2022 Product Liability Committee Fly-In Meeting

Bad faith lawsuits raise some of the most difficult and potentially high-exposure claims faced by insurance companies today. DRI’s Insurance Bad Faith and Extra-Contractual Liability Seminar is the foremost educational event for insurance executives, claims professionals, and outside counsel who specialize in bad faith insurance litigation. This year’s program will once again offer an unparalleled opportunity to engage with in-house professionals who manage bad faith litigation, as well as outside counsel and industry consultants involved with the defense of these claims. You will also have the opportunity to participate in exceptional networking and community service events, all while experiencing the sights and sounds of Chicago this summer!

Join your peers for DRI's 2021 Medical Liability and Health Care Law Seminar. The annual two-day seminar will be the committee’s first in-person seminar after the COVID-19 quarantine. Therefore, the seminar will focus on COVID-19 and its effects upon the United States and the health care community. Don't miss your chance to expand your knowledge and your network at this premier event!

This dynamic seminar allows attendees to interact and learn from preeminent experts and asbestos litigation practitioners on groundbreaking developments in the role of genetics impact the investigation and outcome of cases. Lecturers, panelists, and moderators will provide insight on the role of genetics in mesothelioma cases; learn from a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge; and the latest scientific developments in asbestos and talc medicine and epidemiology; and more.

The New Normal will never be the Old Normal. The events of 2020 and 2021 changed our world and our professions forever. Some change is good, some not, some was desperately overdue. Join us as your colleagues and industry leaders engage in thought-provoking discussions about how to best serve your clients and improve your practice in a post-pandemic world. We address everything from juries to cyber risks, to professional responsibility, to business interruption and business succession. And we have brought back our popular claims jeopardy where you get to ask claims professionals your burning questions. Use the information you learn at the seminar to improve your own practice and to improve the protection you provide to your clients. This seminar can’t be beat.

With over 20 hours of dedicated networking time, blockbuster keynote speakers, intimate live workshops that will cover an array of topics ranging from business development to enhancing your online presence to marketing your practice, you’ll walk away with new contacts and insights that will take your legal career to the next level.

DRI’s Insurance Coverage and Practice Symposium is the foremost educational event for insurance executives, claims professionals, and outside counsel who specialize in insurance coverage.  This year’s symposium will once again offer an unparalleled opportunity to engage with a distinguished faculty of industry leaders, experts, and coverage lawyers on emerging issues, recent court rulings, national trends, and the future of insurance coverage law.  In addition, the symposium will provide exceptional networking events and an opportunity to experience the wonder of New York City during the holiday season!

Join us in Nashville, Tennessee for the 34^th annual Civil Rights and Governmental Tort Liability Seminar. This year’s seminar will address the legal landscape after the global pandemic of COVID-19. We will hear about how the pandemic impacted government entities and what is being done about it. We will also have an honest discussion with high ranking current and former law enforcement officers of color – they will address whether the race of the defendant officer is a relevant factor that should not be avoided when developing the defense strategy. We will once again hear about the most relevant cases heard by the SCOTUS by nationally recognized legal scholars. Additionally, if you have struggled with preparing a witness, struggle no more. We will learn from a prominent witness and jury consultant on how to turn a poor witness into a star. What you hear could save your case. Indeed, this year we are not only taking on cutting edge topics, but we are discussing cutting edge issues, e.g., transgender inmates, student bullying and suicide, unconscious bias just to name a few. Of course, in addition to outstanding programing, you will also have plenty of time to interact with clients, colleagues, and friends. We will see you in Nashville.

Join us for two great days of learning and networking for healthcare providers, defense attorneys, in-house counsel, claims specialists, insurance brokers, and other professionals involved in the defense of senior housing providers across the country. This year we will hear from medical experts about new developments in the understanding of frailty and hear from insiders on the latest trends in assisted living. With our panel counsel meetings, Women in the Law lunch, and our networking receptions, there will be plenty of time to connect and collaborate.

DRI’s 2021 Litigation Skills Seminar will feature litigation skills workshops on four phases of litigation. Watch some of the best trial lawyers in the country litigate Walker v. Brewster & Safe Security, a case arising out of the paralysis of a five-year-old child, who was accidentally shot by his half-brother at a college basketball game.

Mock litigation sessions will include learning cutting-edge techniques for preparing a corporate representative for deposition; how to depose difficult and sympathetic fact witnesses/parties; how to cross-examine well-trained experts on liability and damages; and how to handle oral argument on a motion for summary judgment. These interactive, hands-on sessions will provide members of the audience with a unique opportunity to improve their skills.

Don’t miss the chance to learn about a variety of topics at this seminar, including key issues with fire protection systems and emerging fire hazards in the marijuana industry; hear in-house counsel discuss litigation trends and use of outside counsel; improve awareness of legal ethics issues when working with experts; and much more.

Join DRI's Strictly Automotive Specialized Litigation Group in Washington D.C. to emerge in sophisticated discussions with leading motor vehicle manufacturers and suppliers on the everchanging industry. Attendees have the opportunity to discover the future of alternative fuel vehicles, including electric, fully electric, and hydrogen fuel cell; explore new ways to use jury psychology and mock jury research to enhance trial strategies; and much more.

Join us for Products 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee, previously known as the "Athens of the South" before becoming Music City—home of major record labels, country music, hot chicken and the late Johnny Cash! Once again, we will have many opportunities for networking in great spots throughout this wonderful city. Combined with presentations on best practices and strategies for remote depositions, insights from CPSC Commissioner Feldman on innovation and regulation, tips on how to co-opt the plaintiff’s visual aids for your case and the usual diverse and interesting sessions from our Specialized Litigation Groups, this is a program you will not want to miss!

DRI's Law Practice Management Committee, with support from the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, and the International Association of Defense Counsel, is pleased to host the 2021 Managing Partners and Law Firm Leaders Conference in Chicago. Whether you currently hold a management role in your firm or you aspire to be a firm leader, this conference offers an innovative and interactive program to help you master the challenges you face. Current and future leaders of law firms of all sizes will benefit from frank discussions and explorations of successful strategies for the present practice climate. From reviewing business basics to institutionalizing business development to serving clients in the "new normal," these two days in the Windy City are sure to have a positive impact on your firm's bottom line.

So, you have received your first assignment to defend a Section 1983 Civil Rights action against your governmental client. What do you do now? Join DRI’s Civil Rights Committee Past-Chairs Dana Maine of Freeman Mathis and Gary and Jeff Lowe of Kightlinger & Gray and Sara Brochstein, partner at Freeman Mathis & Gary, on March 5, 2021 when they will discuss the basics of 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 and the defense of those claims. The presenters will discuss all the requisite elements of Section 1983 claims, who can sue, who can be sued, and the defenses to those claims. The presentation and the materials with the presentation will provide all attendees vital, necessary information to help you evaluate your client’s potential liability and defenses that can and need to be raised early in the litigation. Whether you are newly interested in this type of litigation or want a refresher course in Section 1983 litigation, this presentation will provide invaluable information and insight into your initial analysis of the claim.

The registration rate is $75 for DRI members and $150 for non-members.

New to nursing home litigation? Join Richard Moore and Ericka Fang for an overview of the practice, including addressing these critical questions in the first 60 days:

• What is the focus of the claim and how do I develop a defense strategy?
• What is in the nursing chart and do I have all of it?
• Who are my key witnesses and how do I find them?
• What initial investigation and discovery do I need?