I’m so excited and honored to serve as the ADC President for 2023.  I’ve been a member since 2006 and have regularly attended ADC events over the years.  My first ADC experience was the Basic Training series which really helped to provide the foundation for my formative years as a defense attorney.  I never miss the Annual Meeting and, more recently, the Summer Seminar in Tahoe.   In 2014, I was appointed to the ADC Board of Directors, and I’ve had so much fun the past nine years serving the ADC and also getting to know my fellow Board members.  I’ve had the opportunity to be a speaker for MCLEs and also at the 2021 Annual Meeting for the ASCDC.  As an avid golfer, I’ve had the pleasure of helping organize the annual golf tournament each year during my time serving on the Board.  The golf tournament is always one of the best days of year.

The ADC has been a big part of my professional life.  I hope that it can serve the same role for all of you.  Please let us know how we can better serve our members.  I would also encourage you to explore how you can contribute to the ADC’s success.  Please consider joining one or more of the broad range of substantive law committees.  There are also opportunities to host or organize a lunchtime webinar or write an article for the magazine.  Through increased involvement in the ADC, you are not only benefiting your own practice through professional development and marketing, but you’re also making the ADC stronger.  You’ll have a lot of fun, meet great people, and become a better lawyer.

There are wide-ranging benefits from ADC membership.  You will enjoy member pricing for our educational events including webinars and in-person events such as the Annual Meeting and Summer Session.  Members have access to the ADC’s List Serv, which has become an invaluable resource for obtaining information about experts, law and motion, and other substantive legal issues in our practice as civil defense attorneys.  Members also receive Newsflashes regarding important recent legal developments.  ADC Webinars and in-person education events, the List Serv, and Newsflashes are just a few examples how the organization strives to pass along the vast institutional knowledge that resides within our members.  I encourage all of you to join in the ADC’s mission of training the next generation of civil defense attorneys.  Remember, a rising tide lifts all boats.

Please also support the Defense Comment magazine published three times per year. All members are encouraged to submit articles for publication.  We are routinely told by local judges that the Defense Comment is a must-read for them.   In many ways, the content of the magazine speaks to the quality of our work as civil defense lawyers.  Please help us shine.

The ADC is so fortunate to be assisted by Jennifer Blevins and her team at CAMS.  They work tirelessly on behalf of the ADC and contribute so much to our success.  We are equally fortunate to have our legislative advocate, Mike Belote, serving our members’ interests in Sacramento.  Mike helps the ADC outpunch its weight against the well-funded efforts by the plaintiffs’ bar.   As a member of the ADC, you are automatically a member of the CDC, which serves as the political arm of the ADC regarding legislative and other matters affecting the defense bar. 

The ADC is moving onward and upward in 2023.  With the disruptions of the pandemic largely behind us, we look forward to holding more in-person events which will allow our members to re-connect and build cherished ADC memories.  Please review the 2023 ADC calendar found at the end of the magazine.  We look forward to seeing you!