CLE Program
The 2025 program schedule is jam-packed with CLE sessions, dining, networking, and other fun activities. This year’s educational sessions will feature timely topics of interest for attorneys practicing all modes of transportation law. Topics have been chosen based on suggestions received from past attendees as well as recent developments in the law that affect the transportation industry.
Accreditation has been requested for the 2025 TLA Annual Conference from every state with mandatory continuing legal education (CLE) requirements. Please be aware that each state has its own rules and regulations, including the definition of CLE. More information about CLE is available on the TLA website.
Wednesday, April 30th
8 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Executive Committee Meeting
Registration Hours: 4 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 1st
7:30 – 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast
Registration Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
8:15 -8:30 a.m. – Welcome Remarks
Katherine T. Garber, Clark Hill, PLC (Houston, TX) – TLA President
Ashely W. Winsky, Gentry Locke (Richmond, VA) – Program Co-Chair
Robert L. Reeb, Marwedel, Minichello & Reeb, P.C. (Chicago, IL) – Program Co-Chair
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. – Maritime Law through the lens of the devastating March 2024 allision of the M/V DALI with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge
This event caused the tragic death of six construction workers on the bridge, the closing of the Baltimore port for 11 weeks, and a tangled web of federal investigations and lawsuits that will last for many years. This panel will explore how to navigate the interaction of admiralty and transportation law from fundamentals to current developments, including: where does admiralty law and jurisdiction begin and shoreside transportation law end; the preservation of evidence before suit; an introduction to the Limitation of Liability Act and General Average; and Federal investigations of maritime Incidents.
Moderator: Otis Felder, Partner, Wilson Elser, Los Angeles, CA
Panelists: Benjamin Allen, Partner, Holland & Knight, Washington, D.C.
Mr. Jason Neubauer, Deputy Chief, Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, D.C. (Captain, USCG Ret).
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. – Express Federal Preemption in Multiple Modes
Since at least the early 1990s, when Congress passed the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994, most carriers or transportation intermediaries have had available to them one or more powerful sources of express statutory preemption. This panel will include a brief reminder of how the current statutory preemption picture evolved and how express preemption differs from implied; provide the panelists’ take on some of the best uses of express preemption statutes in contracts and litigation; compare and contrast the fairly similar preemption available to airlines, motor carriers, and intermediaries with the preemption available to railroads; and consider some strategic questions about prudence and tension in the use of preemption.
Moderator: Beata Shapiro, Partner, Wilson Elser, Boston, MA
Panelists: Heather Devine, Chief Legal Officer, Traffix, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ken Sansom, Partner, Spotswood Sansom & Sansbury, LLC, Birmingham, AL
Fred Miller, Associate General Counsel and Government Affairs Liaison, Association of American Railroads
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. – Refreshment Break
10:45 – 11:30 a.m. – Securing Precious Cargo: Navigating Claims for High-Value Cargo and Strategies for Mitigating Risk
In this panel we will explore the risks inherent in transporting high-value cargo such as pharmaceuticals, artwork, antiques, and other high-value items. Featuring panelists with a variety of expertise, we will explore how to manage risk through the perspective of the shipper, motor carrier, and intermediary, and discuss considerations for all stages of transportation including contracts, in-transit concerns, and claims.
Moderator: Chris Merrick, Shareholder, Flaster Greenburg, Philadelphia, PA
Panelists: Fredric Marcinak, Partner, Moseley Marcinek Law Group LLC, Greenville, SC
Christopher Grassi, Director, Regional Logistics, Merck, Sharp & Dohme LLC, West Point, PA
Allen Motter, Vice President Legal & Risk, ArcBest Corp, Medina, OH
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – Competition/Anti-Trust: What You Need to Know about Doing Business in Mexico, the United States, and Canada
From 30,000 feet, our panelists will each provide the top three (or four) things they want you all to know about competition and anti-trust laws for the transportation industry in their home country.
Moderator: Robin Squires, Partner, BLG, LLP, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Panelists: Brian Lipson, Partner, McCarthy Tetrault, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Andrew Danas, Partner, Grove, Jaskiewicz & Colbert, Washington, D.C.
