DRI’s Life Health, Disability and ERISA Claims Seminar returns to Chicago and offers practical guidance for claims and legal professionals. This seminar provides unparalleled presentations by distinguished inside and outside counsel, as well as a member of the judiciary and medical experts. The expert faculty will focus on practical pointers, checklists and best practices that can be utilized daily. The 2010 seminar offers more continuing legal education than ever before. The first day of this program includes three parallel tracks of focused programming (Life, Health and ERISA). Attendees may choose to attend one track or move between them at one-hour increments. Networking opportunities will abound. Join colleagues for dine-arounds led by in-house counsel and committee leadership in some of Chicago’s finest restaurants. Nine insurance companies plan to hold invitation-only counsel meetings in conjunction with this seminar. Meet the chief counsel for the Illinois Department of Insurance, who will speak at a breakfast meeting for inside counsel. Walk away having attended the preeminent seminar for the life, health and disability industry.

Click here for brochure: http://tinyurl.com/yg3889t

DRI's annual Life, Health, Disability and ERISA Claims Seminar law program will be in New York next week. It is not too late to sign-up. I have the honor of being Vice-Chairing the program which is loaded with a star-studded faculty. Topics from agent misconduct to annuity class actions will be covered. 7 companies are having counsel meetings, inlcuding Hartford and Aegeon. The networking opportunities are bar none with a luncheon Thursday and dine-arounds that night. There will be a special guest from at the coporate counsel breakfast - Marty Schwatzman, Head of the NYS Dept of Insurance Life Bureau will provide a few comments. I hope to see you there.

Daniel W. Gerber

DRI has recently revised its Counsel Meeting Incentives as a consideration of the difficult economic times and to aid corporations that may have restrictions on discretionary travel. As long as a company has 5 registered attendees meet with it at a DRI Seminar or the DRI Annual Meeting, DRI will pay for meeting space, complimentary registration to the Annual Meeting, 2 nights’ hotel accommodations, and airfare for one corporate representative. In addition, DRI has developed a “credit” system whereby companies can earn additional credits to offset other costs associated with the meeting. The number of credits earned is based on the number of registered attendees. These credits may be used to cover the cost of additional corporate attendees, audio-visual, etc. 

DRI's Annual Meeting is currently scheduled for October 7-11, 2009 in Chicago. It presents terrific networking opportunities among business leaders and their attorneys. There are fabulous social events, top notch CLE and outstanding blockbuster speakers. DRI expects to have over 1,100 attendees. The DRI Annual Meeting might create a low-cost, high incentive way to bring a company's national counsel together for an hour or more to discuss issues important to the company. 

A counsel meeting affords the opportunity to meet with all counsel who represent the company from around the country in one central location. It is an excellent opportunity to explain company philosophy, address pressing issues, and answer questions. 

If you or a client have any questions on the new counsel program, please feel free to contact me. I encourage all DRI members to pass this information along, especially outside counsel. I have personally found that my clients are very appreciative of the information. 

Daniel W. Gerber 
Goldberg Segalla LLP 
Chair - Counsel Meeting Task Force 
Counsel Meeting Chair - Annual Meeting Steering Committee 
dgerber@goldbergsegalla.com