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Message from the Chair
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Dear TIPS Members:
I hope you are enjoying longer days, warmer temperatures, the budding trees, and blooming flowers this much anticipated spring brings. Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Section’s renowned Trial Academy, even sending two attorneys from my firm. The participants were impressive and performed with notable skill and confidence thanks to our tremendous faculty mentors, Trial Academy Director, Rick Morefield, the incredible TIPS staff, Janet Hummons and Theresa Beckom, and the generosity and hospitality of the National Judicial College for hosting another marvelous Trial Academy.
We have some important events on the horizon as well. You will not want to miss the Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation Conference, the nation’s premier automotive product litigation CLE from April 15-17, 2026, at the Omni Scottsdale Montelucia in Scottsdale, or the Fidelity & Surety Law Spring Conference, from May 13-15, 2026, at the Hilton Sedona in Sedona, Arizona.
Finally, make your plans to attend our upcoming TIPS Section Conference, from April 29 to
May 2, at the Austin Marriott Downtown. We have an outstanding line-up of CLE programs, and many opportunities to network, with fun-filled, Texas-style social events, including a dinner and reception at the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum on Thursday, April 30 and the Friday Networking Luncheon with Keynote speaker, Jennifer Banda, Executive Director for the Center for Women in Law. Register and book your hotel room now! I look forward to seeing you in Austin at the Section Conference!
Warm regards,
Marcy Hogan Greer, Chair
ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section
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Book Spotlight
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ERISA Survey of Federal Circuits,
2026 Edition
Circuits can vary significantly in their approach to substantive and procedural ERISA issues. This book lets you become quickly acquainted with ERISA law of a particular circuit. Leading ERISA cases by circuit are covered, along with discovery trends, standard of review, and more.
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Book Spotlight
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Commercial Crime Insurance Coverage, Second Edition
This book examines the key issues that arise in the investigation, litigation, and resolution of claims under commercial crime policies and offers practical guidance for attorneys representing insurers and policyholders. This second edition reflects significant developments in policy language, forms, and case law over the past decade.
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Winter 2026
VOL. 28 NO. 2
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Aviation Litigation:
The View from 30,000 Feet
Contrary to the expectations of many readers, aviation litigation is not all about crashes or even highly technical matters involving aircraft and aeronautical concepts.
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TIPS Membership Survey
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Help Shape the Future of TIPS Programming!
We invite you to participate in this survey to help TIPS leadership better understand the interests and needs of our members. Your responses will guide the development of more relevant content, programming, and engagement opportunities. Please complete by Tuesday, March 31.
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Member Spotlight
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Robyn Pekala is an attorney based in Corvallis, Oregon, whose work focuses on animal law and animal protection policy. She began her legal career at Morrison & Foerster in the Bay Area, where she practiced tax law for nearly a decade, advising multinational companies on complex state tax matters. She later earned an LL.M. in Animal Law from Lewis & Clark Law School to focus her work on animal protection issues. Robyn now works with nonprofit organizations and public interest attorneys on animal protection issues, including legal research, policy work, and pro bono representation. Her recent work includes representing a dog guardian in a dangerous dog proceeding, working to develop a Courtroom Animal Advocate Program (CAAP). in Oregon, and writing on emerging issues in animal law.
How long have you been a TIPS member and TIPS involvement? I joined TIPS in 2024 while completing my LL.M. in Animal Law at Lewis & Clark Law School. I currently serve as Vice Chair for Administration and Recordkeeping for the Animal Law Committee and participate in several subcommittees, including Wildlife, Animals in Agriculture, and Science and Technology. I have also contributed to TIPS publications, including an article in The Brief on the legal and ethical implications of AI-assisted animal communication. Through this involvement, I stay engaged with developments in the field and connected with practitioners working on animal law issues across the country.
What do you like most about being a TIPS member? What I appreciate most about TIPS is the opportunity to connect with thoughtful practitioners from many different areas of the law. My primary involvement is through the Animal Law Committee, but being part of TIPS also exposes me to a broader range of perspectives and legal issues. Through the committee, I stay current on developments in the field, learn about areas of animal law outside my immediate work, and hear about opportunities such as webinars, conferences, and collaborative projects where members can contribute. I also value the section’s collaborative spirit and the chance to exchange ideas with colleagues working across litigation, policy, regulatory practice, academia, and nonprofit advocacy. Those conversations often spark new ideas and remind me how much there is to learn from other areas of practice.
If you would like to be featured in the next Member Spotlight, contact
Jason Billups.
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Member Spotlight
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Jeffrey A. Brauer is a partner at Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP in Cleveland, Ohio where he has practiced most of his career. Jeff advises his clients on various litigation matters and serves as a first chair trial and arbitration attorney for a variety of commercial, construction, financial, and civil disputes which often relate to specialized insurance claims. While based in Ohio, Jeff’s practice takes him across the country representing national clients wherever matters arise. Jeff is also a mediator and an arbitrator and member of the Commercial and Construction Arbitrator Panels of the American Arbitration Association. Within Hahn Loeser, Jeff serves as a co-chair of the Cleveland Litigation area, which is the largest litigation group in the firm, and also serves as the firm’s Ethics Partner.
How long have you been a TIPS member and TIPS involvement? I have been active in TIPS since shortly before aging out of my service in the leadership of the ABA YLD. In TIPS, I initially served as a TIPS Now! Fellow in 2005 and then became a Vice Chair of the Business Litigation Committee in 2007 where I served in a variety of roles. I became the Chair of the BLC in 2016. That year, the BLC won the Exceptional Achievement Award and I personally won the BLC Fellowship Award. I remain a BLC Vice Chair and regularly attend TIPS Meetings. I also served on a number of other committees in TIPS including Outreach to Young Lawyers, Ethics, Corporate Counsel, Membership, and Fidelity and Surety.
What do you like most about being a TIPS member? TIPS served to supercharge my national networking and rarely do I go more than a few weeks without reaching out to my TIPS and BLC network of attorneys for advice, local insight, local counsel assistance, or a referring a case out. When I had only been in TIPS for a few years, I remember talking to an attorney who was outside counsel to a large company in a neighboring state, about having to go to a TIPS meeting and she asked what I got out of these meetings. I told her about the group I was involved in, the activities we did, and the side-benefit of knowing a qualified attorney “everywhere” and I dared her to “challenge me” with finding lawyers in tough locations. She did, and I came through again and again. This ability to identify quality attorneys around the country early in my career has led to a more than 15-year, cross-referral relationship with active matters going on right now. It has been a boon to my career with her and many others.
If you would like to be featured in the next Member Spotlight, contact
Jason Billups.
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Upcoming Events & CLE
Animals in the Workplace: Laws, Liabilities and Protections
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 1 PM CT | Free Lunch & Learn Webinar
Motor Vehicle Product Liability Conference
April 15-17, 2026 | In-Person | Scottsdale, AZ
TIPS 11th Annual Section Conference
April 29-May 2, 2026 | In-Person | Austin,TX
Fidelity & Surety Law Spring Conference
May 13-15, 2026 | In-Person | Sedona, AZ
Thank you to Premier Section Sponsor
Thomson Reuters for its Generous Support of TIPS
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