Ramon Concha, Partner, Cacheaux, Cavazos & Newton, San Antonio & México City
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – TLA Business Lunch
1:30 – 2:00 p.m. – Committee Chair Orientation
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. CTLA Meeting
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. TLA Committee Meetings
Friday, May 2nd
7:30 – 8:30 a.m. – Breakfast
Registration Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. – Driving Labor and Employment Compliance: Navigating New Rules on FTC Non-Competes, DOL Salaries, and FLSA Exemptions in Transportation
This panel will provide a North American review of the latest developments in Non-Competes, Worker Pay Classification, Government Imposed Increases to Salaries, and more.
Moderator: Carole McAfee Wallace, Partner, Gardiner Roberts LLP, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Panelists: Shannon Butler, Vice President, Human Resources, Montgomery Transport, LLC, Birmingham, AL
Lindsey Boyd, Assistant Corporate Counsel, Total Quality Logistics, Cincinnati, OH
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. – FMCSA Regulations: Status and Strategies
The FMCSA has announced new regulations are on the way, from revamping the safety rating process to tightening up control over carrier registrations and transfers of authority. At the same time, the Supreme Court took a wrecking ball to the regulatory state by ending Chevron deference and extending the right to a jury trial to certain administrative enforcement actions. Panelists who deal extensively with matters before the FMCSA will discuss these topics and highlight how transportation companies can best position themselves to be in compliance with all applicable regulations.
Moderator: Eric Zalud, Partner, Associate Chairman Litigation Department, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP, Cleveland, OH
Panelists: Elle Slattery, Partner, Taylor Nelson, Winter Haven, FL
Jeffery E. Cox, Partner, Law Office of Seaton & Husk, LP, Vienna, VA
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. – Refreshment Break
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. – Navigating Emerging Technologies – Complying with Attorneys’ Ethics in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
The 2025 ethics panel will focus on the intersection of the Rules of Professional Conduct and the ever-evolving field of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The panel will discuss developing issues confronting attorneys as they navigate the use of emerging technologies and compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct. This presentation will include reference to specific Rules of Professional Conduct that are implicated by modern technology and must be considered by the modern practitioner.
Moderator: Eric C. Palombo, Shareholder, Flaster Greenberg PC, Conshohocken, PA
Panelists: Cari L. Sheehan, Assistant General Counsel, Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLP, Indianapolis, IN
Gene Fishel, Counsel, Troutman Pepper Locke, Richmond, VA
11:45 a.m. – 12: 45 p.m. – Latest Developments in Insurance Law
This panel will review developments in key areas of transportation insurance law including state laws on minimum financial responsibility, modifications to the “Who is an Insured” provision, wrestling with policy limits demands, the meaning of “non-owned auto,” named driver exclusions, primary/excess disputes between insurers, employee exclusions and the scope of the MCS-90 endorsement.
Moderator: Laurence J. Rabinovich, Partner, Barclay Damon, New York, NY
Panelists: Melody Demasi, Associate, Baker Donelson, Atlanta, GA
Paul A. Korfmacher, Vice President, Business Insurance-Transportation, Marsh McLennan Agency, Independence, OH
12:45 – 2:00 p.m. – Past Presidents’ Lunch
12:45 – 2:00 p.m. – Lunch (on your own)
2:00 – 5:00 p.m. – TLA Committee Meetings
Saturday, May 3rd
7:30 – 8:30 a.m. – Breakfast
Registration Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. – Multi-Modal Lightning Round: Covering Recent Issues in Road, Ocean, Rail, and Air Transportation
This 2024-2025 lightning round will address recent court decisions and industry observations in a variety of transportation modes, including road, rail, maritime, and aviation. Comprised of panelists with expertise in each mode of transport, the panel will highlight new and emerging topics effecting the transportation industry.
