Upon nomination of Laura Proctor, President of DRI The Voice of the Defense Bar, and approval of DRI’s Executive Committee, Gordon & Rees Partner Jack “Skip” McCowan has been appointed Chair of DRI’s Center for Law and Public Policy. The Center for Law and Public Policy, through scholarship, legal expertise, and advocacy, provides the most effective voice for the defense bar and its clients in the national discussion of substantive law, constitutional issues, and the integrity of the civil justice system. It is a voice that is heard through published research materials, the submission of amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court, the DRI National Poll on the Civil Justice System, practical tools and resources for DRI members, objective counsel to policy makers, and creative public education initiatives.
A primary function of the Center is to provide balanced and impartial educational materials and to stimulate discussions with policy-makers and the general public on issues that affect the health of the American civil justice system. The Center constitutes standing committees and task forces that address many of the issues that are critical to the continued health of our system of justice, including the need to fully fund our judiciary, the independence of the judiciary, the preservation of the right to a jury trial in civil cases, and the reform of existing federal and state rules of practice, when necessary, to provide for an even playing field for all parties.
McCowan has recently finished his three-year term on the Board of Directors of DRI and has been the Center’s Vice-Chair for the last two years.
For more information on the work of the Center for Law and Public Policy, go to the DRI website at http://www.dri.org/.