Brian Higgins, Partner, The Jordan Company, New York,  NY

Part II (9:15 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.)
Moderator:    C. Fredric Marcinak III, Partner, Moseley Marcinak Law Group LLP, Greenville, SC

Speakers:      
Soumit Roy, Chief Legal Officer, Daseke, Inc., Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Eric Baker, Member, Frost Brown Todd LLC, Indianapolis, IN
Brian Mathis, Managing Member, Mathis Law Group, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
 
10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Refreshment Break
10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Never Say Never Again: The Latest Hot Topics in Labor and Employment
Just as Sean Connery reappeared as James Bond in this movie after saying ‘never again!’, some labor and employment issues continually crop up. This session will take the form of a lightning round, quickly hitting the most timely issues in labor and employment affecting the transportation and logistics industries – from the status of arbitration post-Oliveira, the use of recreational cannabis, wage and hour class actions, worker misclassification, and more.
 
Moderator: Carole McAfee Wallace, Partner, Fernandes Hearn LLP, Toronto, ON, Canada
Presenter(s): John F. Fatino, Attorney at Law, Whitfield & Eddy P.L.C., Des Moines, IA
Benjamin T. Aberant, Partner, McCarthy Tetrault LLP, Calgary, AB, Canada
Matt Austin, Attorney at Law, Austin Legal, LLC, Columbus, OH
Megan Lutes, Senior Corporate Counsel, Convoy, Inc., Seattle, WA
 
11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
For Your Eyes Only: Secrets to Conducting a Flawless Rapid Response
Catastrophic commercial vehicle accidents can be as grim as any Bond character meeting
his or her untimely demise. This session offers an interactive discussion of the critical issues facing commercial trucking companies immediately after an accident, such as drug and alcohol testing (including cannabis), safety technology (including semi-autonomous features), electronic logging devices, and driver distraction. Deputy Chief Savage will offer practical insights on the best practices for interacting with law enforcement; Dr. Melcher will educate attendees on what they can do to assist an accident reconstructionist  in the aftermath of a collision, and private practitioners and in-house counsel will draw lessons from the experience of working together to coordinate an effective emergency response plan.
 
Moderator: Ashley W. Winsky, Partner, Gentry Locke Attorneys, Richmond, VA
Presenter(s): Katherine L. Vaughn, Partner, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, Denver,  CO
Mark Savage, Deputy Chief, Colorado State Patrol, Denver,  CO
Bill Venegoni, Associate General Counsel, Merchandising, Marketing & Supply Chain, Wal-Mart U.S. Legal, Bentonville, AR
Daniel J. Melcher, P.E., Director of Engineering, Focus Forensics, LLC, Jupiter, FL
 
12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
TLA Business Meeting Luncheon
1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
TLA Committee Chair Orientation
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
CTLA Executive and Directors Meeting
2:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Committee Meetings
7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Registration
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Past Presidents' Breakfast
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
How to Get a “Quantum of Solace” When Cargo Is Detained, Retained, or Abandoned
The juxtaposition of the movement of goods, and the payment for those movements, frequently causes friction in the supply chain. Often, the flow of funds does not “catch up” to the actual shipment schematic. The consequent failure to pay freight charges, or failure to locate freight, regularly results in situations where freight is improperly (or properly) “held hostage” by towing companies, storage yards, warehouses, and other entities in the transport continuum.  Also, as the supply chain becomes more complex, sometimes freight is misplaced or abandoned, and legal rights need to be ascertained by the possessor.  This panel will thoroughly analyze the case law, regulations, and practicalities of hostage freight situations and abandoned freight situations, both in terms of surface transportation involving motor carriers, rail carriers, and brokers, and also maritime transportation involving NVOCCs and steamship and drayage companies.
 
Moderator: Stephanie S. Penninger, Senior Director, North American Transport, XPO Logistics, Charlotte, NC
Presenter(s):

Casey M. O’Brien, Attorney,  Hill Rivkins LLP, New York, NY
Sarah Routhier, Attorney,  Stein Monast, s.e.n.c.r.l., Quebec City, QB, Canada
Eric L. Zalud, Partner, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, Cleveland, OH

9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: Rock Star General Counsels Tell All
A General Counsel is to his or her company as “M” is to the United Kingdom. This panel of heavy hitting General Counsel dives deep into trends that are impacting their law departments, the profession, and the industry. From legal operations and law department modernization, to what keeps them up at night, to what best practices are, these General Counsel get real and discuss topics that will enhance your ability to optimize service as an outside counsel and to learn more on how to be a better in-house provider. In addition to logistics, they will hit on critical dynamics impacting retail and tech.
 
Moderator: C. Bradley Vynalek, Partner, Quarles & Brady LLP, Phoenix, AZ
Presenter(s): Cheree McAlpine, Chief Legal Officer, SVP & Corporate Secretary, Lumileds, San Jose, CA
Rusty Phillips, Staff Vice President in Legal, FedEx, Memphis, TN
Franco Spraggins, General Counsel  and Chief Compliance Officer, EVERSANA,  Milwaukee, WI

 
10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Refreshment Break
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Goldfinger: The Business of Pricing
Just as Auric Goldfinger loves “the divine heaviness”  of gold, so too do our clients need to make money to stay in business. Lawyers must not only review agreements for transportation companies with an eye toward risk, but also toward their client’s bottom line. Transportation companies and their counsel must ensure that contract terms for payment and performance are clear. If discounts  are supplied, then care should be taken to ensure sufficient volume and time to recoup any capital expenditures from the carrier’s perspective. Speakers will explore the relationship between scheduled rates, tariff rates, and spot rates in different modes of transportation, the interplay between term and volume provisions, and how to harmonize various agreements between parties using precedence provisions should agreements contain multiple pricing addenda and appendices.
 
