NJSBA Annual Meeting: Daily Educational Programming Schedule
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Wednesday | Thursday | Friday
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14
11:00AM - 12:30PM
AI is Here to Stay: Opening Business Session
Artificial Intelligence Track
Be sure to attend the Opening Business Session to hear from this year's keynote, Suffolk Law School Dean Andrew Perlman who will explain why generative artificial intelligence is likely to transform the delivery of legal services in the years ahead and offer practical - and ethical - tips for using it. A panel will follow Dean Perlman and will present guidance on practical uses for incorporating generative AI and how to do so in a way that complies with the relevant rules of professional conduct.
Moderator/Speaker:
Thomas P. Scrivo, Esq., O'Toole Scrivo LLC
Speakers:
Hon. Katherine B. Forrest, U.S.D.C. (Ret.), Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Michael G. Donahue, Esq., Stark & Stark
Joshua S. Levy, Esq., Gibbons PC
Erez Liebermann, Esq., Debevoise & Plimpton
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14
1:30PM - 3:00PM
AI’s Impact On Labor and Employment Law: Key Strategies & Insights
Artificial Intelligence Track
This program will explore the current legal and regulatory landscape concerning the use of generative AI (GAI or gen AI) in the employment context. It will provide practical guidance for legal practitioners by examining both the benefits and potential pitfalls of employing these technologies. Attendees will learn how to counsel and represent clients who use generative AI tools while navigating emerging challenges. Key topics include an analysis of evolving regulations, identification of potential causes of action, and a discussion on ethical duties and judicial restrictions that impact AI deployment in labor and employment law. Additionally, the CLE will address unique discovery issues that may arise in cases involving generative AI, offering insights and best practices for managing these challenges effectively.
Moderator/Speaker:
Stephanie Wilson, Esq., Chair, Labor & Employment Law Section , Retired Partner, Reed Smith LLP
Speakers:
Hon. Ronald J. Hedges (Ret.), U.S.M.J., Ronald J. Hedges LLC
Stephanie D. Gironda, Esq., Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer
Sundeep Iyer, Acting Executive Assistant Attorney General, Office of Attorney General
Lisa Manshel, Esq., Former Chair, Labor & Employment Law Section , Manshel Law LLC
Aileen O'Driscoll, Esq., New Jersey Education Association
Robert T. Szyba, Esq., Seyfarth Shaw
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14
3:45PM - 5:15PM
AI’s Impact On Trial Practice - Key Strategies & Insights
Artificial Intelligence Track
This program offers a comprehensive technical and legal update on the use of AI technology for trial lawyers while addressing the emerging ethical challenges in this rapidly evolving field. Designed to equip legal professionals with actionable guidance, the panel will examine how AI is reshaping courtroom procedures - particularly through the increasing complexity of forensic evidence - and explore the ethical obligations of defense attorneys and prosecutors when evaluating and presenting such evidence. The discussion will integrate insights from recent SCOTUS case law, ABA Model Rules for the Defense and Prosecution Function, and the New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct, providing a framework for ethically managing criminal cases involving AI-driven forensic tools. Additionally, the program will address the phenomenon of AI-generated “hallucinations”, offering practical recommendations to help attorneys avoid citing nonexistent or incorrect materials in their submissions.
Moderator/Speaker:
Robert J. Brass, Esq., Of Counsel, Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, PC
Speakers:
Hon. Sohail Mohammed, P.J.Cr., Presiding Criminal Judge, Superior Court of New Jersey - Passaic Vicinage
Hon. Ronald J. Hedges (Ret.), U.S.M.J., Ronald J. Hedges LLC
Johanna Barba Jones, Esq., Director, Office of Attorney Ethics
James J. Gerrow, Jr., Esq., Persiano Law Office
Joseph A. Giordano, Esq., Office of Attorney General
THURSDAY, MAY 15
8:45AM - 10:00AM
NJ Courts AI Access: How the Judiciary is Using Secure, Internal AI to Improve Court Services
Artificial Intelligence Track
This program will showcase the in-house generative AI tool developed by the NJ Courts and currently being piloted by a few hundred judges and staff. Panelists will set out the business reasons for building a customized model, as well as the safeguards used to protect against unauthorized access to court information. They will highlight initial use cases and the steps implemented by a business+technology fusion team to educate the workforce, support early users, and optimize results. Senior Judiciary leaders will highlight both anticipated and unexpected lessons learned, offer suggestions for public and private entities (including individual attorneys) seeking to leverage AI potential, and discuss how the Judiciary hopes to continue realizing the benefits while avoiding the risks of AI within the guardrails established by the NJ Supreme Court in its 2024 Statement of Principles.
Speakers:
Hon. Michael J. Blee, Administrative Director Designate
Laks Kattalai, Chief Information Officer, New Jersey Judiciary
Jessica Lewis Kelly, Esq., Special Assistant To the Administrative Director, Administrative Office Of The Courts
THURSDAY, MAY 15
10:30AM - 11:45AM
AI’s Impact On Corporate Counsel and Businesses: Key Strategies & Insights
Artificial Intelligence Track
Join us for an engaging panel discussion tailored for corporate counsel and business leaders navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal realm. This program will equip attendees with critical updates on AI technologies, evolving regulatory frameworks, and ethical considerations that impact organizations. Key topics include an overview of existing legal frameworks—addressing issues such as data protection, intellectual property, and liability—as well as strategies for leveraging AI tools to enhance business operations while ensuring regulatory compliance. In addition, the program will examine best practices for ethical AI deployment with a focus on bias mitigation, transparency, and accountability.
Moderator/Speaker:
Robert B. Hille, Esq., Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis
Speakers:
Anna Mercado Clark, Esq., Phillips Lytle LLP
Khurram Nasir Gore, Senior Director, Managing Associate General Counsel, Verizon
Scott Jones, Johnson & Johnson
Rahan Uddin, Senior Corporate Counsel, Director, Americas Partner and Customer Solutions , Microsoft
Frank X. Wukovits, Esq., Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC
THURSDAY, MAY 15
3:15PM - 4:45PM
Essential AI Update for New Jersey Attorneys: The State of Justice in a World of Evolving Technology
Artificial Intelligence Track
This program will examine Al's impact on both the practical and theoretical applications of law through its use by practitioners. There will be a legislation component and a component of Al and its impact on justice in our courts and social justice in our society as a whole featuring the sociological impact of Al on bias, the impact on lives of marginalized members of society and practical ways to use Al as a help to serve the interests of justice and strategies to blunt the harms caused by its wrongful use. Finally, there will be a more academic or philosophical discussion relating to our place as lawyers and as human beings in a world that seems to be changing beyond our means to control or even understand and how to maintain our essential human character in the face of a technology that can be used to reduce populations to data points and people to statistics.
Moderator/Speaker:
Steven J. Eisenstein, Esq., Lum, Drasco & Positan LLC
Speakers:
Hon. Ronald J. Hedges (Ret.), U.S.M.J., Ronald J. Hedges LLC
Abdul Rehman Khan, Esq., Seton Hall Law School
Mihir Kshirsagar, Clinic Lead and CITP Steering Committee Member, Center for Information Technology Policy, Princeton University
John T. Wolak, Esq., CIPP-US, Director, Business & Commercial Litigation Group , Gibbons PC