Agenda
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Day 1 — Main Conference
March 10, 2026
Registration and Continental Breakfast
Evan BelserDeputy General Counsel, Litigation and RegulatoryFord Motor Company
Andrew PruittSenior Counsel, Product Liability & LitigationVolkswagen Group of America, Inc.
O. Kevin VincentAssociate General Counsel, Regulatory & Vehicle Safety (Retired)Lucid MotorsFormer Chief Counsel for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Evan BelserDeputy General Counsel, Litigation and RegulatoryFord Motor Company
Robert LovePartnerBorden Ladner Gervais LLP
Adam RavivCounsel and Global Co-chair, Automotive and Mobility Industry GroupSidley Austin LLPFormer Chief Counsel for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Since last we met, federal timelines slipped, state rules hardened, and security oversight expanded; NHTSA pushed its NCAP updates to model year 2027, reshaping ADAS “standard of care; the Fifth Circuit vacated the FTC’s CARS Rule, shifting dealer/maker compliance back to state AGs and UDAP baselines. Further, Commerce’s BIS Connected Vehicles Final Rule now forces supply-chain diligence on software/hardware with PRC/Russia nexus. In this opening session, we’ll discuss what’s binding, what’s delayed, and where plaintiffs and regulators are headed next. Topics of discussion include:
- Tracking NHTSA priorities and policies for the coming year
- TREAD ACT
- Modern safety standards
- Standing General Order amendments
- Surveying the state regulatory patchwork underpinning US regulations
- Reviewing EPA adjustments to emissions standards
- Assessing how regulators in the EU, Asia, and Canada are responding to and interacting with US regulations
- Transport Canada
- EU Commission
- Chinese regulations
- Understanding the impact of Federal Trade Commission regulations in the automotive industry
- The Fifth Circuit’s striking down of the FTC’s Rule on Combating Auto Retail Scams (CARS Rule)
- FTC Safeguards Rule
- Taking account of the impact of tariffs on the automotive industry
- Tracking the practical impacts of tariffs and trade controls on sourcing, spec changes and disclosures
Morning Coffee Break
Emma JacobsonSenior Counsel, Regulatory AffairsRivian
Varun M. JainOf CounselK&L Gates LLPFormer Deputy General Counsel, U.S. Department of Transportation
As vehicle technologies continue to evolve, regulations are struggling to keep up. This session will discuss the frictions between existing vehicle regulations and the new tech that doesn’t quite fit. Topics of discussion include:
- Reviewing over-the-air updates and recalls
- Identifying the overlap
- Modernizing the recall process
- Tracking federal, state, and international efforts to regulate ADS and ADAS vehicles
- Federal preemption of state AI laws
- Presenting and assessing current ADAS and ADS lobbying efforts across the automotive landscape
- Data privacy and security
- Autonomous vehicles
- Taking a glance at state-by-state and international data regulations
Lunch
Eric Y. KizirianPartner | Co-Chair, Class Action & Mass Torts PracticeLewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP
Brian ThompsonAssistant General Counsel, Service, Warranty, and Products LiabilityLucid Motors
Litigation is typically in the spotlight of automotive legal practice, however proactive measures are the key to avoiding this costly option. This session will address the ways you can get out ahead and stop litigation before it begins. Session leaders will translate prevention into P&L impact by reducing buybacks, shrinking class size, and cutting spend. Topics of discussion will include:
- Developing internal policies for addressing potential liabilities and litigation concerns
- Undertaking recalls before class actions can form
- Ensuring data protection and cybersecurity for connected vehicles
- Aligning labeling, warnings, and owner communications with current safety benchmarks
- Shifting liability upstream by negotiating supplier indemnities, audit rights, and spec-change triggers
The Nuts and Bolts of Automotive Litigation: Juries, Damages and MDLs
This three-part series builds a repeatable defense framework that travels from voir dire through verdict to MDL scale. You’ll benchmark what moves jurors, pressure-test damages models and punitive exposure, and structure bellwethers, certification rights, and settlements to shrink scope and cycle time. The aim is a practical playbook that lowers reserves and legal spend, while improving outcomes.
Part 1 – A Comprehensive Look at the Complexity of the Jury: Selecting, Framing, and Winning the Room
Thomas P. BraniganExecutive Managing PartnerBowman and Brooke LLP
Liz Rapp van Roden, Ph.D.Biomechanics Principal ScientistExponent, Inc.
In an automotive trial, your case is only as strong as the jury you present it to. This session will break down everything you need to take into consideration to ensure your case goes off without a hitch. Topics of discussion will include:
- Identifying and selecting the jury you want
- Persuading the jury with the perfectly tailored presentation
- Determining when, how, and who when utilizing expert testimony
- Ensuring the verdicts and outcomes you and your client want
Afternoon Networking Break
Carla PeakManaging Director, Settlement AdministrationKroll, LLC
Todd G. LezonPartnerWalsworth LLP
The automotive industry has been facing higher and higher verdicts. From 2015 to 2019 the average verdict more than tripled, and in the years since verdicts have soared to over $10 million and, in some cases, over $100 million. This session will break down penalties, damages calculations, and settlement strategies, providing you with litigation tools to avoid these nuclear and thermonuclear verdicts.
