Seyfarth Attorneys Present Lawline Webcast - Best Practices for Settling Securities Class Actions: What Attorneys, Clients and Insurers Should Know

Thursday, October 13, 2022
2:00 p.m. Eastern
1:00 p.m. Central
12:00 p.m. Mountain
11:00 a.m. Pacific

Courts and parties have long recognized the complexity and uncertainty inherent in securities class actions, and the very large amount of potential damages often at stake. As a result, all involved generally favor settlement for most cases that survive dismissal motions, with very few cases going to trial. Given the large percentage of cases resolved through settlements, securities litigators must understand the intricacies and unique features of securities class actions, including the number of negotiating parties, the role of multiple D&O carriers, notice to class members and the settlement process that must be followed in the courts.

This CLE program, hosted by Lawline, will provide guidance not only on the procedural and technical processes for settling securities class actions, but also strategic considerations for doing so. The panelists for this program include extremely well-known and respected securities class action mediators Layn R. Phillips, former United States Attorney, former United States District Judge and founder of Phillips ADR Enterprises, and Michelle Yoshida, mediator, arbitrator, and special master of Phillips ADR Enterprises, as well as highly experienced securities litigators from Seyfarth Shaw LLP. The panelists will provide real life examples of successful settlements, ways to increase the likelihood of settlement and the ways in which mediators contribute to the likelihood. Together the panelists have a huge amount of experience and the resulting recommendations for the audience on techniques of fostering settlement will be invaluable.    

This program will benefit outside attorneys involved in securities litigation, D&O insurers as well as representatives from companies who face securities litigation risks, including in-house counsel, board members and senior officers. 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the legal framework for securities class actions settlements, including the settlement approval process
• Discuss optimal timing to begin settlement discussions
• Describe key settlement terms to negotiate
• Explore real life examples of strong settlement strategies, as well as weak settlement strategies
• Describe the types of facts and issues that mediators are looking for to use to persuade parties to compromise  when parties are trying to settle a securities class action

Speakers

Giovanna Ferrari,  Seyfarth Shaw

Gregory Markel, Seyfarth Shaw

Sarah Fedner,  Seyfarth Shaw

Layn R. Phillips, Phillips ADR

Michelle Yoshida, Phillips ADR