Details:

Join us once again in Bloomington, Indiana for what promises to provide excellent CLE content and loads of fun around campus and town!

IU Memorial Union

COST: Member $649 before November 1              $699 November 1 or after

Non-Members may join in conjunction with registration, which includes a one-year membership at half off. 

CLE: 13.0 hours – includes 2 hours of Ethics (Pending approval)

November 18, 2026 – The Annual Meeting of the Membership will take place at 4:00pm. All members are invited to join.

November 19, 2026 – The substantive Section Breakouts will run 10:00am – 5:00pm with lunch being served mid-day and dinner buffet  6:30pm – 8:30pm.

November 20, 2026 – Women in the Law Breakfast (ticketed event), followed by CLE Sessions in the morning ad Appeals on Wheels i the afternoon. The event will close with a one hour ethics session.

Friday Lunch – In order to be counted in for the Friday BOXED Lunch, you must opt in and pay the $25 fee.

Biddle Hotel ROOM BLOCK – To make reservations: 800-209-8145 or 812-855-2536 or www.imu.indiana.edu  Use Group Code DTCI26 & identify yourself with Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana’s Annual Conference.

REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!

 

AGENDA

10:00 – 11:30 – 1.5 CLE

Heath Care – (90 Min)

From the Unrepresented to the Incarcerated: Trends in Non-Traditional Healthcare Law

Panel discussion lead by Scott Cockrum with Lewis Brisbois

Employment Law (60 min)

What Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Know That Defense Counsel Often Miss

Presented by Craig Williams, Kightlinger & Gray

Worker’s Compensation (30 mi)

The Impact of AI When Dealing with Pro Se Claimants

Presented by Sonia Das Sturm, Lewis Wagner & Trimble

11:30 – 11:40 BREAK

11:40 – 12:40 – 1.0 CLE

Construction Law

The Intersection of Construction and Copyright Law in Architectural Copyright Claims

Presented by Kat Bingaman, Drewry Simmons Vornehm

Business Litigation

Guided Choice Mediation: The Evolution of Mediation & Current Best Practices

Presented by Clifford Shapiro, Shapiro Dispute Resolution

12:45 – 2:15     LUNCH – 1.0 CLE – Sponsored by: Dinsmore & Shohl

Bloody Mary / Mimosa Bar – Sponsored by: Churchill Reporting

DTCI Past Presidents Panel, Lessons Learned – 1.0 CLE

Panelists: Michele Bryant, Anna Mallon, Scott Starr, Tom Schultz,

 2:20 – 3:20 – 1.0 CLE

Product Liability

The Rise of Public Nuisance Claims Directed at Manufacturers/Distributors of Lawful Products

Presented by Angela Della Rocco, McCarter & English

Insurance Law

Increased 30(b)(6) Requests in Insurance Law and Practical Tips and Tricks for Defending your Client

Eddie Abel, Lewis Wagner & Trimble

3:20 – 3:30        BREAK

3:30 5:00 – 1.5 CLE

Trial Tactics

2026 Rule and Law Update

Tyler Jones, Drewry Simmons Vornehm

5:00-6:00pm Young Lawyer Breakout (invitation only)    – Sponsored By: SEA

6:00-8:00pm Cocktail Reception & Buffet Dinner – Sponsored by: Ringler 

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20th  6.0 CLE

7:45 – 8:45am                  Women in the Law Breakfast (ticketed event)

A Guided Discussion of a Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan

A guided discussion of Timothy Egan’s A Fever in the Heartland and the ethical lessons it offers attorneys regarding the rule of law, independent professional judgment, bias and leadership. Reading the book is encouraged, but not necessary. All DTCI members welcome!

9:00 – 10:00am              Trial Mistakes Even Experienced Trial Lawyers Don’t See Coming – 1.0 CLE

                                                      Kathleen Erickson and Kelly McFadden, O’Neil McFadden & Willett                                                   

10:00 – 11:00am           Social Inflation and Nuclear Verdicts – 1.0 CLE

Tracee Allen, NAMIC Insurance Company, Inc.

Beth Prouty, Arthur Chapman Kettering Smetak & Pikala, P.A.

11:00 – 11:10am           BREAK

 11:10 – 12:10pm           Use of AI in Everyday Practice and Trial – 1.0 CLE             

Robert Simmons and Yogi Snider, Dinsmore & Shohl                                                                                                                    

12:10 – 12:20                    Grab boxed lunches – prepaid

12:20 – 1:20pm              Appellate Roundtable Discussion –1.0 CLE

                                                      Patrick Eckler, Freeman Mathis & Gary; Crystal Rowe, Kightlinger & Gray

1:30 – 2:30pm                 Appeals on Wheels – 1.0 CLE

Indiana Court of Appeals live oral argument with Q&A to follow

2:30 – 3:30pm                 Ethical Considerations at Trial – 1.0 CLE  Ethics   

                                                      Judge Melissa May