Cameron AzariSenior Vice President Epiq Global
Sean A. CommonsPartnerSidley Austin LLP
J. Simone JonesPartnerShook Hardy & Bacon LLP
After zooming in on Juries and Verdicts, this session will take a step back to provide an update on the latest strategies, concerns, and considerations for MDLs and class actions. Topics of discussion will include:
- Providing updates on recent legal developments including motions to dismiss, class discovery, and class certification
- Assessing circuit splits and jurisprudential updates over the last year
- Drawing the line between trying “class” issues and “merit” issues
- Identifying and developing mechanisms for internal recognition of problem trends and ways to avoid class actions before they begin
Cocktail Reception Sponsored by
End of Day 1
Day 2 — Main Conference
March 11, 2026
Continental Breakfast
Evan BelserDeputy General Counsel, Litigation and RegulatoryFord Motor Company
Andrew PruittSenior Counsel, Product Liability & LitigationVolkswagen Group of America, Inc.
O. Kevin VincentAssociate General Counsel, Regulatory & Vehicle Safety (Retired)Lucid MotorsFormer Chief Counsel for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Computers on Wheels: Keeping Up with the Digitization of the Automotive Industry
As automobiles get more and more digital, essentially becoming “computers on wheels,” new product liabilities emerge. From hardware to software, this series will break down new challenges for the automated age.
Nick BunnerGeneral CounselStack AV
Brian T. CarrPartnerShook Hardy & Bacon LLP
Patrick J. ClearyCo-Managing PartnerBowman and Brooke LLP
Casey WatkinsCounselBallard Spahr LLP
AV/ADAS risk now turns on how you design, validate, and document automated decisions. In this session, we’ll translate duty-of-care expectations into evidence, alignment of validation, warnings, and labeling, while showing you how to allocate fault, leverage AI development records, and meet FMVSS while standards catch up.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Utilizing AI in the development of automated vehicle technologies and ADAS systems
- Assessing and responding to emerging risks borne out of new vehicle technologies
- Analyzing the current schema for who is liable in ADAS and AV related litigation
- Understanding how contributory negligence is being calculated
- Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard guidelines (FMVSS) and ADAS features
- Anticipating new standards in the AV space coming from NHTSA and other regulatory agencies
Morning Coffee Break
Part 2 – Data Privacy and Cybersecurity: Hardening Connected-Vehicle Data Against Claims and Breaches
Daniel PepperPartner, Chair, Data Protection and CybersecurityFisher & Phillips LLP
Claire M. GibbsSpecial Counsel, Cyber/Data/PrivacyCooley LLP
Connected-vehicle data is fueling claims and enforcement; the wins come from governance you can prove. In this session, we’ll map U.S./state/cross-border obligations, national-security controls in the supply chain, and OTA consent/incident playbooks, then convert those controls into defenses that shrink class size, and damages.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Ensuring consumer data follows national and international privacy regulations and remains protected
- Understanding how data privacy and cybersecurity are making their way into automotive litigation and how to defend against suit
- Assessing the impact of national security regulations and concerns on connected vehicles
Lunch
Amanda B. RobinsonPartnerMorgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Sylvia CostelloeCounselArentFox Schiff LLP
Mark V. HeuselPractice Group Chair ‑ Intl & Regional PracticesDickinson Wright PLLC
Monica S. BatsfordAssociate General CounselForvia
From data privacy and national security, to tariffs and materials sourcing, US manufacturers are facing critical questions when it comes to trade with China. This session will break down how the trade battle between the US and China impacts global supply chains, production timelines, and potential liability. Topics of discussion include:
- Assessing Executive Order 13873 and the BIS Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (OICTS) proposed rule on connected vehicles
- Taking a look at Chinese EV manufacturing and its impact on the US market
- Sourcing critical minerals without relying on China
Laura C. BaucusMemberDykema Gossett PLLC
Vanessa L. MillerPartner and Auto Team LeadFoley & Lardner LLP
Jillian RupnowCorporate Counsel, AmericasBorgWarner Inc.
We all know that, from time to time, things can come up that disrupt the successful execution of a contract, purchase, or partnership. With the supply chain in flux, the market uncertain, and preplanning all but soothsaying, contracts with suppliers will occasionally face cancellation. This session will discuss the best ways to mitigate contract cancellation, address complications in a timely manner, and work with suppliers to maintain positive and mutually beneficial partnerships when things don’t go as planned. Topics of discussion include:
- Drafting spec-change, price escalator, and indexation language that keeps projects viable when inputs swing
- Allocating recall, warranty, and quality costs with indemnities, audit rights, and cure plans that actually work
- Building termination, step-in, and tooling/title terms that preserve supply and de-risk cancellations
Afternoon Networking Break
Erica EversmanPresidentAutomotive Education & Policy Institute
Jay D. LogelSenior CounselDykema Gossett PLLC
O. Kevin VincentAssociate General Counsel, Regulatory & Vehicle Safety (Retired)Lucid MotorsFormer Chief Counsel for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
As we round out day 2 of our 2026 conference, this session invites us all to look ahead at what’s to come in the years ahead. From market projections to the long arm of regulation and litigation, this session will arm you with the questions you need to be asking and the strategies for finding answers as we navigate continued supply chain, regulatory, and market uncertainties.