Foyer, Ballroom at Bayou Place

Hon. Randy Crane, U.S. District Judge

Moderated by the next Chief Judge of the Southern District of Texas, this panel features the new(er) judges of the Southern District of Texas, who have joined the bench since 2019. The judges will share their backgrounds and transitions onto the bench, insights into their courtrooms, and what practitioners should know when appearing in front of them.

Hon. Randy Crane, U.S. District Judge

Hon. Jeffrey V. Brown, U.S. District Judge
Hon. Charles R. Eskridge, U.S. District Judge
Hon. Drew B. Tipton, U.S. District Judge
Hon. Julie K. Hampton, U.S. Magistrate Judge
Hon. Christopher dos Santos, U.S. Magistrate Judge
Hon. Nadia Medrano, U.S. Magistrate Judge
Hon. Mitchel Neurock, U.S. Magistrate Judge

A panel of practitioners with civil, criminal, and appellate experience will share their perspectives on the ways in which social media is changing our practice and how we think about speech and privacy rights, including a discussion of emerging issues and practice tips.

Hon. Peter J. Bray, U.S. Magistrate Judge

Kyle Hawkins, Esq., Lehotsky Keller
Chanler A. Langham, Esq., Susman Godfrey L.L.P.
Sharad Khandelwal, Esq., Assistant U.S. Attorney

This panel will discuss recent Supreme Court and Fifth Circuit cases that are not necessarily the hot-button ones covered in the news, but those cases that civil and criminal practitioners need to know about for their general practice.

Erin Busby, Esq., Professor, University of Texas School of Law

Aaron Streett, Esq., Baker Botts L.L.P.
Raffi Melkonian, Esq., Wright, Close & Barger LLP
D. Theodore Rave, Esq., Professor, University of Texas School of Law

A panel of judges will share their perspectives on proportionality in discovery, particularly in light of the 2015 amendments to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26.

Kate Shih, Esq., Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP

Hon. Alfred H. Bennett, U.S. District Judge
Hon. Fernando Rodriguez, Jr., U.S. District Judge
Hon. Sam S. Sheldon, U.S. Magistrate Judge

A panel of judges will share their perspectives on how trial court judging has changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and what we should expect in the future.

Krisina Zuñiga, Esq., Susman Godfrey L.L.P.

Hon. Randy Crane, U.S. District Judge
Hon. Jeffrey V. Brown, U.S. District Judge
Hon. Andrew Edison, U.S. Magistrate Judge

A panel of judges will share their perspectives on presenting at hearings and trials, including effective presentation skills, potential challenges when presenting, and lessons learned from the pandemic.

Tina Q. Nguyen, Esq., Baker Botts L.L.P.

Hon. Andrew S. Hanen, U.S. District Judge
Hon. Diana Saldaña, U.S. District Judge
Hon. Christina A. Bryan, U.S. Magistrate Judge

Hon. Randy Crane, U.S. District Judge