Annual General Meeting Recap 2008
The twenty-eighth Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Attorneys’ Liability Assurance Society (Bermuda) Ltd. and the Loss Prevention Program of Attorneys’ Liability Assurance Society, Inc., took place at The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, from June 18 through June 20, 2008.
The week began on a sad note with the sudden passing of Edwin L. (“Ted”) Noel on June 15, 2008 while he was preparing to travel to the meeting. Mr. Noel served as chairman of the boards of ALAS (Bermuda) Ltd. and ALAS, Inc. since 2006, and as a member of both boards since 1995. He was a former managing partner of Armstrong Teasdale LLP in St. Louis, where he spent his entire professional career. During the AGM, several speakers offered tributes to Mr. Noel’s leadership of the ALAS companies, his contributions to his community, and his friendship. He will be deeply missed by all in the ALAS family.
After an opening reception on Wednesday evening, June 18, Thursday morning began with this year’s main loss prevention presentation, entitled “Loss Prevention for the 21st Century—Taking the Next Step.” Moderated by Aaron Hoffman, Senior Vice President―Loss Prevention of ALAS, Inc., this program featured three claims scenarios, followed by spontaneous deliberations by a 10-person “Think Tank,” comprised of present and former managing partners, loss prevention partners and other member firm personnel, along with experts from other disciplines. During the program, the panel addressed ways that law firms can achieve compliance with firm policies and procedures and additional steps they can implement to avoid exposure to significant claims.
Friday’s business meeting began with opening remarks by Thomas Terp, incoming chairman of the board of ALAS Ltd.; a special tribute to Ted Noel by former chairman Ralph Levy; a financial report from Rory Gorman, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ALAS Ltd.; and the CEO report from Mark Nozette, Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of ALAS, Inc. Following the conclusion of the business portion of the AGM, Larry Zabinski, Senior Vice President—Claims of ALAS, Inc., gave a report addressing claims developments during the past year. Mr. Terp concluded the morning with remarks on developments at the ALAS companies over the past year and strategies for ALAS in dealing with future challenges. Each speech, with accompanying slides, may be read by clicking on an individual speaker’s name.
Friday afternoon began with a report by Aaron Hoffman reviewing recent activities and plans for the future in loss prevention. The program continued with a panel discussion entitled “Perils of Practice for Transactional Lawyers,” moderated by Dan Smith, Loss Prevention Counsel of ALAS, Inc. The panelists focused on a law firm’s representation of a questionable client in a series of transactions that went awry, and offered lessons for firms on how to mitigate professional liability risks in the transactional practice. The panelists were Jeffrey Colman, a partner with Jenner & Block, LLP; Lizanne Thomas, a partner with Jones Day; and Lori Gordon, Loss Prevention Counsel of ALAS, Inc.
The second loss prevention program was a panel discussion moderated by Jeffrey Kraus, Vice President and Loss Prevention Counsel of ALAS, Inc., entitled “It’s a New World: Loss Prevention for Employment Practices and Management Liability Claims.” This program addressed evolving exposure faced by law firms from their business operations and employment relationships, using a hypothetical based upon ALAS claims, and provided guidance on how to minimize these risks. Panelists were Lynda Schuler, a partner with Williams & Connolly LLP; Michael Ossip, a partner with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP; Bob Denby, Vice President and Senior Claims Counsel of ALAS, Inc.; and Mark Gralen, Senior Vice President—Member Services of ALAS, Inc.
Click here to see the loss prevention materials. Please click here for a printer-friendly version of all speeches and all slides.
The 2009 Annual General Meeting and Loss Prevention Program will be held in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, at the Hilton Quebec Hotel, June 24–26, 2009.