REPRESENTING ASIAN CLIENTS IN HIGH-STAKES U.S. JURY TRIALS

Foreign clients from civil law countries are often mystified by the U.S. adversarial system as well as by the U.S. court system’s reliance on juries to determine the facts of a case. Foreign business people who consider the confrontation inherent in U.S. adversarial witness examinations impolite may respond appropriately according to their culture yet inappropriately in the eyes of a U.S. jury. Learn how to overcome cultural barriers to prepare clients for a high-stakes jury trial in this informative panel discussion, where experienced U.S. trial lawyers, corporate counsel, and a jury consultant will share practical advice.

MODERATOR:

Cedric Chao, Partner
Morrison & Foerster LLP, United States
Cedric Chao co-chairs Morrison & Foerster's international litigation and arbitration practice. His focus is commercial litigation, international arbitration, and complex criminal matters. He has been named as a "recommended lawyer" for international arbitration by Chambers USA in 2007 and by San Francisco magazine as a "Northern California Superlawyer." MORE

PANELISTS:

Judith Bain, Vice President, Legal Affairs and General Counsel
Epson America, Inc., United States
Judith Bain is vice president, legal affairs and general counsel for Epson America, Inc., the North and Latin American sales, marketing, and customer service subsidiary of Seiko Epson Corporation. Ms. Bain founded the Epson America Legal Affairs Department in 1986. Prior to joining Epson America, Ms. Bain was in private practice in Illinois and California.

Jeffrey S. Davidson, Senior Partner
Kirkland & Ellis LLP, United States
Jeffrey Davidson is an accomplished trial lawyer, having tried more than 40 cases in courts across the U.S. and argued appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court and a dozen other appellate courts. He has also appeared before domestic and international arbitration panels such as the AAA and LCIA. He was selected in the 2005 - 2008 editions of Best Lawyers in America in the area of commercial litigation. MORE>

Jo-Ellan Dimitrius, Trial Consultant
Dimitrius & Associates, United States
Jo-Ellan Dimitrius has evaluated over 10,000 jurors, witnesses, lawyers, and judges during trial, and has served as the jury consultant in many high-profile cases including the Night Stalker, Rodney King, and O.J. Simpson. Her ability to understand and predict the behaviors of jurors, witnesses, lawyers, and judges led to her being nicknamed "The Seer" by The American Lawyer magazine. MORE>

Sidney K. Kanazawa, Partner
McGuireWoods LLP, United States
Sidney Kanazawa has tried cases virtually everyone thought he could not win and has led in major crises, including the largest oil spill in the Port of Los Angeles. In 2007, the publishers of Los Angeles magazine recognized him as a Southern California "Super Lawyer" and the Defense Research Institute honored him for co-writing the best article of the year. MORE>

Lisa M. Marchese, Partner
Dorsey & Whitney LLP, United States
Lisa Marchese’s litigation practice emphasizes trial of complex cases involving products liability, contract disputes, construction claims, and white-collar criminal defense. She has tried to verdict over 100 jury trials in state and federal court combined. Ms. Marchese was recognized in Who’s Who in American Law in 2007-2008. MORE>

Return to Programs List>