President's Page.

• Author: Koponon, Andrew, Jr.

What distinguishes the IADC from the pack of quality professional bar associations around the world? I believe the answer lies with the caliber of our members that continuously forge the extraordinary character of the IADC.

Having had the privilege to travel many miles over the past two years for the IADC, first as the President-Elect and this year as President, I have seen an amazing consistency in the quality of the people and the talent of the lawyers that I have had the pleasure of meeting. IADC members who attend our functions around the globe generously give of their time to make the IADC an exceptional defense bar association that brings great value to our members.

My conclusion, that the caliber of our members sets the IADC apart from other professional bar associations, can be demonstrated by two experiences I have had over the past year. The first experience began at our Regional Meeting held in Hong Kong in October 2017, hosted by Chiann Bao of Skadden Arps. Several attendees at this meeting became new IADC members shortly after this Regional Meeting. May Kim Ho, of Duane Morris Selvam's Singapore office, was one of these new lawyers. Four months later, in February 2018, May Kim travelled to La Quinta, California to attend her first IADC Midyear Meeting, where we welcomed her as a "First Timer."

During this brief period of time, May Kim Ho took the initiative to spearhead the IADC's very first Singapore Corporate Counsel Symposium, which took place in May 2018. This Symposium was held in collaboration with the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association. May Kim's relationship with the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association was instrumental in making the Symposium a successful program attended by more than 60 lawyers. The following day, the IADC Singapore Regional Meeting was hosted by Maw Shen Foo, of Dentons Rodyk, Singapore. The half day programming of outstanding CLE was concluded by a keynote speech from former Attorney General of Singapore, V.K. Rajah. These kinds of networking and educational opportunities are invaluable, and are created by the initiative of our members for our members.

This admirable initiative, undertaken by one of our newest IADC members, is also on display in our IADC Committees. Unlike many bar associations, the Committees of the IADC are thriving. Aside from the many high-profile accomplishments of our Committees, the IADC collects detailed data on the work of our Committees throughout the year. The...