Defense Counsel Journal

President's Page - Volume 91, Number 3

October 10, 2024

Strengthening Our IADC Community

Our IADC is an Intellectual, Adventurous, Diverse Community of exceptional lawyers and remarkable people. Nowhere is the intellect of our members on better display than our Defense Counsel Journal, where scholarly articles written by dedicated members enlighten us on the latest legal trends and substantive law. The articles in this edition cover such diverse topics as Safetyism in Voir Dire, Article II Standing, AI Risk Management for Law Firms, Rejection of Cancer Risk Claims in Canada, and a Crash Course in Consumer Products Regulation. 

The leadership of Editor Peter Pizzi and Editor-Elect Craig Liljestrand and our newly revamped and reinvigorated Board of Editors has made this Volume possible. We are grateful to all those who took time out of their busy practices to contribute to the intellectual pursuit that is the DCJ. 

Our Latest Diverse Adventures

The first ever IADC Product Liability Roundtable was held at Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters in New Brunswick, NJ. Almost 90 attendees hailed from England, Ireland, France, three Canadian provinces, and 26 States. We covered the most cutting-edge topics for products and drug and device practitioners in a day jam-packed with content and opportunities to connect with colleagues. The inaugural Products Roundtable was a resounding success, and we are already planning for next year. 

We also hosted 50 in-house counsel at our International Corporate Counsel College in Istanbul, Türkiye, the crossroads of the Middle East. Istanbul welcomes citizens from all over the world to experience its centuries of history, food, and culture. ICCC attendees came from 15 countries to learn from one another and address “Our World in Crisis”; it was an amazing opportunity for lawyers and executives to meet, collaborate, and educate one another, as IADC members have for over a century. Our ICCC Director, Dr. Döne Yalçin and her team at CMS Türkiye were beyond gracious in welcoming us to their beautiful city. The people of Türkiye are kind and warm and the hospitality extended to all was boundless.

The conference featured keynote speeches by Selim Yenel, President of the Global Relations Forum and Former Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Turkey to the European Union, and Marina Smelyanska, United Nations Development Program, Team Leader, HIV, Health and Development, Europe and Central Asia. Both of our esteemed guests touched on the importance of working together to effectuate change politically and in the sphere of human rights. The IADC has a rich tradition of hosting world leaders and this conference was no exception. Counsel from multi-national corporations like J & J, Microsoft, Exxon, Ericsson, Koh Industries, and Ledvance, just to name a few, addressed the attendees on subjects such as the impact of United States sanctions, including secondary sanctions and cyber risks. Speakers reminded us that our countries are inter-connected in this global economy. We all need to consider the impact of our choices on the world at large, not just our own countries. The IADC provides windows to see others and mirrors to reflect on ourselves. This first International Corporate Counsel College held in Istanbul, Türkiye, the first in the Middle East, will be remembered as leaving a positive impact on our organization and our legal profession.   

We have planned more diverse adventures with Regional Meetings in São, Brazil in November; Nairobi, Kenya, in March 2025, our much-anticipated visit to a new Midyear Meeting location in Dana Point, California in February, and our Annual Meeting to an IADC favorite – Quebec City – in July. With these meetings, the IADC is expanding the breadth of its global footprint while making new friends and honoring old traditions.  

We also are making it easier for you to connect with your local IADC community.  The next IADConnects gathering is planned for Tampa, Florida on November 8, 2024 with more being planned in other locations. The Tampa Bay area has been hard hit by recent storms but our IADC members are resilient and look forward to seeing and supporting one another. If you are interested in hosting an informal IADConnects event, just reach out to Blake Howard on the IADC staff (bhoward@iadclaw.org).    

We are truly diverse, international, and connected. Please be sure to plan on attending your local IADC event or traveling to one of our many amazing meeting locations to make new friends and revisit old friends.

- Donna Lamontagne, IADC President 2024-2025

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