Moderator: Jeremy R. Handschuh, Managing Attorney, Mitchell-Handschuh Law Group, Atlanta, GA
Presenter(s): Greg E. Summy, Deputy General Counsel,  Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk, VA
Jeffrey E. Cox, Partner, Law Office of Seaton & Husk, L.P., Vienna, VA
William Pugh, Attorney,  Former Executive Director, National Motor Freight Traffic Association,  Washington, D.C.
Bill Vitti, Chief Commercial Officer, Truckstop.com, Phoenix, AZ
 
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
From Russia (or China or Anywhere) with Love: Trade and Transportation Collide at the Border
Like SPECTRE’s Head of Planning, ‘Kronsteen’, some parties in the supply chain simply can’t resist the temptation to develop elaborate schemes — in this case to minimize or avoid the payment of customs duties. The speakers will examine U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s and other Federal agencies’ penalties assessed against officers, directors, importers, exporters, and intermediaries for schemes involving misclassification, undervaluation, country of origin, anti-dumping, and false duty-free preference claims. Participants will come away informed about the hottest topics of the U.S.-China Trade War, Trump’s Section 201, 232, and 301 Extra Tariffs for ‘National Security’, Trump’s proposed extra tariffs against Mexico, the USMCA Free Trade Agreement, the First Sale doctrine, and enforcement of intellectual property rights which all lead to radical changes in international supply chains.
 
Moderator: Peter A. Quinter, Shareholder, GrayRobinson, PA, Miami, FL
Presenter(s): Robert H. Mayer, President, DECOLAV, Inc., Boca Raton, FL
Jennifer Bradshaw, Area Port Director, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Jacksonville, FL
 
 
12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Lunch (on your own)
2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Committee Meetings
7:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Registration
7:45 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
The Spy Who Saved All the Deleted Data: Don’t Think You Can Get Away with Dirty Deletes
The fallout after an attorney instructed his client to “clean up” his Facebook page was unimaginable: the deleted photos and pages—all recovered; attorney-client privileged emails— all exposed from the crime-fraud exception; a $722,000 sanction and the lawyer suspended from the bar. This panel will discuss the importance of preserving electronic data, including EDR data, dash camera footage, social media posts, and geosocial data. The panel will provide strategies for efficient and systematic ways to obtain valuable evidence and get it admitted  at trial, address lost data, and protect parties from drastic mishaps.
 
Moderator: Damien A. Orato, Partner, Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell PA, Orlando, FL
Presenter(s):
Kristen M.J. Johnson, Partner, Taylor & Associates, Attorneys at Law, P.L., Orlando, FL
Matt DiSogra, Delta [v] Forensic Engineering, Inc., Charlotte, NC
J. Christopher Racich, President, Vestigant, LLC, Washington, D.C.

 
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Diamonds Are Forever, but Transportation Insurance Coverage May Be Fleeting
This session will serve as a General Counsel’s guide to insurance review and offer a robust discussion of the transportation insurance market from the perspective of primary and excess coverage brokers, underwriters, and others. Learn about trends in the marketplace as well as unique product offerings available for transportation providers. TLA members will have the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of some of the top executives in the transportation insurance industry.
 
Moderator: Michael J. Case, Partner, Frost Brown Todd Attorneys, LLC, Indianapolis, IN
Presenter(s): Lisa Stephenson, General Counsel, CRST International, Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA
Daniel Johnson, AON Risk Solutions, Little Rock, AR
Jen Velencia, General Counsel, A. Duie Pyle, West Chester, PA
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Refreshment Break
10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Die Another Day: Avoid Being Trapped between Negligent Selection and Vicarious Liability
Personal injury lawyers conjure new liability theories as quickly as Bond villains recruit double-agents to infiltrate MI6. The presenters will explore a broker or shipper’s potential liability to a third party motorist injured by a motor carrier during the transportation. The panel will focus on ways to navigate the fine line between negligent selection and vicarious liability. Can too little oversight lead to liability claims for negligent selection? Can too much control
give rise to liability as employer/master of a truck driver? This panel will allow you to better understand the issues and risks and how to deal with them from the perspectives of a broker, shipper, and insurer.
 
Moderator: J. Stephen Kennedy, Partner, Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP, Jackson, MS
Presenter(s): Lisa Reeves, Partner, Reeves & McEwing LLP, Philadelphia, PA
Dan DiGrazio, Senior Director of Logistics, Butterball LLC, Raleigh-Durham, NC
Paul Berman, Vice President of Logistics, East Coast Transport LLC, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
 
11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
No Time to Lie: An Exploration of Ethical Issues in Our Rapidly Changing World
Just like the world inhabited by James Bond in his 1962 premiere, our world of transportation and logistics has undergone breathtaking change. The fantastic pace of technological change affecting the industry has exposed a plethora of heretofore unexplored and unconsidered ethical issues, which will be discussed by our panel of high level industry attorneys.
 
Moderator:  James A. Wescoe, Partner,  Weber Gallagher Simpson  Stapleton Fires & Newby LLP, Philadelphia, PA
Presenter(s): Meehee Franz, General Counsel (U.S.  Attorney), FNS, Inc., Los Angeles,  CA
James Crocker, Manager, Liability Claims and Litigation, FedEx Freight, Inc., Harrison, AZ
12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Lunch (on your own)