Agenda
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Day 1 — Main Conference
June 17, 2026
Registration & Breakfast
Opening Remarks from the Co-Chairs
Sydney Fairchild WilliamsonShareholderGreenberg Traurig LLP (USA)
Denise Daly ByrnePartnerA&L Goodbody LLP (Ireland)
Jonathan LaffertyPartnerSidley Austin (UK)
Bill ChildsPartnerBowman and Brooke LLP (USA)
Be sure to join us for an in-house roundtable series designed to foster intimate, high-impact discussions among legal peers. Join us for a rotating roundtable format built for real talk, rapid idea exchange, and strategic benchmarking on today’s most urgent challenges in product liability. This is a great way to connect, collaborate, and discuss challenges and strategies at the start of the event. The speakers will rotate tables every 30 minutes to maximize networking opportunities and idea-sharing on the following topics:
- PFAS and Product Liability Convergence: What Product Liability Defense Counsel Need to Know About the Rising Contaminant Litigation Risk
- Exploring the PLD Transposition: Jurisdiction and Forum Strategies, National Divergences to Expect, Timelines, and What Defense Looks Like Under the Presumptions
- Software and AI as “Products” in Life Sciences: Strict Liability Regimes in the EU and the Role of the PLD
Roundtable Recap
Extended Networking Break
Lawyers, Experts & Money: What’s Changed, What Hasn’t, and What’s Coming Next with Expert Testimony and Scientific Evidence in EU Product Liability Litigation
Bill ChildsPartnerBowman and Brooke LLP (USA)
Elisabetta RighiniPartnerSidley Austin LLP (Belgium)
The recent regulatory changes and directives in the EU fundamentally transform how the burden of proof in product liability has shifted and will affect how expert testimony may be assessed – especially for complex digital and AI products. In addition, the expanded definition of “product” makes expert testimony more viable for claimants and places greater scrutiny on Defendants’ experts. Join us in this session as we discuss strategies and the role of defense experts to overcome expanded liability and the presumption of defect. Topics for discussion will include:
- Challenging the presumption of defect with design experts and forensic engineers to pinpoint the actual cause or presence of external factors
- Disproving causation with causal link and medical experts to:
- Demonstrate that even if a defect existed, it could not have caused the specific harm, or that other factors such as user misuse or incompatible parts were the true case of the injury(ies)
- Testify that the injuries are inconsistent with the alleged defect or product failure
- Providing “best practice” evidence to highlight robust internal quality control, risk assessments, and safety features built into the design
- Retaining experts early to understand the science and develop a consistent scientific narrative across jurisdictions
- Leveraging data protection and cybersecurity experts to mitigate risks and manage disclosure – particularly with digital evidence for connected devices
Networking Luncheon
The Revised PLD: A Mechanism to Improve Access to Justice, or a Pathway to Inconsistent National Implementation and Increased Litigation?
Agata BoutanosChief Executive OfficerEuropean Justice Forum (France)
Grímur JóhannssonAssociate Director Legal AffairsEFPIA
Simon NeillAssistant General CounselJohnson & Johnson (Belgium)
The revised PLD has created an even more claimant-friendly product liability regime in the EU, allowing for more claims and a greater range of damages to allow consumers to succeed more easily. In addition, the new legislative framework broadens and modifies product liability laws by: expanding the traditional definition of a “product”; easing evidentiary burdens; extending the scope of liability to other actors in the stream of commerce; and creating new categories of recoverable damages.
However, there are concerns that inconsistent implementations in Member States will fragment the Single Market, increase litigation risk and weaken Europe’s competitiveness. Join us in this engaging session as we discuss some of the key impacts of the revised PLD, such as:
- Inconsistent national approaches and forum shopping
- Expanded definition of product
- Medical devices and technology
- AI and software
- Certain “related services”
- Increase in mass litigation
- Pressure on innovators to settle meritless claims
Networking Break
Defect and Causation Under the New Product Liability Directive: Mitigating the Impact of Presumptions
Charles-Henri CaronPartnerBird & Bird (France)
Marie ManleyPartner, Head of the UK Life Sciences PracticeSidley Austin LLP
Oliver RathjePartnerReed Smith LLP (Germany)
The new EU PLD introduces a recalibrated liability framework that significantly alters how defects and causation are assessed and proven in product liability claims. By expanding the definition of “product,” lowering evidentiary thresholds, and introducing rebuttable presumptions in favor of claimants—particularly in cases involving complex products, digital components, and AI-enabled systems—the Directive materially shifts litigation risk for manufacturers, distributors, and other economic operators. Join us in this session as we examine how defendants can effectively rebut allegations of defect and causation under the new PLD. Topics for discussion include:
- Demonstrating compliance with mandatory safety requirements and state-of-the-art defenses
- Establishing product design, manufacturing, and warning adequacy in a lifecycle context
- Challenging causal links in complex technical and AI-driven products
- Distinguishing correlation from causation where multiple contributing factors exist
- Leveraging expert evidence, testing data, and real-world performance records
- Establishing intervening misuse, modification, or third-party integration as breaks in the causal chain
End of Day One | Cocktail Reception
Day 2 — Main Conference
June 18, 2026
Networking Breakfast
Opening Remarks from the Co-Chairs
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Safety Standards and Breaches That Trigger a Rebuttable Presumption of Defectiveness: A Comparative Law Examination Where the Standards are Mandatory and Non-Mandatory
Prof. Duncan Fairgrieve KCUniversité Paris-Dauphine & BIICL, Avocat à la Cour, Paris & Barrister England & Wales(France)
COUNTRY SPOTLIGHTS
Reviewing the Status of PLD Implementation in the EU: Mass Litigation Mechanisms, Disclosure Obligations, Litigation Funding Trends, and Fundamental Changes to the Risk Landscape
Denise Daly ByrnePartnerA&L Goodbody LLP (Ireland)
Cristiana SpontoniGlobal Practice Co-Leader Health Care and Life SciencesJones Day (Belgium)
Dr. Christian RybakShareholderGreenberg Traurig Germany, LLP (Germany)
Sverker BondePartnerDelphi (Sweden)
The vague language contained in the PLD has the potential to result in diverging national implementations and rulings by Member State judges in the future. At a time when the EU looks to strengthen the Single Market and boost competitiveness, these divergent implementations of the revised PLD could move Europe in the opposite direction – by encouraging inconsistent national approaches and forum shopping.
