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Inaugural Bench Bar Conference

Registration Link: https://form.123formbuilder.com/6962433/wdla-benchbar

Western District of Louisiana

Inaugural Bench Bar Conference

When:  September 10 — 11, 2026

Where:  City Club at River Ranch, 1100 Camellia Blvd., Lafayette, LA 70508.

Deadline to Register:  August 21, 2026

Please join us for the Western District of Louisiana's Inaugural Bench Bar Conference to be held in Lafayette on September 10-11, 2026. 

This conference features 7 CLE hours (including Ethics and Professionalism), a welcome reception, and a closing luncheon.

Agenda:

Thursday, September 10, 2026 (Conference: 1:30 - 5:15p.m.; Reception: 5:15 - 7:00 p.m.)

  • 1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.: Welcome & Opening Remarks
    • Hon. Jerry Edwards - U.S. District Judge, Alexandria Division
    • Hon. Terry Doughty - Chief U.S. District Judge, Monroe Division
    • April Rolen Ogden - President, Federal Bar Association, Lafayette/Acadiana Chapter & Stakeholder, Liskow & Lewis, Lafayette
  • 1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.: "The Award Goes to ... Legal Ethics in Hollywood."
    • ​​​​​​​(1 credit: Ethics)
    • Hon. Kayla McClusky - U.S. Magistrate Judge, Monroe Division
    • Hon. Terry Doughty - Chief U.S. District Judge, Monroe Division
    • Hon. Alexander Van Hook - U.S. District Judge, Shreveport Division
    • Hon. James Cain - U.S. District Judge, Lake Charles Division
  • 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: United States Supreme Court Update
    • ​​​​​​​(1 credit)
    • Dean Erwin Chemerinsky - UC Berkeley School of Law, Berkeley, California
  • 4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.: "Demystifying the Fifth: Effective Written and Oral Advocacy Before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit"
    • (1 credit)
    • Allison Jones - Downer, Jones, Marino & Wilhite, Shreveport
    • Walter Woodruff - Chehardy, Sherman, Williams, Recile, & Hayes, L.L.P., New Orleans
  • 5:15 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.: Reception at the City Club
    • ​​​​​​​Participants will mingle with colleagues over drinks, heavy hors d'oeuvres and music!

Friday, September 11, 2026 (Conference: 8:30 - Noon.; Closing Luncheon: Noon - 1:00 p.m.)

  • 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. (Three Breakout Sessions)
    • Bankruptcy Litigation: "Stayed, Removed, Remanded: How Bankruptcy Hijacks Your Litigation"
      • ​​​​​​​(1 credit)
      • Hon. John Hodge - Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, Shreveport Division
      • Hon. John Kolwe - U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, Lafayette Division
      • Brad Drell - Shareholder, Gold, Weems, Bruser, Sues & Rundell, Alexandria
    • Criminal Law: "An Update From the Far End of the Trail of Tears"
      • ​​​​​​​(1 credit)
      • Clinton Johnson - United States Attorney, Northern District of Oklahoma
      • Brandon Brown - Partner, Fisher Phillips, Shreveport
      • Robin McCoy - Assistant United States Attorney, Western District of Louisiana
    • Maritime Law: "Maritime Law Update"
      • ​​​​​​​(1 credit)
      • Hon. David Joseph - U.S. District Judge, Lafayette Division
      • Hon. Robert Summerhays - U.S. District Judge, Lafayette Division
      • Robert Kallam - Shareholder, Kean Miller, Lafayette
  • 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. (Three Breakout Sessions)
    • E-Commerce Litigation: "Common Litigation Issues arising in E-Commerce"
      • ​​​​​​​(1 credit)
      • Michael DuBos - Breithaupt, DuBos & Wolleson, LLC, Monroe
      • Peter Kent - Peter Kent Consulting, LLC, Denver, Colorado
    • 42 U.S.C. 1983 Actions/Municipal Liability: "Monell on da' Bayou"
      • ​​​​​​​(1 credit)
      • Randell Keiser - Keiser & Nowlin, Alexandria
      • Matt Nowlin - Keiser & Nowlin, Alexandria
    • Employment Law: "Recent Developments in Labor and Employment Law 2025-2026"
      • ​​​​​​​(1 credit)
      • Hon. David Joseph - U.S. District Judge, Lafayette Division
      • Greg Guidry - Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins, Lafayette
  • 11:00 a.m. - Noon (Two Breakout Sessions)
    • Artificial Intelligence: "Seeing Isn't Believing - AI and the Future of the Profession"
      • ​​​​​​​(1 credit)
      • John Nickelson - Shareholder, Cook Yancey King & Galloway, Shreveport
      • Elizabeth Carmody - Special Counsel, Cook Yancey King & Galloway, Shreveport
    • Legal Writing/Motion Practice: "How to Win Summary Judgment: Tips from the Bench."
      • ​​​​​​​(1 credit)
      • Hon. Elizabeth Foote - Senior U.S. District Judge, Shreveport Division
      • Hon. Michael Pitman - Judge, First Judicial District Court, Shreveport
  • Noon - 1:00 p.m. Closing Luncheon: "Why a Professionalism Block in the First Place"
    • ​​​​​​​(1 credit: Professionalism)
    • Hon. Dee Drell - Senior U.S. District Judge, Alexandria Division

Hotel Accommodations:

For our out of town guests, we have a limited amount of rooms blocked at the following hotels, so please book your room as soon as possible:

Please REGISTER and PAY (via PayPal) below. The registration deadline is August 21, 2026. 

If you prefer to PAY WITH A CHECK, please follow these steps:

1.     Complete the registration form and print it out. Do NOT click on the "REGISTER" button at the bottom of this page. 

2.     Mail the completed registration form, with your check, to the following address:  

          WDLA Bench Bar
          Attn: Adam Credeur
          P.O. Box 4325
          Lafayette, LA 70502

 For any questions regarding registration, please contact: Adam Credeur of the Law Office of Kenneth W. DeJean, adam@kwdejean.com, (337) 235-5294. 

Registration Link: https://form.123formbuilder.com/6962433/wdla-benchbar