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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE By Thomas J. Welk |
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I
am pleased to report that our organization has grown to seventy-five
members and hopefully is beginning to enrich the lives of our members.
Our web site launched at the fall seminar is now operating.
Members are beginning to submit briefs as our brief bank begins
to expand. A new hyper-link to our web site has been established as we
enter the new legislative session to update our members on legislation.
Our members will be advised of any changes to the web site as to
legislative updates when they occur so they may check the web site. I attended the North Central Region DRI meeting in Orlando in January. I have made a separate report in the newsletter. I had no prior experience with the DRI organization prior to this meeting. I came away impressed that the relationship with DRI needs to be maintained for the strength of our organization. The collegiality of other state organizations is worth the affiliation by itself. However, DRI provides resources to our organizations that would make it very difficult to exist without them. |
I believe that our
organization is at a critical time. We have progressed from a few
lawyers who started this organization with the idea that another voice
needed to be heard regarding defense lawyer issues. We have attempted to
remain "pure" in our organization and not be affiliated with
any organization. In other words, we have not taken positions that are
necessarily "pro insurance" or "pro" any particular
client. Rather, our focus has been an organization of lawyers who are
concerned with the defense of civil justice. I believe our mission is
sound. However, to continue this mission and to allow our organization
to mature and to encourage our young lawyers to participate, we need to
provide, in my opinion, a more structured organization and more tangible
benefits.
I am going to be discussing some particular organizational issues with the Board of Directors which I hope to report in the next newsletter or at the annual meeting. The Board of Directors solicits your input on any legislation that may be introduced during the session. We will be careful in our direction to Bob Riter, our lobbyist, to monitor issues that pertain only to defense lawyer issues. I would hope that if the Board of Directors determines, in its judgment, to participate in an issue our members would support our policy decisions and communicate with their local legislators. You, as members, have the direct contacts that are most important in providing input to the people who make the laws in this State.
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