Total Credits: 4 CLE, 2.75 Ethics, 4 Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation Specialization
This year’s CLE in the Red Rocks offers advanced insights into litigation preparation and strategy for both plaintiff and defense practitioners. Addresses critical aspects such as expert testimony, specialized claims, emerging tools, ethical considerations, jury selection techniques, and contingency planning when cases encounter challenges. Topics include:
Chairperson
Amy Hernandez, Amy Hernandez Law, PLLC
Agenda
Use of AI in Practice and the Ethical Considerations
Marc Lamber, Fennemore Craig PC
Patricia A. Sallen, Ethics at Law PLLC
Litigating DCS Claims
Robert Pastor, Montoya Lucero & Pastor PA
Russell Stowers, Russell B Stowers PLLC
Handling Discovery & Disclosure Issues in Litigation
Honorable Jeffrey Bergin, Pima County Superior Court
Peter Akmajian, Schmidt Sethi & Akmajian PC
Patricia A. Sallen, Ethics at Law PLLC
| CLE in the Red Rocks Conference Manual_Day 3_v2 (12.1 MB) | 89 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| Use of AI in Practice and the Ethical Considerations Slides (1.8 MB) | 24 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Marc Lamber focuses his practice on plaintiffs’ catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation. He formed the plaintiff personal injury practice at Fennemore and has built it into the strong and innovative practice it is today.
After several years as a defense attorney, Marc wanted the opportunity to work on a more personal level with clients and saw personal injury law as the best outlet. He has recovered tens of millions of dollars for thousands of accident victims and their families, resulting in hundreds of successful jury trials, arbitrations, mediations, and settlements.
Marc is frequently featured on national, regional, and local media for comment on legal issues and other current affairs, including AI and other technology in the law. Marc has been featured on the cover of AZ Business Magazine as one of The Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona and highlighted by Newsweek as one of the “20 Leaders Plaintiffs’ Trial Lawyers.”
RUSSELL B. STOWERS
Resume
PROFESSIONAL
Russell B. Stowers, PLLC (2012-present): After more than two decades practicing with other firms, large and small, I opened my own firm, providing professional liability, business and governmental litigation services, and managing litigation nationwide.
Law Offices of Joel L. Herz (2006-2012): Boutique litigation practice in professional liability, business and commercial cases; risk management for law firms, lawyers and insurers.
Snell & Wilmer, LLP (1989-2006): Litigation partner at one of the largest firms in the West; in-house counsel for the Firm; outside counsel for professional and business clients.
Radio news and sports (1975-1986): Voice of University of Wisconsin Basketball and other UW sports; newscaster for Wisconsin Public Radio and other stations in Wisconsin; contributor to National Public Radio, newspapers and other media.
PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
• Has served as mediator, arbitrator and Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore
• Provider of pro bono legal services to the poor, homeless and military families
• Recipient, “Top 50 Pro Bono Attorneys in Arizona” Award
• Youth sports and Special Olympics coach
EDUCATION
University of Wisconsin (J.D., 1989)
University of Wisconsin (B.A., Broadcast Journalism, 1982)
PERSONAL
• Wisconsin native who has lived in Arizona since 1989
• Married to a former Arizona Teacher of the Year and father of two
• NFL owner (shareholder), Green Bay Packers
• Finished multiple marathons (slowly)
• Avid golfer and angler
CONTACT INFO
Russell B. Stowers, PLLC
Rillito Business Park
4574 North 1st Avenue, Suite 100
Tucson, Arizona 85718
Office: (520) 209-2777
Cell: (520) 331-2255
Fax: (520) 882-3249
E-mail: Russ@StowersWest.com
Web site: StowersWest.com
Arizona Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Bergin is an Arizona native, born in Phoenix and raised in Tucson. He earned both his undergraduate degree and his law degree (with distinction) from the University of Arizona. In September 2011, following a twenty-year career in civil litigation, he was appointed to Division 22 of the Superior Court in Pima County.