Moderator: Emileigh Hubbard, Shareholder, Henry, Oddo, Austin Fletcher, PC, Dallas, Tx
Panelists: Daniel Sonneborn, Director, Preti Flaherty, Boston, MA
Eric Palombo, Shareholder, Flaster Greenberg PC, Conshohocken, PA
Nia White, Associate Attorney, Gentry Locke, Richmond, Virginia
Stephen Uthoff, President, The Uthoff Law Corporation, Long Beach, CA
9:30 -10:30 a.m. – In God We Trust: Mass Casualty Road Accidents caused by Acts of God
This panel will discuss a three-step approach to handling mass casualties. Rapid response to a mass casualty/mass property destruction event is imperative in today’s transportation dependent society. From preserving the evidence and analyzing the data, including recognizing how the data tells the story that is necessary right through closing argument, large losses of high magnitude require an organized approach. Recognizing the strength of tackling these losses as a team, the panel, led by defense counsel and industry leading experts, will discuss their methods, techniques and creative approaches, illustrating prior cases, through a three-part view:
1) The essentiality of a rapid response, with the right experts and an early eye toward identifying liability and damages,
2) The potential for creative, and Avant Garde approaches, to early resolution and file handling, and
3) The opportunity to leverage a wider landscape of defensive strategies—including legal defenses, third-party practice, and risk transfer—to reduce exposure and increase resolution avenues
Moderator: Kevin Foley, Partner, Reminger Attorneys, Columbus, OH
Panelists: Kimberly Chojnacki, Partner, Baker Donelson, Houston, TX
Tina Taylor Thomas, Partner, Chamblee Ryan, P.C., Houston, TX
Jim Hrycay, Engineer and Owner, Hrycay Consulting Engineers, Inc., Oldcastle, Ontario, Canada
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. – Refreshment Break
10:45 -11: 45 a.m. – Fraud in the Supply Chain: How does the industry respond?
Fraud in the transportation industry takes on many forms, including “Fuel Fraud,” which involves the manipulation or theft related to fuel usage, purchasing, or distribution; “Cargo Theft,” whereby goods are stolen in transit; “Employee Fraud,” e.g., skimming, overbilling, or misuse of company assets; “Insurance Fraud,” including falsification or exaggeration of claims related to accidents, cargo damage, or liability; “Cyber Fraud,” involving cyberattacks targeting transportation systems, logistics data, or customer information; “Procurement and Vendor Fraud,” e.g., collusion between vendors and employees; “Customs and Documentation Fraud,” including the manipulation of customs and shipping documents to evade taxes or tariffs; “Financial and Payment Fraud,” i.e., fraudulent billing activities affecting payments between shippers, carriers, and brokers; “Freight Forwarding Fraud,” e.g., misleading customers about shipment routes, overcharging for services, or using low-cost carriers; “False Reporting or Data Manipulation,” including the misreporting of mileage, emissions, or cargo weight to avoid fees and/or improve financial performance.
This panel will survey the various fraudulent activities in the transportation space, especially cyber fraud, and the elements of the more common scenarios followed by a discussion of the legal claims arising out of the fraud, and what the industry is doing in response.
Moderator: William Pentecost, Partner, Cipriani & Werner, P.C., Pittsburgh, PA
Panelists: Henry J. Sienkiewicz, M.S., Adjunct Lecturer, Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies, Washington, DC (Expert Witness)
William Hickman, M.P.P., President and CEO, CSI Corporate Security and Investigations, Monaca, PA (Investigator)
Will Polaski, General Counsel, PLS Logistics Services, Cranberry Township, PA (In-House Counsel)
Craig Helmreich, President, Helmreich Law LLC, Fishers, IN (Outside Counsel)
11:45 a.m. – 12: 45 p.m. – AV Crashes – Who’s Responsible and Who Pays?
Several recent high-profile U.S. AV collisions are a turning point for determining how the existing legal system worked (or didn’t) to achieve justice and ensure accountability. This session will include: human factors and crash reconstruction videos/analysis; an AV lawsuit legal theory primer; panelist/attendee Judges (and/or audience polls) to decide who is responsible and who should pay on actual cases; safety lessons learned; what laws must change to equitably compensate crash victims; government liability (shared mobility); and exploring international legal liability AV frameworks.
Moderators: Matthew W. Daus, Esq., Partner, Windels Marx, New Yor, NY
Panelists: Alan Steinberg, Esq., California Department of Transportation, Sacramento, CA
Dr. John Campbell, Ph.D., Exponent, Human Factors Scientist, Bellevue, WA
12:45 – 5:00 p.m. – Lunch and Afternoon on Your Own