Thank you for a wonderful year.

• Author: Irick, Joan Fullam
• Position: President's Page

I have been privileged to serve as President of the International Association of Defense Counsel this Association year of 2002-03. It has been a year marked by lots of challenges and opportunities, and I am very pleased to report that is has indeed been a very successful one. Thanks to all of you for the hard work, support and energy you brought to the IADC this year. Working together, we have made great strides in strengthening and enhancing the IADC.

Among the highlights:

The Privacy Project

Several months ago, I conceived of a project to conduct an in-depth study on the issues of privacy in litigation. Thanks to the contributions of many of our members, the January 2003 issue of Defense Counsel Journal provided insightful, provocative and comprehensive looks at a myriad of privacy issues confronting our field. In addition, the continuing legal education programming at the midyear meeting in February at Pebble Beach built on these issues and themes, and provided members with a unique opportunity to engage in a dialogue and share ideas on meeting these emerging challenges. And the project continues, with a second series of articles slated for 2004.

Substantive Law Committees

The substantive law committees have produced another strong series of programs and information for our members. Cutting edge articles in Defense Counsel Journal, informative newsletters on developments in the law and outstanding CLE offerings at our meetings have been the hallmark of their work this year. Emmett Sole has been tasked with reviewing the IADC committee structure, and he has developed an online survey of the membership to determine their interests, needs and ideas for enhancing our substantive law committees. Those results will be incorporated into the planning and management of the committees in the future, so that IADC can continue to tap the wealth of knowledge in the organization to advance the profession.

The Trial Academy

Another strong contingent of young lawyers left Boulder last August a lot stronger after completing their week-long intensive trial skills training. Mary Wells, the Academy Director, put together an outstanding faculty that only enhanced the Academy's reputation. The evaluations we received were some of the strongest yet! As we close out our time in Boulder, Cathy Greet has led our efforts to find a new home for the Academy in 2004. Her hard work has resulted in the Stanford Law School being selected as the future site for the...