The University at Buffalo Law School and the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy will host a two-day conference titled "Hydrofracking: Exploring the Legal Issues in the Context of Politics, Science and the Economy." It will be held March 28-29 in 509 O'Brian Hall on UB's north campus.

Horizontal gas drilling involves hydraulic fracturing - also known as hydrofracking, or fracking - and the potential effects raise environmental and energy concerns. The conference will feature an exchange of ideas, as well as a forum for community discussion.

The first session will cover "Fracking: Questions and Controversies" and will begin at 3:30 p.m. with an explanation of what it is. A panel of experts in the area of environmental law will discuss common environmental concerns associated with the practice. The panel will be moderated by Jessica Owley, associate professor in UB Law School. Attorneys who attend the presentation March 28 can earn 2.0 non-transitional CLE credits in the area of Professional Practice.

The discussion will be followed by a reception at 5:30 p.m., hosted by the Law School and open to law students, attorneys and conference participants. It will be held in the Cellino and Barnes Conference Center on the fifth floor of the Law School. At 7 p.m., there will be a screening of the movie "Gasland," presented by UB Green in the Woldman Theater in Norton Hall on the north campus.

Day two of the conference runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. It will include a discussion of the legal, political and scientific issues raised in the hydrofracking debate. A two-part panel of attorneys and scholars will be moderated by UB law professors Robert Berger and Errol Meidinger. Meidinger also is director of the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy. Attorneys who attend the morning panel presentation that day can earn 3.0 non-transitional CLE credits in the area of Professional Practice.

All events, refreshments and continuing legal education credits are free of charge.

For more information, visit www.law.buffalo.edu/baldycenter/hydrofracking/.

Automobile litigation

The New York State Bar Association is holding its next CLE workshop on Friday, March 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Ramada Inn & Conference Center, 2402 N. Forest Road, Amherst. The topic will be automobile litigation.

Trying or resolving a motor vehicle case requires an understanding of the latest developments and trends in automobile tort law. The seminar is designed to familiarize attorneys with the intricacies of automobile litigation in New York state. It will include an overview of the latest developments in underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage, accident reconstruction and the use of biomechanical experts. Practitioners will offer information that attorneys can use to prepare an automobile claim from the claim stage through discovery and trial. Coverage issues affecting automobile litigation will also be discussed. The program includes a segment on ethical considerations, as well.

Credits: 7.0 MCLE (3.0 Professional Practice, 3.0 Skills, 1.0 Ethics)

Cost: Members $165, nonmembers $250 and students $60.

For more information or to register, go to www.nysba.org/cle

Trailblazer: Belva Lockwood

Attorney Maryann Saccomando Freedman, of counsel at Cohen & Lombardo, will present a discussion on the life and legal career of Western New Yorker Belva Lockwood on March 28, starting at 6 p.m. at Templeton Landing, 2 Templeton's Terrace, Buffalo.

The title is "Trailblazer for Women's Leadership!" Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by mailing a check made out to Friends of Women's Rights Nation Park to Kelly Culmer at 343 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, N.Y. 14222 by March 22. Tickets include a social hour starting at 5 p.m. and food stations beginning at 6 p.m. The presentation will start at 6:45 pm.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Association for a Buffalo Presidential Center, a not-for-profit that provides public programs, projects and research opportunities to advance Western New York as a center for the development of the U.S. presidency throughout history.

Saccomando Freedman's presentation will focus on the accomplishments of Lockwood, who was born in Royalton, N.Y., and was the first woman lawyer admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1884 and 1888, she became the first woman to mount a full-fledged campaign for the presidency. Besides being a successful lawyer in Washington, D.C., she was a politician, educator and author. Lockwood was active in working for women's rights and fought to overcome social and personal obstacles related to gender restrictions. In 1879, she successfully petitioned Congress to be allowed to practice before the Supreme Court, becoming the first woman attorney to do so.

- Compiled by Matt Chandler