SEALS

Call for Papers for SEALS Panel

CALL FOR PAPERS from Ellen Podgor (Stetson):

A roundtable discussion will be held at SEALS 2010 on “Re-evaluating Corporate Criminal Liability.”

Among the questions that deserve focus in this area are the following:

*   Should we discard corporate criminal liability?
*   Should we expand corporate criminal liability?
*   Should we modify the ALI standard for corporate criminal liability?
*   Can tort actions properly accommodate corporate misconduct?
*   Is corporate regulation sufficient to handle corporate misconduct?

Participants will prepare a paper of approximately ten pages related to this topic, and the papers will be distributed prior to SEALS 2010. At SEALS, each of the participants will be given a few minutes to summarize their paper, which will be followed by a moderated discussion on the topic.

Two of the participants in this roundtable will be selected from a Call for Papers that will be reviewed by Professor Joan Heminway (Tennessee),  Professor Andrew Taslitz (Howard), and Professor Ellen S. Podgor.

Papers must be received by January 1st to be considered for this Roundtable. You are welcome to submit an abstract by this deadline, but papers are more likely to be given stronger consideration. Submit all papers to Ellen S. Podgor at epodgor@law.stetson.edu.

Corrected Gala Time Tonight

Reminder:  GALA begins at 7:30 p.m. even though ticket says 7:00 p.m.

Paul

SEALS Conference Annoucements!

From the great people who help administer the SEALS Conference:

Please post following notices:

1)         $3, $2, $1 Kiosk:  Coffee ($3), pastry ($2) and fruit ($1) available in Ritz lobby 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for all SEALS participants.

2)         SEALS Golf Tournament.  Anyone who needs a ride to the golf tournament on Wednesday, August 5, please meet in the lobby at 6:30 a.m.

3)         Wednesday “Night at the Movies”:  Hillary:  The Supreme Court Case!  TIME CHANGE!!  Will be held at 6:00 p.m. in Salon 2.

Hope everyone is enjoying their time here!

Paul S.

Parking, Breakfast, etc. at the Ritz

From Russ Weaver:

The parking rate at the Ritz is $12 per day.  In addition, the Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach is offering the following discounts for all SEALS guests starting on Saturday, August 1st until 12:00noon on Saturday, August 8th: 1) Continental breakfast at $18.00 per person; 2) A 10% discount in all F&B outlets.  (The discount does not apply to the value meals offered in our outlets).  Discount to be applied at time of service.

2009 SEALS Nominations Announced

The Nominations for the SEALS Board have been announced:

President-elect: Greg Bowman (Mississippi College)

At-Large trustee (1 position): Roger Fairfax (George Washington) and Mark Killenbeck (Arkansas-Fayetteville)

For more information about the Board, visit the SEALS Website here.

Hilton Head and Amelia Island, Here We Come!

Just announced:

The 2011 SEALS Annual Meeting will take place at the Hilton Head Marriott Resort and Spa in Hilton Head, South Carolina from July 24 to July 29, 2011.

Should be loads of fun.

Also, the 2012 SEALS Annual Meeting will take place at the Ritz-Carlton-Amelia Island from July 29th to Aug. 4th, 2012 in Amelia Island, Florida.

Updated Program (May 26th) Now Available

You can access it through the home page of the SEALS Website.

Nominations Wanted for SEALS Board of Trustees

Nominations for two Board of Trustees positions are now open.  Nominations must be submitted to Gail Richmond (compliance officer) by July 19, 2009.  Please submit nominations by email to richmondg@nsu.law.nova.edu. The two positions are:

1. Vice President/President Elect. This position must be filled by a faculty member at an Institutional Member School located in Mississippi (either University of Mississippi or Mississippi College). The faculty member elected will serve as Vice President/President elect during 2009-10, as President during 2010-11, and as Past President during 2011-12.

2. At-Large Board of Trustees Member (2009-2012 term). This position must be filled by a faculty member at any Institutional Member School other than those listed. Because the Board of Trustees cannot include two members from the same school, nominees for this position cannot be faculty members at the following schools: Alabama; Duke; Emory; Kentucky; Louisiana State; Louisville; Mercer; Nova Southeastern; or Tennessee. The results of the election for Vice President/President Elect will determine eligibility by faculty members at Mississippi law schools.

FINAL SEALS HOTEL DEADLINE!

Please bear in mind that the Ritz’s deadline for imposing charges is rapidly approaching. At that point, all hotel registrants will be charged a non-refundable two night deposit. So, if you (or, for that matter, any of your colleagues, friends or panelists) is holding a room that they do not need, please ask them to release it ASAP.

Update: Russ received an e-mail from the Ritz clearly stating its room charge policy:

The hotel will take a deposit on the credit card on file for two (2) evenings on Friday, May 8, 2009. Any cancellations, changes, early departures, no shows after Monday, June 1, 2009 will result in forfeiture of the full two (2) night deposit.

Further update:

Russ thought it might be worthwhile for him to explain the Ritz’s room charge policy:

Here is the problem.  Last year, on the eve of the meeting, we were dramatically oversold.  Indeed, we had a bunch of folks who really wanted to get rooms at the Ritz, but could not and were forced to stay elsewhere.  Then, at the last minute, a whole bunch of folks released room nights.  We ended up nearly having to pay damages for unused rooms.  So, it was a lose-lose situation: the hotel had unused room nights (and was unhappy); we were nearly forced to pay damages; & we had folks who really wanted rooms but couldn’t get them (or were already committed elsewhere by the time the rooms opened up).

At this point, for our upcoming meeting, we have 94 folks on the waiting list who are still seeking rooms, and I’m having to dole rooms out piecemeal as they open up.  In fact, I’m spending about 30-45 minutes a day trying to get people into rooms (WAY more than I’d like to be spending on such tasks).  So, when the Board consulted with the Ritz last summer about the rooming situation, the Ritz decided to adopt the current policy   The hope is that the Ritz can force folks to think more deeply about whether they really wanted all of the nights that they have reserved.  If enough rooms open up, perhaps we can clear the waiting list.

Is there a solution for those who don’t want to risk paying damages for unneeded room nights?  I think that there is.  If you have doubts about whether you will need all of the nights you have reserved, I’d advise you to release any nights as to which there is uncertainty.  If you will advise me when that happens, so that I can reassign the rooms to the waiting list, I will put you at the absolute top of the list if you desire additional rooms later.  My guess is that we will be able to obtain the needed additional nights.

A Clarification on SEALS Registration and Ritz Rooms

If you are registered for the annual meeting, but are still on the waiting list for the Ritz, please make sure that you inform Russ Weaver of that fact.  He will give you priority on reservations at the Ritz.