American Conference Institute's Conference on Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics for Life Sciences Attorneys

A stellar array of attorneys representing pharmaceutical, biotech, diagnostic, and medical device companies unite to discuss relevant ethical standards and delve into the particular challenges and complexities facing counsel in the life sciences space including: 

• Avoiding ethical landmines in the discovery process and interpreting document production requests post-Actos


• Understanding the role of counsel and balancing the mandate of zealous advocacy against other duties


• Protecting privilege across jurisdictions for global life sciences companies


• Avoiding conflicts of interest in the increasingly interrelated life sciences world


• Civility in litigation: lessons for Hatch-Waxman, white collar, and products liability lawyers from Judges and top counsel

Ms. Waltz’s presentation will address understanding the standard for a common interest where privilege may kick in, including:

• Making it clear that you are giving or seeking legal advice in the digital world of emails and texts
  
  
  
  • Business advice versus privileged attorney communications
  
  
  • Keeping confidential information private in an age when oversharing is commonplace
  
  
  • Case studies: Vioxx litigation and non-privileged email communications


• Providing information in the discovery context without breaching attorney-client privilege
  
  
  
  • Creating a privilege log
  
  
  • Good document practices and confidentiality agreements
  
  
  • Setting up your systems so that confidentiality is protected
  
  
  • Knowing when to exercise the clawback provision


• Conducting witness interviews during litigation with privilege to the client in mind


• Protecting privilege across jurisdictions and across borders: choice of law and applicable rules both internationally and within different states


• Putting protective orders in place and avoiding inadvertent waivers with privileged info during discovery
  
  
  
  • Rule 502(d) orders
  
  
  • Samsung v. Apple


• Understanding the situations where an attorney either is permitted to or has a duty to make a disclosure which defeats privilege
  
  
  
  • Sarbanes Oxley mandates
  
  
  • SEC disclosures
  
  
  • Crime fraud exception

The conference will be held February 24-25, 2015 at the Union League in Philadelphia, PA. To get more information and to register, please visit the American Conference Institute’s website.