DRI Products Liability Steering Committee Fly-In Meeting De-Brief

On Monday, I flew to Chicago to attend the Defense Research Institute ("DRI") Products Liability Steering Committee "Fly-In" meeting.  We have this meeting every year to plan the organization's Products Liability Conference for the following year.  It is a great group of about fifty to sixty attorneys from across the country who assist with planning of the conference.

On Monday evening, we had a dinner for anyone who flew in the night before the meeting.  It was a good opportunity to network with other committee members and enjoy some great food at Carnivale.  Many thanks to committee member Denise Bense for taking the lead in planning this event.

Our meeting was on Tuesday and did not begin until 10 a.m. (i.e., so that people had the option of just flying up for the day).  We met from about 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. and discussed all of the plans for next year's meeting.  The meeting is planned for April 3-5, 2013 at a new location (at least as long as I have been going to this event), the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on the Potomac in National Harbor, Maryland.  We do not have a "theme" per se yet, as the committee is still reviewing various topics for presentation. 

I submitted four potential topics in hopes of being selected to present on the "main stage" (i.e., this is during the full session of the conference, as opposed to the breakout sessions for the various Specialized Litigation Groups).  The committee has requested more information about two of my topics (mocks trials and focus groups as a tool in litigation, and manufacturer involvement in standards activity), so I am hopeful that I may get the opportunity to present to the full session of attendees.  Go ahead and mark your calendar now.  If you defend products liability claims, this is a yearly event you do not want to miss.

I flew out of Chicago at 4:20 p.m., and I ran smack dab into the storms in Charlotte, which held me up for two hours.  Instead of landing in Columbia at 8:30 p.m., we touched down at 10:30 p.m.  A long day, but always good to get home.

Check back for more details as the 2013 DRI Products Liability Conference agenda is finalized!