Justice Roundtable: State and Federal Coordination of Multi-Jurisdiction Litigation

On November 18, 2011, partner Robert L. Haig served as the moderator for the National Center for State Court’s Justice Roundtable, at a discussion titled ​“State and Federal Coordination of Multi-Jurisdiction Litigation.” The discussion included a dialogue regarding the fact that many similar cases are being filed in different jurisdictions and how a mechanism for coordination between state and federal courts could be beneficial in dealing with this issue. In addition, the panel included an examination of broader issues and concepts of case management and multi-case litigation within the same court. Mr. Haig led a discussion of three hypothetical cases involving different types of mass litigation and raise important issues through questions to the expert panelists and audience. Panelists included The Hon. Barbara J. Rothstein, Director of the Federal Judicial Center and U.S. District Court Judge, well-known plaintiffs lawyer W. Mark Lanier, and Sheila L. Birnbaum, Special Master for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, as well as judges from the state courts of Delaware and New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.