Robins Kaplan partners Roman Silberfeld and Anthony Froio will join leaders from the legal, judicial, political, academic, and media worlds gathering in Boston on March 14 to discuss growing threats to the independence and impartiality of courts in the United States and other democracies, and how to fight back.

The biannual symposium will tackle pressing issues at the nexus of technology, media, law, and governance. Sessions will focus on the critical role of media freedom in judicial independence, the implications of artificial intelligence on democracy, the responsibility of legal professionals in maintaining judicial independence, and the importance of state constitutions in upholding the rule of law.

Robins Kaplan national trial chair and past president of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Roman Silberfeld will deliver remarks on how an independent judiciary is, in fact, the last line of defense for the preservation of the democratic form of government. Roman founded the Judicial Independence Collaborative, which launched the inaugural Democracy’s Last Line of Defense symposium in 2022. He has an impressive record of courtroom success across many challenging disciplines in the field of complex civil litigation. His trial and appellate experience includes business and high technology matters, product liability, professional negligence and mass tort litigation, with particular emphasis on multi-state, multi-party, and class action litigation.

Additionally, Robins Kaplan Executive Board member and Boston office managing partner Anthony Froio will speak on a panel with lawyers and judges discussing how lawyers can address attacks on judges on social media and elsewhere. Anthony represents clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to individuals in complex litigation related to intellectual property and trademark infringement, employment and corporate restructuring and bankruptcy litigation, as well as general commercial disputes. Anthony has tried to verdict numerous cases in state and federal courts throughout the country.

Additional speakers include:

• Prof. Akhil Reed Amar, Yale Law School
• Karen C. Burgess, Esq., Burgess Law PC, President-Elect, International Academy of Trial Lawyers
• Jack Cushman, Esq., Director, Harvard Library Innovation Lab
• Hon. Mark Green, Chief Justice, Massachusetts Appeals Court
• Hon. Thomas Griffith (Ret.), U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
• Hon. Michael Heavican, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Nebraska
• Hon. Geraldine Hines (Ret.), Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
• Anna Mercado Clark, Esq., Phillips Lytle, LLP, President, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
• Dean Leigh Sauffley, University of Maine School of Law
• Hon. Maureen O’Connor (Ret.), Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio
• Hon. Edwina Richardson, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, New York State Unified Court System
• Hon. Paul Reiber, Chief Justice, Vermont Supreme Court
• Hon. Fredric D. Rutberg (Ret.), President, Massachusetts Newspapers Publishers Association and President/Publisher, The Berkshire Eagle
• Hon. Jeffrey S. Sutton, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
• Hon. Robert Torres, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Guam
• Hon. David Wecht, Associate Justice, Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Democracy’s Last Line of Defense: Preserving an Independent Judiciary will take place at The Westin Boston Seaport from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14. Full details, including a link to register, can be found on the website of the National Judicial College.

The event is organized by The National Judicial College, International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and Robins Kaplan LLP.

About Robins Kaplan LLP®

Robins Kaplan is among the nation’s premier trial law firms, with more than 225 lawyers located in Bismarck, N.D.; Boston; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; New York; Silicon Valley; and Sioux Falls, S.D. The firm litigates, mediates, and arbitrates high-stakes, complex disputes, repeatedly earning national recognition. Firm clients include—as both plaintiffs and defendants—numerous Fortune 500 corporations, emerging markets companies, entrepreneurs, and individuals.

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