Judge Bergin has served on the civil bench (presiding judge), the family bench (presiding judge), and the criminal bench. He was the court’s associate presiding judge from 2019 until July 1 of 2021, when the Arizona Supreme Court appointed him Pima County’s Presiding Judge. Judge Bergin stepped down as Presiding Judge on July 1, 2024. He is currently assigned to the civil bench.
Judge Bergin was the chair of the Superior Court in Pima County’s Back to Operations Task Force, created to respond to the COVID-19 epidemic and the associated impacts on the court. In addition, he has served on the Committee on Superior Court, the Civil Justice Reform Committee, and the Civil Practice and Procedures Committee. He is also a past president of the Arizona Judges’ Association. Currently, he serves on the Supreme Court’s Commission on Access to Justice.
Patricia Sallen is a lawyer in private practice focusing on professional responsibility issues. She represents lawyers in discipline and admission matters, provides ethics advice to lawyers, serves as an expert witness on professional-responsibility issues, and consults on a myriad of other law-related topics. She regularly presents at CLE seminars and publishes articles about professional responsibility and writes the Eye on Ethics column for Arizona Attorney. She also has taught professional responsibility as an adjunct professor at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law for more than a decade. In addition to practicing in private law firms, she spent more than 15 years working for the State Bar of Arizona as both a bar counsel and ethics counsel and supervised programs such as the Fee Arbitration Program and Client Protection Fund. She served as expert consultant to the Arizona Supreme Court's 2014-15 comprehensive ethical rules review effort and to the Court's 2019-20 Task Force on the Delivery of Legal Services, which resulted in the groundbreaking rule changes allowing non-lawyer firm ownership and legal paraprofessionals. She currently serves on the State Bar's Ethics Advisory Group and the Supreme Court's Task Force on Ethics Rules Governing the State Attorney General, County Attorneys, and Other Public Lawyers.
Robert E. Pastor is a partner with the law firm Montoya, Lucero & Pastor, PA located in Phoenix, Arizona. He represents injured people and those whose loved ones have been killed by the negligent or intentional acts of others. Bob started his legal career at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. As a Deputy County attorney, Bob prosecuted crimes against children and other violent crimes, vehicular crimes, drug crimes, kidnappings and armed robberies among others. While in a violent crimes unit, Bob attended forensic interviews of children, autopsies of children, and various crimes scenes. He was also a member of the child fatality review team along with medical professionals from Phoenix Children’s Hospital and case workers from the Arizona Department of Child Safety. In approximately 2007 Bob agreed to represent a survivor of child sexual abuse who was sexually abused by a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Phoenix. Bob went on to represent more than 20 men and women who were sexually abused as children by priests in the Diocese of Gallup. In his personal injury practice, Bob continues to represent children who have been sexually abused, adult survivors of child sexual abuse, and wrongful death victims. Bob has successfully prosecuted civil claims for child sexual abuse and sexual assault against each of the three Catholic diocese operating in Arizona (Tucson, Phoenix, Gallup), various Catholic religious orders, medical providers, foster parents, group homes, schools, and the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
Education
Boston College
B.A. Psychology 1997
Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
J.D. 2002
Amy Hernandez received her law degree in 2003 from Drake University (with Honors). After law school she served as a law clerk at the Arizona Court of Appeals. Ms. Hernandez has served on the Civil Practice & Procedure Committee for the State Bar of Arizona and as the Chair of the State Bar Trial Practice Section. She is a former member of the Morris K. Udall Inn of Court and a former board member for the Arizona Association of Justice. Ms. Hernandez served in the United States Army from 1996 - 2000 as a military intelligence analyst. Ms. Hernandez owns Amy Hernandez Law, PLLC where she focuses her practice on plaintiff’s medical malpractice, legal malpractice, and general personal injury.
Peter Akmajian is a 1984 graduate (with distinction) from the University of Arizona College of Law. He clerked for the Honorable Frank X. Gordon from 1984-85. He has been in private practice since 1985 with O’Connor Cavanagh in Phoenix and Tucson, the Udall Law Firm and now with Schmidt, Sethi & Akmajian, where he represents patients and their families in medical malpractice and other personal injury cases. Peter is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of ABOTA.