Keynotes

Successful Leadership for 21st Century Courts

Tuesday, October 28, 2003 from 8:30am to 10:00am
The Honorable Jean Hoefer Toal, Chief Justice of the State of South Carolina

The Honorable Jean Hoefer Toal, Chief Justice of the State of South Carolina has been the leader in the creation of a new paradigm for the operation of the courts in her state. In this keynote address she will discuss South Carolina’s efforts to create a new judicial automation system through the application of technology through re-engineering, re-organizing and the application of Baldrige award quality concepts. This dynamic leader will explain in her captivating and inspiring manner how through collaboration with national, state, and county officials they have created a shared vision and commitment to the future.

Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal began her service as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of South Carolina on March 17, 1988. She was re-elected in February of 1996 and was installed as Chief Justice on March 23, 2000 for the balance of the term of her predecessor, which expires June 30, 2004.

Investing in Technology During Difficult Financial Times

Wednesday, October 29, 2003 from 8:30am to 10:00am
Jerry Mechling, M.P.A., Ph.D., Harvard University

Dr. Jerry Mechling will discuss strategies that leaders should consider when investing in technology during difficult times for government financing. He will also address successful ways to control costs and improve services. Dr. Mechling will serve as a Keynote speaker at the National Center for State Courts' Eighth National Court Technology Conference (CTC8) in 2003.

Jerry Mechling is the Director of the E-government Executive Education Project and Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He focuses on the impacts of information flows and computer-based technologies on individual, organizational, and societal issues. Jerry consults on these and other topics to public and private organizations locally and internationally. He recently co-authored Overcoming Budget Barriers; Funding Information Technology Projects in the Public Sector, and is formerly a fellow of the Institute of Politics. He has served as the public sector as an aide to Mayor John Lindsay of New York City, as Assistant Administrator of the New York City Environmental Protection Administration, and as Director of the Office of Management and Budget for Mayor Kevin White of Boston.

Dr. Mechling holds an A.B. in Physical Sciences (mathematics and physics) from Harvard College and a M.P.A. and Ph.D. in Economics and Public Affairs from the Winston Wilson School at Princeton.

The High-Tech Attorney - Expectations for the Future

Thursday, October 30, 2003 from 8:30am to 10:00am
Peter Bensinger, Esq.

Court staff and Judges are beginning to see a new type of customer, the high-tech attorney. Peter Bensinger, Esq. described as "the most wired lawyer in America" has been a partner in the law firm of Bartlit, Beck, Herman, Palenchar & Scott (described as one of the country’s elite law firms by National Lawyer Media) since 1993. As a featured speaker on legal technology at many conferences, he will share the "technology toolkit" that he takes to trial. An attorney in multi-million dollar lawsuits, an adjunct professor at the Northwestern University School of Law in High-Tech Trial Techniques, but more important, as a featured performer, Chicago Bar Association's Christmas Spirits Show, Mr. Bensinger brings his humor and high-energy style that will inform and entertain CTC8 attendees.