March Brunch & Learn

March Brunch and Learn: Security on Trial: Mock Litigation Involving Human Trafficking

Human trafficking increasingly exploits gaps in hospitality security programs, placing hotels, guard companies, property managers, event venues, and other customer-facing industries at heightened operational, reputational, and legal risk. When protective measures fall short, these vulnerabilities become central issues in premises liability litigation.

This immersive mock-trial experience places attendees in the role of jurors evaluating a case where alleged security lapses allowed trafficking activity on hotel property. Participants analyze evidence, testimony, policies, and response actions to determine whether reasonable care was exercised and where prevention opportunities were overlooked. The session demonstrates how trafficking awareness strengthens frontline decision-making, improves incident recognition, reduces liability exposure, and reinforces accountability.

Designed as interactive, discussion-driven training, this session encourages active participation. Whether you work in corporate security, risk management, consulting, operations, or contract guarding, you'll gain practical strategies to strengthen awareness, enhance cross-functional collaboration, document preventive efforts, and align protective measures with business resilience. Organizations that invest in awareness are better positioned to protect guests and employees, demonstrate due diligence, and safeguard brand trust in an increasingly scrutinized regulatory and legal environment.

Mark Harless, is a Partner at Group Nine Risk Consulting. He is a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation Supervisory Special Agent with 25+ years of federal law enforcement experience, leading complex interagency investigations spanning violent crime, drug trafficking, white-collar crime, corruption, and counterterrorism, and serving on the FBI’s Evidence Recovery Team. Earlier, he served with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He later led security and threat intelligence programs in hospitality and cybersecurity. Mark provides expert testimony and security assessments in civil litigation involving security negligence and premises liability, and advises on physical security, asset protection, and risk mitigation. He holds an M.S. in criminology from Florida State University and is board certified in physical security through ASIS International.

Devin Arnold is partner at Wilson Elser and an experienced civil litigator practicing in state and federal courts, with a primary focus on catastrophic injury and construction claims, including construction defect litigation and design professional liability. He represents clients across sectors such as construction, transportation, manufacturing, retail, hospitality and municipalities. Devin is a graduate of the UGA College of Law.

Kara Phillips is a trial attorney and partner at Deitch + Rogers, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia, where she represents survivors of sexual assault, institutional abuse, and violent crime in civil cases. She is known for her skill in the courtroom, her passion for storytelling, and her belief that jury trials remain one of the few places where ordinary people can hold powerful institutions accountable. Kara is also on the Board of Voices of Families for Justice (VFJ), a grassroots movement uniting survivors, families, and advocates to protect access to civil justice. Her work—both in trial and through VFJ—is grounded in the conviction that families and survivors deserve a voice.

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