The 2021 bench/bar kicked off this afternoon with both a posthumous dedication to Clyde Siebman, who is remembered as the founder of both the EDTX bar association and the annual conference.

Chief Judge Gilstrap welcomed attendees and announced that registrations are up over 100 from the conference’s prior high, with over 500 attendees at this year’s conference.

We just started the first panel on remote hearings, and for my sins I have been ordered to comoderate the last panel of the day, a panel on lawyers talking to the media. It’s been said the last session before lunch is a terrible slot – actually the worst slot is the slot that is between a roomful of lawyers and the open bar at tonight’s reception.

Seriously, it’s going to be a lot of fun (the panel, not the bar) – Eric Findlay and I will be talking to Wes Hill, Tom Melsheimer and Morgan Chu about how to interact with the media about cases.