The Civil Rights Section of the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter, will present Civil Rights Étouffée on the Road in Detroit with “Nuts and Bolts on Section 1983 and Qualified Immunity: (Nearly) Everything There is to Know” on Friday, April 5, from 11:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Detroit Room of the Theodore Levin Courthouse, 231 West Lafayette Boulevard in Detroit.
The program will begin with lunch guest speaker Professor Alexander A. Reinert, the Max Freund Professor of Litigation and Advocacy at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, who will discuss “Section 1983 and Qualified Immunity: Where it’s Been and Where it Might be Headed.”
U.S. District Court Judge Judith Levy will introduce the afternoon event, explaining the importance of Section 1983 cases to the court as the largest portion of the docket as well as the substance of the cases. The panel will address a range of topics related to Section 1983 litigation.
Panelists include Levy, U.S. District Court Judge Terrence G Berg, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Stafford, Cary S. McGehee, Nolan J. Moody, Michael Hanchett, Assistant Attorney General Adam de Bear, and moderator Robin Wagner.
This event is intended not only for newer attorneys and law clerks, but also anyone who wants to participate in the court’s pro bono program or who supervises attorneys on such cases. The program is also a great primer for anyone looking to expand into Section 1983 litigation.
The panel will endeavor to cover topics including:
• The core of the complaint and the facts
• How to understand and recognize the key elements of a Section 1983 claim
• Unique considerations in the prison context, like exhaustion
• The typical procedural postures of a case that is referred for pro bono counsel
• Representing incarcerated persons in civil matters
• Discovery challenges unique to prisoner-rights cases – what kinds of documents might exist particular to this context that you need to look for? What questions to ask?
• How to use the specific tools of discovery in the prison context
• When and why you might need a request to permit entry on land
• Client communications
• Depositions in the prison context
• Special orders needed if client/witnesses must appear in court
• Understanding the concerns of the government entity defendant
- Client management issues
- Time it takes to make decisions and get responses to questions related to clients and witnesses
- Security concerns
• How to handle discovery disputes in these cases
• Pre-trial motions: how to be effective and strategic with Motions in Limine, exhibits, other pre-trial planning
• Damages – what’s available, how to evaluate and understand the value of the case
• Mediation/settlement conferences
• Trial nuts and bolts
The program is free for FBA members and non-members (Suggested donation is $20 to defray event costs). To register, visit https://fbamich.org and click on “calendar.”
The program will begin with lunch guest speaker Professor Alexander A. Reinert, the Max Freund Professor of Litigation and Advocacy at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, who will discuss “Section 1983 and Qualified Immunity: Where it’s Been and Where it Might be Headed.”
U.S. District Court Judge Judith Levy will introduce the afternoon event, explaining the importance of Section 1983 cases to the court as the largest portion of the docket as well as the substance of the cases. The panel will address a range of topics related to Section 1983 litigation.
Panelists include Levy, U.S. District Court Judge Terrence G Berg, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Stafford, Cary S. McGehee, Nolan J. Moody, Michael Hanchett, Assistant Attorney General Adam de Bear, and moderator Robin Wagner.
This event is intended not only for newer attorneys and law clerks, but also anyone who wants to participate in the court’s pro bono program or who supervises attorneys on such cases. The program is also a great primer for anyone looking to expand into Section 1983 litigation.
The panel will endeavor to cover topics including:
• The core of the complaint and the facts
• How to understand and recognize the key elements of a Section 1983 claim
• Unique considerations in the prison context, like exhaustion
• The typical procedural postures of a case that is referred for pro bono counsel
• Representing incarcerated persons in civil matters
• Discovery challenges unique to prisoner-rights cases – what kinds of documents might exist particular to this context that you need to look for? What questions to ask?
• How to use the specific tools of discovery in the prison context
• When and why you might need a request to permit entry on land
• Client communications
• Depositions in the prison context
• Special orders needed if client/witnesses must appear in court
• Understanding the concerns of the government entity defendant
- Client management issues
- Time it takes to make decisions and get responses to questions related to clients and witnesses
- Security concerns
• How to handle discovery disputes in these cases
• Pre-trial motions: how to be effective and strategic with Motions in Limine, exhibits, other pre-trial planning
• Damages – what’s available, how to evaluate and understand the value of the case
• Mediation/settlement conferences
• Trial nuts and bolts
The program is free for FBA members and non-members (Suggested donation is $20 to defray event costs). To register, visit https://fbamich.org and click on “calendar.”
