The Education Committee of the National Docketing Association is pleased to announce

Pedersen & Sons Surety Bond Agency, Inc. Presents Court Surety Bonds & Undertaking for Litigation.

Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Time: 10:00 AM Pacific Time | 12:00 PM Central Time | 1:00 PM Eastern Time

Attend Virtually: All registrants will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom meeting details included.

Agenda:

This presentation provides an overview of surety bonds and their role in litigation and court proceedings. It will cover what surety bonds are, why courts require them, and how they serve to protect parties, courts, and financial interests during legal disputes. Attendees will learn about common litigation-related bonds, including appeal bonds, injunction bonds, and mechanic's lien bonds, as well as key underwriting and bonding considerations. The presentation will also discuss best practices for obtaining, reviewing, and filing bonds, how to identify fraudulent or insufficient bonds, and the potential legal and malpractice risks associated with inadequate bond review. Finally, it will provide practical guidance for attorneys on ensuring their clients are properly protected throughout the bonding process.

Speaker:

Neil Pedersen is a second-generation owner of Pedersen & Sons Surety Bond Agency, Inc., a family-owned business founded in 1992. In late 2008, at the peak of the financial crisis, he began his career at Pedersen & Sons while attending college in the evening.  Around the same time, Neil also began working at two other surety bond agencies to broaden his experience. He attributes his unique underwriting approach to learning from three very seasoned surety agency owners.

Neil worked during the day while studying finance at night. He worked hard to hone his underwriting skills and became known as a go-to surety professional who could solve a client’s problems quickly. In 2015, after Neil built his own book of business, he obtained equity in the company and now operates the business as an owner.

Neil obtained his Property and Casualty License in 2010. He has a B.S. in finance from Ramapo College and is certified in risk management (ARM) and surety (ASFSB) from the Insurance Institute of America, a respected leader in the insurance industry.

Neil has co- presented over two dozen CLEs on the topic of Surety Bonds. He has also delivered an expert witness statements with the intention of appearing as an expert witness if required to for matters pending in the International Court of Arbitration. Neil co- authored an article for the New York Law Journal titled "Navigating Surety Performance and Payment Bonds: What to Know" and for the New York State Bar Associations Elder and Special Needs Law Journal titled "Surety Bonds In Guardianships".

The California Chapter invites you to a luncheon sponsored by ECFX on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Bob Moore from ECFX will be hosting this social event. 

ECFX Luncheon

Date: Thursday, September 10, 2026

Time: 12:00 p.m. PT

Location: Per Diem, 43 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94104

Please note this event is limited to 10 NDA members, so please RSVP by Friday, August 28th.  Once capacity has been reached, a waitlist will be maintained.

If your plans change after registering and you are unable to attend, please notify the California Chapter Chairs as soon as possible so that another member may be offered the opportunity to participate.

A special thank you to ECFX for their generous sponsorship and for making this event possible. We greatly appreciate their continued support of the docketing community and the California Chapter.

For questions or cancellations, please contact:

• Leslie Obiri – lobiri@willkie.com
• Jennifer Chang – jennifer.chang@bakerbotts.com

We look forward to spending the lunch hour together and hope you can join us!

The Texas Chapter of the NDA is thrilled to host InfoTrack for an upcoming lunch and learn! We invite you to join us either in person or virtually on the 15^th of September to discuss TRAIGA in Practice: How Litigators Are Responding to Texas’ AI Laws! Lunch will be provided at Hunton Kurth LLP!

Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM Central Time 

Attend In-Person: Lunch will be provided to in-person attendees beginning at 11:45 A.M.

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, 600 Travis Street, Suite 4200, Houston, TX 77002

Host: Jonathan Mitchell

In-person attendees will be pre-registered with the building and will need to stop by the lobby desk to gain access to the event.  

Attend Virtually: All registrants will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom meeting details included.

