Events
ACC MN Manufacturing Summit Sponsored by Maslon LLP
November 14, 2024
Maslon and the Minnesota chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC MN) join forces on Nov. 14 to present their inaugural Manufacturing Summit. The half-day seminar in Golden Valley will provide in-house counsel from Minnesota’s manufacturing community with practical tips for minimizing product liability risk and maximizing insurance recovery. Speakers include seasoned Maslon litigators Katie Maechler, Bryan Freeman, and Margo Brownell, along with experienced in-house counsel from leading Minnesota-based manufacturers.
ACC Minnesota will seek approval with the Minnesota State Board of Continuing Legal Education for 2.0 hours of standard CLE credit.
To register, go to ACC MN Manufacturing Summit.
AGENDA
1-1:30 p.m. | Registration
1:30-2:30 p.m. | Session 1: Questions Every Manufacturer Should Ask to Minimize Future Product Liability Risk
2:30-2:45 p.m. | Break
2:45-3:45 p.m. | Session 2: Insurance Coverage 101
3:45-5 p.m. | Happy Hour
Session 1 | Questions Every Manufacturer Should Ask to Minimize Future Product Liability Risk
From a new product prototype to responding to customer feedback, a manufacturer’s decisions—and how those decisions are documented—over the course of the product’s life cycle will come under intense scrutiny in defending a product liability claim. The ability to demonstrate that safety, quality, and the customer were the manufacturer’s top priorities is critical to that defense, whether the claims are premised on allegations of a design, manufacturing, or warning defect. All phases of the product life cycle provide opportunities to demonstrate these priorities—and all phases of the product life cycle simultaneously open the door to potential liabilities.
Moderator: Katie Maechler, Partner, Maslon
Panelists:
- Erin McCann, Senior Director, Legal - Litigation, Polaris
- Tom Evenson, Senior Attorney - Litigation, Daikin Applied
- Pete Goss, Associate General Counsel, Pentair
Session 2 | Insurance Coverage 101
This presentation will draw on real-life scenarios in which strategic decision-making had bottom-line ramifications on the insured's recovery. Topics will include:
1) the various claims that manufacturers are likely to face, how best to tender them to insurance, and what steps to take if coverage is denied;
2) insurance coverage as a means of affirmative recovery, from recouping legal costs to transforming your legal function into a profit center; and
3) best practices for managing insurance coverage litigation, including pre-claim preparation, damages analysis, pursuing discovery from insurers, expert work, motion practice, trial preparation, settlement, and understanding the insurance company adversary and the insurer's counsel.
Moderator: Bryan Freeman, Partner, Maslon
Panelists:
- Bryan Welp, Assistant General Counsel, Apogee Enterprises
- Mariah Jacobsen, General Counsel and People Director, Northern Tool + Equipment
- Ray Engler, Senior Risk Manager, Casualty Claims, Best Buy
- Margo Brownell, Partner, Maslon
