Nov. 17-18 DTCI conference speakers

Hon. Steven David is the featured luncheon speaker on Nov. 18. Justice David served as the elected circuit court judge in Boone County from 1995 through his appointment to the Indiana Supreme Court. He has testified before the Indiana General Assembly and the United States Congress on juvenile law and national security issues, respectively, and he has collaborated extensively with other agencies on juvenile law issues. He is also a recipient of the coveted Robert Kinsey Award.

Jane Bockus, a partner in Cox Smith in San Antonio, will speak on Women in Trial Practice. She has more than 30 years of experience as a trial lawyer and has been first chair in dozens of jury trials in a wide range of cases. In the last ten years, her practice has focused primarily on pharmaceutical product defense.

Peter Obremskey will join Robert Wagner in presenting Persuasive Courtroom Tactics. Obremskey practices in the areas of personal injury, products liability, medical malpractice, and civil litigation. The Indiana Trial Lawyers Association has awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award, and he was also selected one of the Top Ten Attorneys by Best Lawyers in Indiana.

Linda Pence, a partner with PenceHensel, began her legal career with the U.S. Department of Justice in 1974. Her topic at the DTCI meeting will be Persuasive Motions Practice in the Courtroom. Pence has gained extensive experience in the investigation, prosecution, and defense of corporations and individuals in a wide range of white collar criminal matters.

Matthew Schad will be presenting on Effective Use of Technology for Persuasion in and out of the Courtroom. He graduated cum laude from the Florida State College of Law. He served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in the Republic of Panama and became the chief Army military prosecutor for U.S. Army South.

John C. Trimble is managing partner of Lewis Wagner and a former president of the DTCI. In 1999, Trimble received the Fred H. Sievert Outstanding Defense Bar Leader Award from DRI. He is currently chair of the DRI Public Policy Committee. He defends catastrophic and complex cases, insurance coverage disputes, and professional liability matters, and also enjoys a part-time practice as a mediator.

Hon. Nancy Vaidik, who earned her law degree from the Valparaiso University School of Law, will speak on Persuading on Appeal. Before her elevation to the appellate court, Judge Vaidik served as a trial court judge in Porter County. Before then, while in private practice, Judge Vaidik specialized in civil law, including domestic relations, probate, government law, and general litigation. In 1985, she founded the Porter County Sexual Assault Recovery Project, and from 1990 to 1992 was the attorney for Caring Place, Inc., a shelter for battered women.

Robert Wagner, partner in Lewis Wagner, will join Peter Obremskey in presenting on Persuasive Courtroom Tactics. Wagner has been listed as one of Indiana’s top 15 “Distinguished Barristers of 2008,” as an Indiana “Super Lawyer,” and as one of the Top 50 Attorneys in Indiana. At the national level, he was named one of The Best Lawyers in America in 2005 -2011 in the field of personal injury litigation.

G. Michael Witte, who will address the DTCI on Ethics for Civil Lawyers, is the executive secretary of the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. Witte was the first Asian-American to serve as a judge in Indiana. He received both his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Indiana University, served as president of the Indianapolis law school’s alumni board in 2009, and was honored in 2008 by the I.U. Alumni Association as its Distinguished Asian Alumnus.•

For additional information on the 2011 Annual Conference, go to www.dtci.org and click on “Events.”