The International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) has been serving a distinguished membership of corporate and insurance defense attorneys for more than 100 years.
As an invitation-only, peer-reviewed association, the IADC is uniquely positioned to provide benefits to those corporate defense lawyers and insurance executives who need the highest level of education and professional development opportunities. In a corporate environment that with each passing day becomes less local and more international, the IADC is able to provide an international perspective to those who represent corporations.
With approximately 2,500 members, the IADC is small and nimble enough to quickly address issues of importance to them. The IADC is constantly adjusting its approach to continuing education and other services it provides in order to give its members the best and most current resources.
Education
The IADC offers advanced continuing legal education for its members through its Annual and Midyear Meeting and targeted learning opportunities such as:
- Corporate Counsel College
- International Corporate Counsel College
- Professional Liability Roundtable
IADC educational activities feature the expertise of IADC members and outside panelists who offer the very latest information on critical issues but also an environment in which members can share information and ideas. IADC events are stimulating and provide members an educational environment on par with their high level of expertise and experience.
In addition to education for members, the IADC offers trial practice for less experienced lawyers in their firms through the annual Trial Academy program. The faculty for this event are IADC members who, with their immense experience in the courtroom, are specially equipped to train lawyers who need to get up to speed quickly with how to function successfully in trial.
Professional Development and Networking
The greatest resource of the IADC is its members, so the Association provides many opportunities throughout the year for members to connect with each other, including:
- Regional Meetings. These are local meetings designed to bring members together for continuing education and networking. The meetings are complimentary to members and their guests.
- Committees. The IADC provides Substantive Law Committees on all major areas of corporate defense law. Through in-person meetings, monthly calls, and use of the IADC website and communication tools, members can utilize each other’s particular knowledge on specific areas of the law.
- Meetings. IADC major meetings are not only for continuing legal education, but are hugely valuable for creating relationships with colleagues. At its Annual and Midyear Meetings, the IADC initiates its First Timer Program, which helps new members meet people at the larger meetings by assigning them a host who makes sure they make the valuable connections that are such a huge benefit of belonging.
These connections create a strong network of esteemed lawyers who can advise, offer information, and refer business to each other.
Advocates for the Civil Justice System
The IADC works to ensure that the civil justice system functions properly. The IADC and its sister associations created Lawyers for Civil Justice (LCJ). LCJ works to ensure fairness in legislation and the courts. The IADC’s Amicus Curiae Committee also offers amicus briefs in cases for which the IADC can offer meaningful input.
Beyond the Profession
The IADC has an annual retention rate of approximately 93 percent of its membership each year. This is a testament to many factors. The IADC does offer excellent benefits and a special environment in which lawyers of a certain level of experience can interact professionally. But what the IADC offers goes beyond the practice of law. IADC members are not just colleagues but friends, and their families get to know each other at meetings that often results in close relationships that cross not only state lines but continents. The IADC is not just a network of professionals but a family. It is that distinct environment that makes the IADC special.