Seminar Schedule

8:00 -10:00 amThe New Goliath: Trial Tactics for Taking on Larger Opponents

Presenter:
Chris Turney, Turney LG - Midwest Litigators, Kansas City, MO

Defense counsel largely knows that many factors contribute to the unsustainable increase in settlements and verdicts. This presentation cohesively organizes the numerous contributors and methodically pushes back against them using strategies developed by DRI’s Social Inflation Task Force. This presentation will embolden defense attorneys to strategically battle the New Goliath that is becoming increasingly powerful in today’s litigation.

10:15 - 11:45 amReasonable Value of Medical Expenses in Tort Cases: A Two-Act Play for Defense Attorneys

Presenter: Thomas Wickizer, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Seattle, WA

Brief Program Description: Defense attorneys face major challenges in fashioning strong arguments regarding economic damages related to medical expenses for
personal injury and medical malpractice cases. Evidentiary constraints imposed by the Collateral Source Rule have limited defense attorneys’ ability to bring important and
relevant information in court needed to determine the reasonable value of medical expenses. My talk will present information showing why billed charges, used by plaintiff
attorneys to determine the reasonable value of medical expenses, fail by a wide margin to meet the reasonable value test. It will also present a new method I have developed
to determine the reasonable value of medical expenses that does not violate the Collateral Source Rule and yields fair and accurate economic damage awards.

11:45 am - 12:15 pmSupreme Court Candidates Forum

Presenters:
The Hon. Amy Eddy, District Judge, Montana Eleventh Judicial District; Kalispell, MT
The Hon. Dan Wilson, District Judge, Montana Eleventh Judicial District; Kalispell, MT

12:15 -1:30 pmMDTL Annual Membership Meeting & Elections

Lunch on your own if not attending

1:30 - 2:30 pmArtifical Intelligence & Ethics: Practical Applications Using Westlaw

Presenter: Mark Michel, Sr. Westlaw Account Manager, Cleveland, OH

2:30 - 3:30 pmEthical Legal Research using Generative AI

Presenters:
Shayla Bradford, Client Manager, LexisNexis
Ripley Piedrasant-McReynolds, Field Solutions Consultant, LexisNexis

This CLE presentation is for legal professionals who want a better understanding of the intersection between generative AI and legal ethics.

Beginning with a foundational overview of AI and its generative capabilities, participants will explore the ethical implications as outlined by the American Bar Association (ABA) model rules.

Key topics include maintaining competency (Rule 1.1), ensuring confidentiality (Rule 1.6), and effective supervision (Rule 5.1) in the context of AI use.

The course will also address potential sanctions for unethical AI practices and provide insights into the application of AI in legal research tools, emphasizing ethical principles and considerations. Participants will engage in discussions on specific ethical issues such as AI hallucinations, supervisory concerns, and confidentiality challenges.

The course concludes with a review of ethical AI use policies within law firms and an open discussion to consolidate learning and address participant queries. This course is designed to equip legal professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to ethically integrate AI into their practice.

3:45 - 5:15 pmA practical look at Montana's new Offer of Settlement statute (MCA 25-7-105), the interplay with offsets/settlements and settling parties, and lessons learned from recent jury trials and post-trial litigation

Presenters:
Scott Stearns, Boone Karlberg, Missoula, MT
Nila Glover, Boone Karlberg, Missoula, MT

Since the pandemic, the number of construction defect lawsuits have exploded across the state, especially in the Bozeman and Three Forks area. However, the 2023 legislative changes to the Offer of Settlement statute, MCA 25-7-105, provides litigants with new tools in property and contract cases worth $3 million or less to level the playing field and ease the burden on the Court system. When utilized by the defense, a well-evaluated case in concert with a well-timed Offer of Settlement, can cause Plaintiffs to think long and hard about whether to take their case to trial lest they have to pay the Defendants’ attorneys fees and costs if their verdict does not exceed the Offer of Settlement. Mr. Stearns and Ms. Glover will discuss recent trial results, the attendant pre-trial and post-trial rulings, and how Offers of Settlements have been used effectively since the statute was amended

Meet Our Distinguished Participants

Speakers

Chris Turney Turney LG - Midwest Litigators, Kansas City, MO

These are the three guiding principles that drive Turney LG – Midwest Litigators. Chris Turney is a civil defense attorney based in Kansas City. In addition to defending products made by innovative companies and critical decisions made by professionals in an imperfect world, Chris invests his professional time as a National Director of DRI. In 2023, Chris assembled DRI’s Social Inflation Task Force, a task force comprised of industry experts in insurance, litigation, and public policy, that is designed to identify and push back on tactics employed to increase the costs of resolving lawsuits.

