Annual General Meeting Recap 2011
The thirty-first Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Attorneys’ Liability Assurance Society (Bermuda) Ltd. (ALAS Ltd.) and the Loss Prevention Program of Attorneys’ Liability Assurance Society, Inc. (ALAS, Inc.) took place at The Westin Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from June 22 through June 24, 2011.
After an opening reception on Wednesday evening, June 22, Thursday morning began with this year’s main program entitled “The Devil You Think You Know: Things My Client Told Me.” This program, moderated by Robert Denby, Vice President—Senior Claims Counsel of ALAS, Inc., was a live mediation of a hypothetical claim against a law firm. The program focused upon the liability issues and negotiating dynamics involved in resolving a lawsuit by a third party investor against a law firm arising out of securities offerings. David J. Beck of Beck, Redden & Secrest acted as the mediator. Robert E. Gooding, Jr., of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Mashenka Lundberg of Holme Roberts & Owen, Abraham C. Reich of Fox Rothschild and Robert W. “Buzz” Trafford of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur performed the roles of counsel and clients in the mediation. Kenneth Small, Vice President—Senior Claims Counsel of ALAS, Inc., played himself.
Friday’s business meeting began with opening remarks by James Stephenson, chairman of the Boards of ALAS Ltd. and ALAS, Inc.; a financial report from Akhil Wagh, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of ALAS Ltd.; and the CEO report from Mark D. Nozette, Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of ALAS, Inc. Following the conclusion of the business portion of the AGM, Lawrence Zabinski, Senior Vice President—Claims and Administration of ALAS, Inc., gave a report addressing claims developments during the past year. Mr. Stephenson concluded the meeting with remarks on capital and structural issues examined by the Boards of the ALAS companies over the past year, and the value of the interdisciplinary project for ALAS firms. Each presentation, with accompanying slides, may be accessed by clicking on the individual speaker’s name.
The first Friday afternoon program, moderated by Deborah G. Shortridge, Loss Prevention Counsel of ALAS, Inc., was entitled “The Devil in the Details: Red Flags, Paper Trails, and Other Challenges in Client Representations.” This program featured the mediation participants who provided their perspective on the resolution of the claim involved in the Thursday program. In addition, the discussion offered a closer look at the warning signs in the underlying representation and discussed ways to help frontline lawyers appreciate their significance and mitigate exposure. The second Friday afternoon program, “The Business Case for Loss Prevention: A Law Firm Management Perspective,” was an interdisciplinary discussion that addressed ways in which effective law firm loss prevention measures can contribute to the financial success of the firm. Scott F. Burns, Vice President and Senior Counsel—Member Services of ALAS, Inc., moderated this discussion. The panel featured Brian K. Burke of Baker & Daniels, Scott F. Smith of Covington & Burling, and Daniel W. Smith, Vice President—Loss Prevention Counsel of ALAS, Inc.
Please click here to see the loss prevention materials. Please click here for a printer-friendly version of all speeches and all slides.
The 2012 Annual General Meeting and Loss Prevention Programs will be held in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, at The Westin Resort & Spa, June 20–22, 2012.