Join us in this interactive session as each of our session speakers – from different Member States – discuss:
- Which jurisdictions are most at risk
- Developments, trends and national variations in Life Sciences product liability that create distinct legal landscapes
- Effects on European investments and innovation
- The growth of mass litigation and third-party litigation funding sources
- Challenging or settling meritless claims to avoid protracted litigation
Networking Break
FIRESIDE CHAT
PFAS Science Beyond the Headlines: Recognizing the Consequences of Oversimplification and the Implications for the Risk Spectrum
Dr. Robert DeMottPrincipal, Environment & HealthRamboll (USA)
Sydney Fairchild WilliamsonShareholderGreenberg Traurig LLP (USA)
Be sure to join us in this critical discussion as our speakers take a deep dive into the true science of PFAS and the dangers of oversimplified perceptions. Topics for discussion include:
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PFAS 101:
- Why treating “PFAS” as a single risk category oversimplifies potential health and environmental impacts
- Persistence and toxicity: why these distinct factors matter scientifically, legally, and regulatorily
- How oversimplified narratives shape regulation, litigation strategy, and public perception
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Lessons from U.S. Litigation – and what to expect in the EU:
- How broad narratives influenced judges, juries and public opinion
- What companies learned defending PFAS-related claims
- Where scientific complexity collided with courtroom simplicity
Cross-Border Litigation Funding Under the Microscope: Managing Risk and Reclaiming Control Amid Rapid Expansion and Limited Transparency
Lisa M. BairdPartnerReed Smith LLP (USA)
Cliff MerrellShareholderGreenberg Traurig LLP (USA)
As third-party litigation funding surges globally, often behind the scenes, drug and medical device manufacturers are exposed to risks that are difficult to predict and even harder to counter. This session will explore the evolving dynamics of third-party litigation funding, its influence on cross-border settlement strategy, and the growing regulatory response. Topics of discussion will include:
- Tracking the proliferation of foreign-backed funders in EU product liability matters
- Examining the age-old question: who is really driving settlement discussions – the parties or the funders?
- Monitoring the creation of a federal subcommittee to address mandatory disclosure of funders and funding terms
- Responding to the growing number of jurisdictions requiring disclosure of litigation funding arrangements and contracts
Networking Luncheon
Olivier MignoletPartnerSimmons & Simmons LLP (Belgium)
Emmanuel GarnierOf CounselSimmons & Simmons LLP (France)
In product liability cases courts can be persuaded by regulatory compliance as evidence of a product’s safety and the manufacturer’s reasonable conduct – but compliance alone is typically not an absolute defense. If compliance is generally considered the minimum standard of care, what else is needed to persuade the courts that the manufacturer has gone above and beyond to ensure the safety, reliability and fairness of the product?
Join us in this session as we discuss some of the key influencing elements that persuade courts such as:
- Showcasing a meticulous, evidence-based defense strategy that presents a comprehensive history of compliance efforts with:
- Detailed records of design controls, risk management, manufacturing processes and post-market surveillance
- Evidence that the manufacturer crafted – and disseminated – clear, accurate, and consistent information to regulatory bodies, physicians and consumers
- Proof of adherence to specifics
- “Educating” courts on the complexity and rigor of the regulatory process to help judges understand that an expert agency like an EU Notified Body determined the appropriate pathway to market and safety requirements
- Demonstrating the implementation of effective human oversight mechanisms – as required by the AI Act for high-risk systems – to show that the manufacturer has safeguards to intervene if necessary
- Revealing a comprehensive quality management system (QMS) that specifically integrates the requirements of the MDR/IVDR
LIFE SCIENCES PRODUCT LIABILITY TOWN HALL
What’s Next in EU Product Liability Matters? A Twelve-Month Outlook and Action Checklist for Legal, Regulatory, Quality, and Insurance Teams
This forward-looking and interactive session will equip in-house and external counsel, compliance leaders, quality managers, and insurance professionals with a practical roadmap for navigating the next year of EU product liability risk. With the new Product Liability Directive, AI Liability regime, and revised General Product Safety Regulation reshaping exposure across the lifecycle, organizations must move quickly from awareness to execution.
Speakers will assess near-term litigation and enforcement trends, identify where claimants’ strategies are evolving, and outline what “good” looks like for cross-functional coordination between legal, regulatory, quality, and insurance teams.