Most importantly, though, Chris married out of his league. He and his wife, Aimee, have two kids (ages 19 & 15) who are more talented than him in every way. He is unapologetically a long time Chiefs season ticket holder, and as a hobby, he turns chicken wings into purified water for our global neighbors.

When he provides his cell number and email address in the presentation, he is authentically inviting you to reach out to him. The issues we face in our line of work are important and Chris is committed to driving our team toward success.

Tom Wickizer, Ph.D., M.P.H. Seattle, WA

Thomas Wickizer, PhD, MPH, is the Stephen F. Lobes Distinguished

Professor Emeritus and Academy Professor in the College of Public Health at The Ohio

State University. Wickizer has published widely in the fields of health economics and

health services research. He spent most of his academic career at the University of

Washington (1989-2009) and later at The Ohio State University (2010-2020). Since

retiring in 2020 as an active faculty at Ohio State and moving back to Seattle, Wickizer

has been engaged in the field of forensic economics. He has served as an expert

witness for defendants in over 90 tort cases, primarily in western states. Wickizer

developed and refined a new approach to estimating the reasonable value of medical

expenses for personal injury and medical malpractice cases. His recent forensic

economic work is described in articles published in 2022 and 2024 in the Journal of

Legal Economics.

The Hon. Amy Eddy District Judge, Montana Eleventh Judicial District; Kalispell, MT

Judge Amy Eddy was appointed to the District Court in 2015 and has since been elected three times by Flathead County voters. She has presided over more than 10,000 cases across Montana, handling matters ranging from family law and felony trials to complex constitutional issues. A graduate of the University of Montana School of Law, Judge Eddy is known for her work ethic, impartiality, and commitment to upholding the rule of law.

The Hon. Dan Wilson District Judge, Montana Eleventh Judicial District; Kalispell, MT

After graduating from law school in 1993, Judge Dan Wilson worked as a prosecutor in Great Falls, Chinook, and Kalispell. In 1999, he settled into private practice, representing individuals and businesses in a variety of cases, including contract and property disputes, family law, and estate planning. he also represented people accused of crimes in both state and federal courts. Through his conservative judicial philosophy and his commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law, Judge Dan Wilson has earned a reputation as a fair but firm judge.

Mark Michel Sr. Westlaw Account Manager, Cleveland, OH

Mr. Michel has 25 years of extensive experience and is a Westlaw CoCounsel trained AI specialist with a deep understanding of office integration and legal technology solutions. He will discuss ethical AI deployment and application usage.

Shayla Bradford Client Manager, LexisNexis

Shayla Bradford is a Client Manager with LexisNexis, where she helps legal professionals incorporate Protégé into research, drafting, analysis, and case-preparation workflows. She provides practical guidance on using legal AI effectively and responsibly, helping attorneys produce confident work grounded in trusted legal authority. Shayla is passionate about making advanced legal technology approachable and useful in everyday practice.

Ripley Piedrasant-McReynolds Field Solutions Consultant, LexisNexis

Ripley is a 2021 graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where she focused on legal technology, access to justice, and community advocacy. Since joining LexisNexis, Ripley has become a leading voice in helping small and mid-sized firms leverage cutting-edge research tools, integrate AI ethically and effectively, and stay ahead of technological change. Her work focuses not just on product expertise, but on empowering attorneys through advocacy for greater accessibility in legal systems.

Scott Stearns Attorney, Boone Karlberg, Missoula, MT

Scott was born in Missoula and graduated from the University of Notre Dame. After receiving his law degree from The University of Montana School of Law, he worked in the Missoula County Attorney’s Office as a Deputy County Attorney and also served in the Montana National Guard as an Infantry Officer. He moved to Minnesota in 2000 where he practiced law with Dorsey & Whitney before moving back to Montana in 2003 to join Boone Karlberg.

Scott maintains an AV rating and has been listed in multiple litigation related areas in Best Lawyers, Benchmark, Super Lawyers, and Chambers. Scott was designated by the Best Lawyers publication as the Missoula “Lawyer of the Year” in Real Estate Law in multiple years.

Nila Glover

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