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UO welcomes mass claim litigation expert to discuss high profile examples
Duke professor is working on Iraqi reparations, breast implant litigation and HIV cases
EUGENE, Ore. -- (Nov. 11, 2008) -- The UO School of Law's Appropriate Dispute Resolution Center will host "Mediating Disasters: from Katrina to Iraq, from 9/11 to the 'Nightclub Fire'" at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20, in Knight Law Center, Room 184, 1515 Agate St. The event is free and open to the public.
Francis McGovern is a professor of law at Duke University School of Law in Durham, N.C. and a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. McGovern is an expert in "mass claim" litigation, a term given when a major disaster or major product liability issue results in a significant number of lawsuits.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, McGovern was among the first in the U.S. to write about and to use alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques to avoid or to improve the litigation process. His successful efforts resolved mass claim litigation in the U.S., including silicone gel breast implant litigation, asbestos poisoning, international bankruptcies, water rights disputes and housing discrimination in Texas.
"This is a rare opportunity to hear from McGovern, who is renown internationally in developing process design and case management methods to handle large, complex and socially significant tort claims," said Tim Hicks, director, UO Master's Degree Program in Conflict and Dispute Resolution.
Countries around the world are recognizing the effectiveness of McGovern's work and enlisting his expertise. Working with United Nations Compensation Commission, McGovern is helping construct a legal framework for handling the 2.6 million claims for reparations from Iraq. In addition, he is developing a transnational ADR center in Europe to handle torts, including silicone gel breast implants and HIV infected blood cases, which cross national boundaries.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Julie Brown, director of media relations, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
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