Agenda:

Join Texas litigator and legal tech expert, Phillip Vaden, to discuss The Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act. During this discussion, members will learn about the changing expectations and early consequences of these new requirements.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Jonathan Mitchell & Sarah Shelby

Chapter Co-Chairs

Please Join the Florida Chapter Monthly Circuit Meet-Up as we Cover the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Business Court Docketing Process.

Date: September 17, 2026

Time: 12:00 p.m. ET

All registrants will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom meeting details included.

The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit is one of Florida’s twenty judicial circuits and is comprised solely of Hillsborough County. With a total of 70 judges, the Circuit serves an important role in the administration of justice for the Tampa Bay community.

We will focus on the Circuit’s Business Court, established in 2007 to provide specialized handling of business actions and certain complex business litigation. We will specifically cover the docketing process for Business Court Division “L,” including practical considerations for tracking matters, filings, hearings, deadlines, and related case activity.

Please join us if you're looking to gain insight into the Business Court’s structure and the procedures that support accurate, effective calendaring and deadline management for matters proceeding in Division “L.” And, if you have experience working within the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, particularly in Business Court Division “L,” please join the discussion and share your insights, practical tips, and experiences with fellow members.

We look forward to the discussion. 

Nicole Dominguez, Brittany Sainvilus, Maria Diaz

Chapter Co-Chairs

NDA Pre-conference Discussion - more details to follow.

The Chicago Chapter Chairs, in partnership with the National Docketing Association Board of Directors, are pleased to invite you to participate in a pre‑conference, interactive guided tour of the Richard J. Daley Center | Circuit Court of Cook County ahead of the 12th Annual NDA Conference in Chicago. Space for this event is limited to twenty (20) participants. A waitlist will be maintained once capacity is reached.

Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (duration may vary depending on group size)
Location: Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602

This exclusive opportunity will provide participants with a behind‑the‑scenes look at one of the nation’s largest unified trial court systems and offer meaningful insight into court operations and judicial processes.

The guided tour will include:

• An observation of the Law and Chancery Divisions
• A meeting with administrative department heads
• A meeting and Q & A with a Cook County Judge

To ensure a high‑quality and engaging experience, members who register will be expected to participate in pre‑tour planning meetings. During these sessions, attendees will collaboratively develop curated questions, and each participant will be assigned one or more questions to ask during the tour. This structured, interactive format was successfully implemented during last year’s NDA tour of the Los Angeles Superior Court and received overwhelmingly positive feedback.

Please note that space is limited, and participation requires both advance preparation and active engagement. We kindly ask that you carefully consider the expectations outlined above before registering. If your plans change after registering and you are no longer able to participate, please notify the Chicago Chapter Chairs as soon as possible so that another member may be accommodated.

We look forward to offering this unique professional development experience and hope you will consider joining us.

Best regards,
Matt Andris & Matt Baker, Chicago Chapter Co-Chairs

Amber Goodenough & Bill McKay, Board of Directors

The National Docketing Association Board of Directors in partnership with the Chicago Chapter Chairs are pleased to invite you to participate in a pre‑conference, panel presentation and guided tour of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ahead of the 12th Annual NDA Conference in Chicago. 

Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (duration may vary depending on group size)
Location: Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse, 219 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60604

This exclusive opportunity will provide participants with the ability to:

• Attend a panel presentation and Q&A featuring Tom Bruton, Clerk of Court, Claire E. Newman, Chief Deputy Clerk, Nairee Hagopian, Operations Manager in the Court’s Ceremonial Courtroom. A District Judge will also be joining the panelists. 
• Participate in a guided tour of the courthouse, offering an inside look at court facilities and operations.

Best regards,

Amber Goodenough & Bill McKay, Board of Directors

Matt Andris & Matt Baker, Chicago Chapter Co-Chairs

Check back for additional details.

Please check back for additional details.

Additional Details to Follow. 

Please check back for additional details. 

NDA Post-conference Discussion - more details to follow.

Please check back for additional details. 

More info to come. 

Vacation & PTO discussion - more details to follow.

More Details to come. 

Year end processes, year in review, looking ahead discussion - more details to follow.