Evidentiary Issues: What's Admissible in NRD Cases

The Third Annual Advanced Conference on Natural Resource Damages: Evolving strategic, tactical and substantive issues

Natural resource damages claims seek restoration and compensation to the public from natural resource injuries resulting from oil spills and releases of hazardous substances. New policy and regulatory approaches, evolving case law, and complex evidentiary issues continue to fill this critically important area of law with multifaceted challenges for environmental practitioners and companies.

This conference will cover the substantial legal, scientific, economic and policy issues facing Trustees, companies and others, including several cross-cutting issues that have not been addressed in prior conferences. Key questions to be addressed at this advanced NRD conference include trial strategy (from both a defense and prosecution perspective), professional ethical issues that arise in NRD case management and the latest developments in NRD economics including non-use valuation methodologies.

The course will also delve into the complex dynamic of cooperative NRD assessments, the latest developments in several NRD mega-cases, and the impact of notable policy trends from federal, state and Tribal perspectives. This advanced NRD conference will also emphasize practical tips for successfully navigating the complex world of NRD litigation, including in-depth discussions of the admissibility of evidence, how courts weigh the contribution of competing environmental experts, the most effective claims and defenses, issues of proof of baseline and more.

The conference brings together a stellar, nationally-recognized faculty including high-ranking government officials from both federal and state Trustee agencies, senior corporate in-house counsel, private practitioners with notable expertise in developing effective strategies in NRD litigation and best-in-class experts including environmental scientists and economists. We are also thrilled to welcome John Cruden, the President of the Environmental Law Institute and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, as our honored Keynote Speaker. We hope you can join us and be a part of this important conference.

Program Co-Chairs: Ira Gottlieb, Esq., McCarter & English, LLP and Brian D. Israel, Esq., Arnold & Porter LLP