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COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT HBA Litigation Section Blacks Law Dictionary defines “litigation” as the process of carrying on a lawsuit. This broad definition illustrates why the Houston Bar Association Litigation Section has more than 1,500 members and why the section’s officers must ensure that the topics addressed in CLE programs are varied enough to engage all the section’s constituents. The section selects speakers to address issues common to the entire process of litigation, with practitioners and judges speaking on courtroom procedure and practice tips regarding motion practice, discovery, jury selection, and the trial itself. To further meet the needs of this extensive group, the section holds two monthly meetings, one downtown on the third Tuesday of each month and one in the Galleria area on the second Thursday of every month. The topics addressed at each meeting differ. For example, section members who attended the downtown meeting in October heard a panel of judges discuss “Effective and Ineffective Expert Trial Testimony.” The topic at the Galleria-area meeting was “E-Discovery–The New Rules and Best Practices From a Forensic Perspective,” presented by Eric Seggebruch of Guidance Software, Inc. While the Litigation Section cannot always address the specific needs of specialized litigation groups such as probate, family law or criminal law, the section tries to address “hot topics” or issues that currently confront members of the bar, such as E-Discovery. In fact, the Litigation Section attempts to have at least one speaker each year address litigation issues involving intellectual property. In addition to reaching out to a diverse audience, the Litigation Section is hosting an upcoming all-day continuing legal education event that will cover the primary things a lawyer needs to know concerning litigation in various specialized bars, including intellectual property. The purpose of this CLE is to help attorneys spot issues and address them with greater ease. The cutting-edge nature of the Litigation Section discussion topics makes them not only useful in educating practitioners, but also interesting because they deal with issues making headlines. For example, the November downtown meeting focused on changes in the law regarding private investigators, a profession that has made front page news recently with the HP scandal. In September a news article indicated that a private investigating firm in Massachusetts was the subject of inquiry for its involvement in the HP “pretexting” criminal investigation. As shown by this brief spotlight, membership in the Litigation Section, combined with membership in a more specialized section, provides diverse and valuable educational resources for HBA members. For information on joining the HBA Litigation Section, contact the HBA Membership Department at 713-759-1133 or see the Litigation Section page on the HBA Web site, www.hba.org. Jason Ostrom practices with OstromSain LLP and is a member of The Houston Lawyer editorial board.
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