Issues > Annual Justice Roundtable of 2007
Annual Justice Roundtable of 2007
NCSC’s annual Justice Roundtable brings together state chief justices and members of the NCSC Board of Directors and General Counsel and Lawyers Committees to discuss issues of common concern to the business and court communities. Over the years, the Justice Roundtable has become an anticipated and important forum for emerging issues. In 2006 the Roundtable addressed “Exploring New Dimensions in Pretrial Management of Complex Civil Cases,” in recognition that pretrial procedures have become a tremendous burden to litigants and greatly contributes to the escalating costs of litigation. The Roundtable explored new ways for the courts and lawyers to address issues involved in the pretrial management of complex civil cases. Panelists for these programs always include legal scholars, distinguished trial attorneys, representatives of corporate American and the judiciary.
In addition, discussions at the Roundtable often lead to research or educational projects conducted by the National Center. In the past, topics such as “Attorney-Client Privilege: Preserving Essential Principles,” “The Vanishing Trial: Implications for the Bench and Bar,” and “Civil Discovery Reforms” have been discussed.
Justice Roundtable Panelists
Chief Judge Robert M. Bell
Court of Appeals of Maryland
Chief Judge Bell was appointed in 1996, having served on the Court of appeals since 1991. Previously he served as Judge, Court of Special Appeals, 1984-91; Associate Judge, Baltimore City Circuit Court, 1980-84; Judge, District Court of Maryland, 1975-80; Associate, Law Firm of Piper & Marbury, 1969-74. Memberships include Board of Directors, The African-American Community Foundation; National, American, Maryland State, Baltimore City and Monumental City Bar Associations; Judicial Education Committee; State Bar Committee on Judicial Administration; University of Maryland Law School Board of Visitors; President, Conference of Chief Justices and Chair, National Center for State Courts Board of Directors.
Chief Justice Ralph J. Cappy
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Chief Justice Cappy is serving his second ten-year term on the Supreme Court. He began his service in 1990. Previously he served as a Trial Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, 1979-1990; Administrative Judge, Civil Division, 1986-90; served in Family, Criminal and Civil Divisions; Chief Public Defender, Allegheny County , 1975-1978. Memberships include Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States; Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations; American Judicature Society; Justinian Society; Fellow, American and Allegheny Bar Foundations. He has received numerous honors including Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Sir Francis Bacon Resolution Award.
Robert T. Hall
Hall Sickels Frei & Kattenburg
Mr. Hall has handled a broad variety of landmark civil and criminal cases. He has represented the surviving family members of those killed or seriously injured by medical neglect and defective products, and, those charged with crimes punishable by death. Mr. Hall is Dean of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Dean of the Virginia College of Trial Advocacy, and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is also a Past-President of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, a Fellow of the Virginia Bar Foundation, Past-President of the Northern Virginia Trial Lawyers and a frequent lecturer at law schools and legal conferences. He has also been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since its inception.
Charles W. Matthews, Jr.
Vice President and General Counsel, Exxon Mobil Corporation
Charles W. Matthews joined Exxon’s Law Department in 1971. He was initially assigned to the Litigation Section where he served as a trial attorney, representing Exxon in numerous, diverse lawsuits throughout Texas. In 1989, Mr. Matthews became the coordinator of the litigation arising out of the grounding of the Exxon Valdez. In January 1992, Mr. Matthews was named Associate General Counsel for the Exxon USA Law Department, and in October 1992, he was appointed General Counsel of the Exxon USA Law Department. Mr. Matthews was appointed Vice President and General Counsel of Exxon Corporation on January 1, 1995. At the time of the merger in December 1999, Mr. Matthews was elected Vice President and General Counsel of Exxon Mobil Corporation. Today the Exxon Mobil Law Department consists of over 450 lawyers with offices in 40 countries.
He is a member of the Association of General Counsel, the Chief Legal Officers Roundtable, the Texas General Counsel Forum and the American Association of Corporate Counsel. He serves on the Board of the National Center for State Courts and as Co-Chair of its General Counsel Committee. He serves on the Board of The Center for American and International Law, where he is currently Vice Chairman. He is also on the Board of Overseers of the Rand Institute for Civil Justice.
Jonathan T. Molot
Professor of Law
Upon graduating from law school, Professor Molot clerked for Judge Stephen G. Breyer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Following a year of practice in the tax group at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in New York, he again clerked for Justice Breyer, this time on the Supreme Court. Professor Molot subsequently served as a legal assistant to the American judges on the Iran U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague before returning to private practice with the law firm of Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd & Evans, where he concentrated in telecommunications litigation and regulation. Professor Molot joined the George Washington University Law School faculty in 1998 with interests in civil procedure, professional responsibility, federal courts, and administrative law.
James W. Morris, III
Morris & Morris
James W. ("Jimmy") Morris, III of Richmond, Virginia, was elected 55th President of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2005. He is a partner in the Richmond, Virginia firm of Morris and Morris, P.C. Jimmy Morris was inducted as a Fellow of the College in 1984 and served as a member of the Board of Regents, the governing body of the College, and as Treasurer. He previously served as President of the Bar Association of the City of Richmond, President of the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys and President of the Defense Research Institute.
Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard
Supreme Court of Indiana
Randall T. Shepard of Evansville, was appointed to the Indiana Supreme Court in 1985. He became Chief Justice of Indiana in March 1987. A seventh generation Hoosier, Shepard graduated from Princeton University cum laude and from the Yale Law School. He earned a Master of Laws degree in the judicial process from the University of Virginia. Shepard was Judge of the Vanderburgh Superior Court from 1980 until his appointment. He earlier served as executive assistant to Mayor Russell Lloyd of Evansville and as special assistant to the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Chief Justice Shepard was also chairperson of Indiana's State Student Assistance Commission and trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He served as chair of the ABA Appellate Judges Conference and of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. He also served as Chair of the National Center for State Courts Board of Directors in 2005-2006 and as President of the National Conference of Chief Justices during that time.
Chilton Davis Varner
King & Spalding, LLP
Chilton Varner became King & Spalding’s first female litigation partner in 1983. She is the senior partner in the firm’s product liability practice, which was named one of the top three in the country in 2004 by The American Lawyer and one of the top six by Chambers Guide to America’s Leading Business Lawyers in 2004-2006. She also chairs the firm’s e-discovery taskforce. In 2004, Former Chief Justice Rehnquist named Ms. Varner to the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Ms. Varner was named to the National Law Journal’s list of the top 10 women litigators in the country in 2001. Ms. Varner is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and currently serves on that organization’s Board of Regents. She serves on the Case Selection Committee of the Product Liability Advisory Council, a consortium of more than one hundred major manufacturers formed to submit amicus briefs on critical issues of products liability.
