CCL President Robert S. Peck reviewed recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions affecting plaintiff's trial practice, as well as proposed changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure at the annual Hawaii Seminar conducted by the Consumer Attorneys of California in Maui.

Peck discussed issues dealing with jurisdiction over foreign defendants, arbitration, class actions, and pleadings, noting that the Court had made each more difficult for plaintiffs. Still, Peck said that careful attention to the triggers for the Court's holdings will enable plaintiffs to overcome many of the Court's recent rulings.

Peck also highlighted the importance of filing comments on the federal rules committees proposed changes to civil procedure, particularly those governing discovery.  He noted that, even though the rules were intended to cover procedure in the federal courts, the same rules inevitably come to govern state court procedures as well.