DePaul's College of Law will examine the role of contingency fees in the legal practice in a two-day seminar, "Contingency Fee Financing of Litigation in America," April 4-5. Several states, including Illinois, have legislation pending in this area.

The conference will be held at the Chicago Athletic Association, 12 S. Michigan Ave.

Critics of the legal fee system complain that contingency fees are an invitation to litigate rather than solve a dispute. However, supporters say that the current system encourages thorough examination of legal cases, and allows people access to the legal system who might not otherwise have it.

"The faculty of this seminar is superior," said Stephan Landsman, conference coordinator who holds DePaul's Clifford Chair in Tort Law. "This is all-star lineup. There aren't any better folks out there," said Landsman.

"This is the first time contingency fees will be discussed with such great care, with such an elite group," said Landsman, who said the conference was designed to cover all aspects of the contingency fee debate.

Among those experts participating in the discussion are: Marc Galanter, the Evjuve-Bascom Professor of Law and South Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; Robert Mnooken, the Samuel Willston Professor of Law at the Harvard Law School; Jeffrey O'Connell, the Samuel H. McCoy II Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law and Judith Resnik, the Orrin R. Evans Professor of Law at the University of Southern California Law School.

Several members of the DePaul College of Law faculty will also participate in the conference.

The conference is named for Robert A. Clifford, a 1976 DePaul College of Law graduate and a prominent Chicago lawyer specializing in this area. The conference is funded by $1 million endowed gift Clifford made to the law school in 1994 to establish a faculty chair in Tort Law and Social Policy.

The Clifford Chair supports research on the workings of the civil justice system and policies governing recovery in tort and product liability litigation.

Landsman is a recognized expert regarding the American civil jury system as well as torts, which he teaches at DePaul. Prior to joining DePaul, Landsman was on the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law faculty. He received his legal degree from Harvard Law school and his undergraduate degree from Kenyon College.

Registration is $100. The registration free is waived for teachers and students. For more information call 312/362-6229, or FAX 312/362-5448.