Defense Counsel Journal

Editor's Page - Volume 88, Number 1

January 18, 2021

Christopher B. Parkerson

Christopher B. Parkerson

Christopher is the Defense Counsel Journal Editor for 2020-2022. He is a Member of Campbell Conroy & O’Neil, P.C. and serves on its Board of Directors. Christopher has extensive trial experience representing national and international corporations in the defense of catastrophic product liability, commercial, intellectual property, professional liability, and negligence matters throughout the United States. Christopher’s jury trial experience, combined with his work ethic and approach to the lawyer-client relationship, has allowed him to successfully guide clients through all aspects of litigation from Lead Trial Counsel to guidance on such issues as pre-suit ADR, witness preparation, and mock trials.

I originally wrote the Editor’s note for this issue of the Defense Counsel Journal on January 1st, 2021. The note set out my optimism and enthusiasm for the new year. It envisioned a vaccinated society attending baseball games, graduations, and eating indoors. It stressed the importance of opening courtrooms across the world so disputes could be resolved in an orderly and timely fashion. While I still have much faith that 2021 will be a vast improvement over 2020, discussion of that will have to wait for another day. 

The events of January 6th in Washington, DC deserve our full focus and attention. The photographs and video depicting protesters breaking through US Capitol police barricades and ultimately entering Congressional offices were shocking and disturbing. The images were hard to process and did not compute with my vision of the United States of America. Congress was in the midst of one of our democracy’s most important traditions, the peaceful transfer of power, when the very center of our government was attacked. 

I vividly recall as an elementary school student the pride I felt being an American. I grew up feeling safe and secure that the civil wars and autocratic power grabs I saw on television or read about in magazines would never happen in my home country. I was certain that because of the rights guaranteed to Americans in the United States Constitution that we would never fall into a place where the people felt like their only option was revolution. We were guaranteed the right to assemble and speak. We had free and fair elections and courts resolved disputes in a timely fashion. I never envisioned I would watch as security officers drew firearms to protect the floor of the United States House of Representatives. 

As we watched the events of January 6 unfold, my law partner, Jacob Lantry, made the point that American democracy takes effort from all its citizens. The branches of government cannot function for the people if America’s leaders are unable or unwilling to put in work to ensure their success. As lawyers, executives, and judges we cannot ignore this responsibility. We must lead the effort to help ensure our democracy continues for the next generations. 

I am proud of the IADC’s contributions to these efforts. IADC spends both time and money supporting iCivics. iCivics teaches school aged children how government works and helps them understand their rights and responsibilities as American citizens. This education is a critical step in making sure that the next generation of Americans understands the efforts needed for American institutions to flourish.

I am also proud of the leadership of IADC’s members to defend the United States Constitution and the rule of law from attack. IADC members have helped lead the effort to strengthen Americans’ understanding and faith in the Court systems. Members have fought for justice for all people and have spoken and written about how the legal system lives up to the ideals that all people are equal in the eyes of the law. In addition to advocating for justice, IADC members have always been ready to listen. When complaints of failures or lapses occur, our members are always ready to hear those claims and help. 

Whether a Republican, Democrat, Independent, or some mix of all or none of the above, being active and involved is the most direct path to success. As eyewitnesses to truth, it is our place in society to make sure that lies and misrepresentations are corrected. It is our duty to make sure truth and justice go hand in hand. 

If we do our part to educate, advocate, and defend, then January 6th will go down as an exception to America’s incredible history and our children will grow up having the same faith and trust in American democracy as we do. 

This edition of the DCJ contains three outstanding articles. “Advanced Topics in Oral Civil Discovery” by Robert F. Redmond, Jr. is an outstanding examination of the requirements of state and federal rules surrounding depositions. It discusses issues from a corporation’s requirements to produce a witness to attorney-client privilege over discussions during the breaks in the deposition all the way through objections and errata sheets. “Genomics in the Courtroom:  The Current Landscape of DNA Technology in Criminal and Civil Litigation” by Scott Elder and Anderson Kemp is a fascinating review of the Court’s approach to genetic technology. Finally, there is an article by Mitchell L. Lathrop entitled “Carve-Outs and Injunctive Relief in Arbitration Cases” that analyzes and discusses issues related to enforceability of arbitration clauses. 

The DCJ produced its first podcast in November. Please visit the Podcast page on the IADC website and check it out. Thank you to member Mark Behrens for spending time on the podcast answering questions about his article published in the October 2020 issue on medical monitoring. I look forward to the next podcast.

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