In The News: SCMA’s Annual Conference Keynote Speaker, Kenneth Feinberg

In the News: SCMA’s 2012 Annual Conference Keynote Speaker, Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who administered the Sept. 11 victim fund and other major victim compensation efforts, has been hired by Penn State in its effort to settle personal injury claims related to former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky’s molestation:

“Penn State Brings in Victim Fund Veteran Feinberg

By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. September 20, 2012 (AP)

Penn State said Thursday that it retained the Washington, D.C., law firm led by Ken Feinberg for what the university described as an effort to resolve all litigation, including claims that have not been filed, by the end of the year.

Feinberg also helped resolve claims that arose from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Virginia Tech massacre and the Vietnam War defoliant Agent Orange…

 In a statement released by Penn State, Feinberg said his law firm would not be administering a compensation fund and has no authority to compel any settlement. ‘We will merely facilitate the effort and only in those cases where individuals and their lawyers are so inclined,’ Feinberg said. ‘Having managed similar cases in the past we are confident we can help all parties involved in this matter and are pleased to have been selected for such an important role.’“

 Join your colleagues for Mr. Feinberg’s Keynote Address, “Unconventional Responses to Unique Catastrophes: Tailoring the Resolution to Meet the Challenge,” at the 24th Annual SCMA Conference on Sat, Nov. 3 at Pepperdine Law School! The SCMA conference is co-sponsored by Pepperdine School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution and is entitled, “The Working Mediator: Improving the Culture of Conflict.”

 Numerous workshops will follow Mr. Feinberg’s address in every area of mediation practice, along with the first ever Advanced Track, co-sponsored by the American Institute of Mediation (AIM).

On Fri, Nov. 2, join SCMA for a dinner/cocktail reception at the Sheraton Delfina in Santa Monica, honoring Peter Robinson with the L. Randolph Lowry Award and welcoming Mr. Feinberg. The guest speaker is Roger Wolfson, T.V. writer for the USA show, “Fairly Legal.” It promises to be a fantastic evening.

Go to: http://www.scmediation.org/24th-annual-fall-conference for details and registration. Register by October 3, 2012 to take advantage of early–bird discounts