Wallace Saunders attorneys Tom Hayes, Chris Confer, and Stephanie Blaylock recently attended the 27th Annual Railroad Liability Conference, which is put on by America’s leading short line railroads. This year’s conference was held in St. Louis, Missouri and was long awaited, as it was the first time the conference has taken place since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because of their significant experience in railroad litigation, the above Wallace Saunders attorneys were asked to present at the conference with Asim S. Raza (Chief Legal Officer, Director of Corporate Affairs – Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis), Onna Houck (General Counsel – Iowa Interstate Railroad), and Kristin Bevil (General Counsel – Pioneer Lines) on the topic: “On Site Counsel – Lessons Learned.”
In their presentation, conference attendees were taken, in phases, through an actual case from case intake to and through trial. Conference attendees were provided initial case facts and witness information, saw deposition testimony, medical information, expert testimony, key fact witness testimony, and other important evidence, and were then given the opportunity to discuss how they would evaluate the case. Allowing the audience members to participate in this “real life” process was not only highly educational, but also was an entertaining and engaging way to learn the different perspectives (legal, insurance, claims, and in-house legal) and considerations utilized by these groups in analyzing the various factors in a case.
The presentation was a success, was very well-received, and our attorneys all really enjoyed the conference and learned a great deal from these industry experts.