Ken Meyer

Committee Chair Corner – Defense Counsel Journal Editor
Ken Meyer
McCarter & English, LLP
kmeyer@mccarter.com

With all of the excitement surrounding the upcoming Centennial of the IADC, we almost lost track of the fact that this year is the 85th anniversary of the Defense Counsel Journal. The inaugural issue of the Insurance Counsel Journal was published in April 1934. That year was a banner year for Chicago as the other major event in IADC’s hometown saw the Black Hawks win their first Stanley Cup championship!

In 1934, the Association was called the IAIC – the International Association of Insurance Counsel, and its publication was known as the Insurance Counsel Journal. In 1986, it was recognized that the thrust of the defense practice had changed and “insurance” no longer represented the work being performed by many of its members. Accordingly, in 1987, the name of the Association was changed by the membership to the International Association of Defense Counsel and the Journal was aptly renamed the Defense Counsel Journal. The Journal is the oldest continuously operating legal publication devoted to the defense of civil litigation. The DCJ considers at a scholarly level current legal trends and informs its readership of timely problems that they may face in their practice.

This tradition is exemplified by the informative articles in the most recent DCJ edition that was shared last month. Peter Durney and Harrison Lebov authored an article on potential malpractice claims in the arena of prescription drug abuse. In strategies for excluding or limiting plaintiffs’ bad faith experts, Henry Morrissette looked at a topic that challenges many of us who practice in the arena of direct actions against insurance companies. He reviewed many potential areas of testimony from these experts and ways to exclude them. Last but certainly not least, Mike Gladstone looked at the General Data Protection Regulation in U.S. litigation. While GDPR came from the European Commission, the effect on the practitioner there as well as around the world is something we all need to know. Nothing is more illustrative of the IADC, its reach, and the contributions of its membership, than an article outlining regulations in one part of the world that will reach and affect the rest of the world.

To quote our President Amy Sherry-Fischer: “With the help of the IADC’s staff, the Journal is and remains one of the finest things we do as an organization. It always provides articles that are informative and timely for our members and the defense bar in general.”

In order to continue this fine tradition, we are continuously in need of authors for new articles. Writing a DCJ article is a great way to become involved with the IADC and to share your thoughts and wisdom with our readers. It is not unusual for IADC articles to be cited elsewhere, particularly in court opinions.

Please think about writing an article. Your work could be featured in one of our Centennial year editions!  We plan on publishing two special editions next year, one featuring articles dedicated to product liability issues, in recognition of the Association’s largest Committee, and the second a tribute to former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to recognize her place in history as our first female Supreme Court Justice and to express the IADC’s appreciation for the opportunity to share in her legacy through the fine work that many of our members have done for iCivics.

The DCJ needs you! If you are interested in writing an article or becoming more involved with the Defense Counsel Journal, please email myself at kmeyer@mccarter.com or Amy O’Maley McGuire, Managing Editor of the DCJ, at aomaley@iadclaw.org.

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