First Day at the AT's Spring Meeting

Wow! It's been a great first day for this first-timer at the AT's 54th Spring Meeting. Although many of the first-time attendees were taking advantage of the antitrust fundamentals session this morning, I had the opportunity again to observe the AT Council meeting where numerous reports from section leadership and liaisons were presented. Among the invited guests were Thomas Barnett of the DOJ Antitrust Division, FTC Chair Deborah Platt Majoras, Judicial Division liaison The Honorable Diane Wood of the 7th Circuit, YLD Liaison Albert Kim and, yes, even I got to present my March liaison report.

Little did I know we would end up heading straight from the Council meeting to the luncheon, where AT Chair Don Klawiter had the chance to recognize section members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty during the year. Fellow law student Heather Schneider of Columbia Law School was presented with her award as winner of the annual law student writing competition. I was also surprised and flattered to receive a beautiful plaque for my work as LSD Liaison this year. I am so proud of it, I hope you don't mind if I indulge in posting it here so I can share it with folks who couldn't attend. (Is this a great section or what?)


Following the awards presentation, we heard from Prof Stephen Calkins of Wayne State University, with his amusing annual review of antitrust developments. If only all my law school classes were that entertaining!

The afternoon CLE sessions were mostly full, with some standing room only. I was lucky to find a seat in the Class Action Fairness Act session presented by the Consumer Protection committee. I also made sure to get a good spot for "High Tech Antitrust Disputes" presented by the Computer & Internet and Intellectual Property committees.

Afterwards, the Welcome Reception gave me a great opportunity to catch up on the sessions I missed and get to know some of the other law students attending from Loyola-Chicago (Hi, guys!) and local young lawyers. Point of information: I doubt the widgets in the antitrust fundamentals session are related to the widgets in Tetley's beer they were serving... or are they?

The Reception after the Reception was held at the offices of Morgan Lewis, just a couple blocks away on Pennsylvania Ave. We got to enjoy some more delicious food, great conversation, and a spectacular view from their dining center balcony.

If this is the first day, I can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow...