Lynette asked if I would provide a brief update on what is happening at DRI during these trying times, and I am happy to do so. First, we hope you, your families, and your colleagues are all healthy and safe. I have found a need to reach out and virtually touch someone on a regular basis. I hope you are all staying in touch with your friends and colleagues, and it need not be by Zoom. Make a point to reach out to someone, you both will feel better for doing so. And, as far as staying connected goes, although many DRI seminars were and will be canceled, most substantive law committees are actively putting on webinars or hosting calls by Zoom or otherwise. This is a great time to get involved. If you are unsure if your favorite seminar is cancelled, the DRI home page https://dri.org has a link to a list of all cancellations. If your favorite one is not on there, check back for updates. Notwithstanding the cancellations, DRI has been putting on webinars for members and non-members. For example, DRI recently hosted two webinars on how to reopen your office, which identified some of the issues you may need to confront as we begin to resume our more normal lives. Both were free, and if they are not already on the DRI website, they should be soon. In addition, a third webinar is coming the first week of June, hopefully. As soon as we know more, we will push it out to Lynette for distribution. These have been available for both members and non-members. I realize the notice sometimes has been a bit short, but to get content out timely, short notice will likely be the norm not only about COVID-19, but also for new webinars. The pandemic has shown that technology is easier to use than we thought, so we hope to get cutting-edge information to you while it is still cutting edge. In addition, the DRI home page has a coronavirus information link. It includes health information, stay at home orders, and some court information. It also has a direct link to DRI for Life. It should have tips on how to stay sane, or how to try to stay sane, while we juggle, dogs, cats, hamsters, goldfish, children, as well as clients. Next, as many of you know, John Kouris, DRI's long-time executive director, recently stepped down. After a nationwide search, DRI has hired Dean Martinez as the new Chief Executive Officer. Dean started Monday, April 27. What a time to start, right? Dean is energetic and full of new ideas to increase the value of a DRI membership. I hope you get to meet him at the next DRI in-person event. DRI service projects continued during the pandemic with a virtual 5-K through DRI Cares. In this time of crisis, many food banks have been wiped out. What better time to have a food drive, fund-raising challenge, or other fund raiser for food banks or similar deserving organizations. The NCADA Annual Meeting is around the corner. Lynette would have my hide if I did not encourage you to attend, so ATTEND. Speaking of annual meetings, I would be remiss if I did not mention the Summit, formerly known as the DRI annual meeting. It remains scheduled for October 21-24 in Washington, DC, and we remain hopeful that we can pull this off. If it happens, we will have a regional dinner, cocktails and mocktails, and hope you can attend. Please be safe, Jon Berkelhammer
Message to Members: 43rd Annual Meeting Cancellation Notice
From: Lach Zemp, President, and Sara Lincoln Sara Lincoln, Executive Vice President
With a heavy heart we are letting you know that the NCADA Officers and Board of Directors have made the decision to forego a gathering of our members in person for our Annual Meeting and Spring program due to the health and financial impacts of COVID19. While we are confident that the event would have been wildly successful and enjoyed by all, our primary focus is on the health, safety, and wellbeing of our members. As North Carolina and the entire United States struggles through this transition, we were faced with a lot of uncertainty that prevented us from confidently moving forward with this live and in-person program.
Keeping in mind that our focus is on you, our members, we are planning a virtual Annual Meeting and Summer Program. In addition to valuable CLE and the opportunity to interact with your fellow NCADA members, we are planning to proceed with the judicial candidates forum, having the candidates speak to us virtually. We are working on a stellar plan to bring us all together virtually in June. The format we are working on will offer flexibility to attend great CLE while still being able to balance the other demands of life in this “new normal.” This programming will include a virtual Annual Meeting where the new slate of Officers and Directors will be voted upon. We hope that you will participate in this virtual programming and will provide registration details in the near future.
If you did already register for our program here are some details on how the cancellation will be addressed:
As social distancing restrictions ease and group gathering sizes are lifted we will be looking for ways to renew our personal relationships and connections with each other. We continue to move forward in planning our annual Fall Seminar on Friday, October 2nd, in Greensboro where we will be at the Sheraton Koury Center. We are hopeful that this program will move forward as currently structured.
Our Annual Meeting and other programming offer exceptional opportunities for personal and professional relationship building and networking, professional development, and R&R time for you and your families. We hope you will continue to explore opportunities to network online with fellow members from across the state at upcoming virtual events. And we will see you in person – maybe 6 feet apart - in the near future.
On Friday, April 17th, NC Association of Defense Attorneys and NC Advocates for Justice hosted a joint webinar "All Hands on Deck" led by J.D. Keister and John McCabe. This discussion featured Judge Paul Ridgeway, Kellie Myers and Ray Owens.
A sample Stipulation Governing the Conducting of Depositions was created and available for your use. Please click the link above to download.
If you miss the webinar, watch here via the NCAJ's vimeo portal: All Hands on Deck: Working Together with Creativity and Civility During Uncertain Times.
To: Members of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice
From: F. Lachicotte Zemp Jr., president of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys and Vernon Sumwalt, president of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice
As we seek to continue our work on behalf of our clients during these unprecedented and uncertain times, let’s remember that we have the opportunity and the duty to exemplify professionalism and embody civility even when, or perhaps especially when, facing extraordinary circumstances.
Providing our clients with the representation they deserve in the days and weeks ahead will require us to adapt in a number of ways. We have already begun to employ technological solutions that will help to keep our cases moving forward.
In light of recent orders from Chief Justice Beasley and Gov. Cooper, many of us are working cooperatively and professionally to accommodate some of the uncertainties around scheduling, deadlines, hearings, and trials. Working together will not only help to keep the justice system moving forward, but ultimately will benefit our clients in getting our cases managed and handled professionally and as expediently as current circumstances allow.
Once we are beyond the present crisis, we will want to be able to look back with pride on how we treated one another. We will also want to be able to demonstrate to the courts that we each did our part to help support the judicial system and the integrity of the process.
We hope your circle of family and friends remain healthy and well.
Sincerely,
F. Lachicotte Zemp Jr. NCADA President
Vernon Sumwalt NCAJ President
Print Letter
Thanks to Lawyers Mutual for these great updates.
Beware of Rats! Disruption During Pandemic Brings Out the Fraudsters! Practical Tips for Avoiding Malpractice During COVID-19 Pandemic
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DRI Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Links for Up-to-Date Court Information Chief Justice Beasley's Emergency Order National Federal Court Update Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Update US District Court Eastern District of NC US District Court Middle District of NC US District Court of Western District of NC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What the Filing Deadline Extension Means for Your Practice Chief Justice Cheri Beasley issued an updated emergency order that “all pleadings, motions, notices, and other documents and papers that were or are due to be filed in any county of this state on or after 16 March 2020 and before the close of business on 17 April 2020 in civil actions, criminal actions, estates, and special proceedings shall be deemed to be timely filed if they are filed before the close of business on 17 April 2020.” How does the emergency order impact my practice? Thanks to Warren Savage of Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company for this valuable information.
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The Effect of COVID-19 on the Insurance Claims Market Part one At present, the world is currently experiencing unprecedented limitations on import; quarantine, both voluntary and mandatory; business shut down, both enforced and through an abundance of caution; and the cancellation of gatherings, events, and travel. The scope of these limitations is likely to affect almost every commercial enterprise, both directly and indirectly. read more.... The Effect of COVID-19 on Time Element Claims Part two As part of the continued discussion regarding the effects of COVID-19 on the Insurance Claims Market, we introduce part two of our series, which examines how the pandemic can impact time element claims. read more...Thanks to JS Held for this valuable information
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The NC Bar Association has compiled an excellent list of resources to assist you and your firm during the pandemic.
Nominations Accepted for Board of Directors and Practice Group Leadership.
The terms of five current members of the NCADA Board of Directors will expire in June 2020. Nominations for the five vacant Director positions are now being accepted to serve a three-year term beginning at the close of the 2020 Annual Meeting through the close of the 2023 Annual Meeting.
Director responsibilities include:
To qualify for a position on the NCADA Board of Directors, the nominee should
Leadership opportunities in the NCADA’s Practice Groups are open for nominations. Members interested in the continued growth and relevance of the NCADA through its practice groups will be considered for leadership positions in the following areas of practice: Construction, Commercial, Employment, General Liability, Government, Medical Malpractice, Product Liability and Workers’ Compensation.
The following information should be included in the nomination:
1) Member Name, Firm, contact information and a brief biographical sketch;
2) Brief statement by the nominee of his or her availability and commitment to actively serve as a member of the Board, or as a practice group leader;
3) Brief statement why nominee would like to serve as a member of the Board of Directors, or as a practice group leader.
Persons interested in submitting a nomination may E mail or write to the Nominating Committee in care of Lynette Pitt, Executive Director, by email (lynettepitt@ncada.org) or U.S. Mail: 4030 Wake Forest Road, Ste 203, Raleigh, NC 27609).
Nominations must be received no later than Thursday, February 27, 2020, 5 p.m.
The North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) was presented the Rudolph A. Janata Award by DRI, the Voice of the Defense Bar on Friday, October 18, in recognition of its diversity programming that has covered socially trending topics including LGBTQ issues, the #MeToo movement, a discussion on whiteness in America, and uncovering bias in the practice of law to leveraging diversity in litigation.
Dayatra T. Matthews and Lach Zemp accepted the award on behalf of the NCADA. This national award recognizes a state or local defense organization that has undertaken an innovative or unique program contributing to the goals and objectives of the organized civil defense trial bar.
NCADA previously DRI's Janata Award in 2002 and is the only state defense group to date to be presented DRI’s Diversity Award in 2005 and 2012.
The NCADA brings together civil trial attorneys to promote the exchange of information, ideas, and litigation techniques, and to strengthen the practice, improve the skills, and enhance the knowledge of lawyers defending individuals and businesses in North Carolina. For more information about the NCADA or the Judicial Candidates' Forum, please contact the Association office at 919-239-4463 or jenniferedwards@ncada.org.
As another storm, Hurricane Dorian, takes aim at North Carolina, we recognize again the impact this storm may have on our members, in both your personal and professional lives. We urge all of you to exercise safety and caution in the days ahead. Hopefully, each of you has prepared for the potential interruption to your businesses, as well as personal lives. The NCADA, as an organization, again intends to lend support wherever possible in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Realizing that members and firms will be affected differently depending on their location and the ultimate path of the storm, we would like to have our members already thinking about ways to assist fellow NCADA firms. Therefore, as you take measures to prepare for the storm, keep in mind ways that you may assist other members if you are not impacted as greatly as others may be. It is our hope that those firms most severely impacted might have access to needed spare furniture, printers, office supplies, and even office space by those members who are not as severely affected.
The forecasted impact of Hurricane Dorian is to our coastal regions. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the NCADA directly or to other members if you are in need of assistance, either professionally or personally. For those of you who are not affected as greatly, we may be contacting you to provide assistance and support for members whose practices and lives are impacted. This may take the form of donating supplies and space, as well as monetary contributions.
From the mountains of western North Carolina to the coast, the strength of the NCADA is in our relationships with one another. We encourage all of our members to consider how you may support each other as Dorian approaches and passes. For those down east, stay safe and do not, hesitate to reach out for support
Lach Zemp, President
NCADA to Receive DRI’s Janata Award at Annual Meeting in New Orleans
The North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA) is pleased to announce its selection of the Rudolph A. Janata Award presented by DRI, the Voice of the Defense Bar. This national Award recognizes a state or local defense organization that has undertaken an innovative or unique program contributing to the goals and objectives of the organized civil defense trial bar. The Award will be presented at the 2019 DRI Annual Meeting in New Orleans on Friday evening, October 18th.
Taking advantage of today’s societal discourse, NCADA’s Diversity Committee has implemented CLE programming that is relevant both professionally and personally to our members and their clients. These social trending topical discussions range from the #MeToo movement to a discussion on whiteness in America, and from uncovering bias in the practice of law to leveraging diversity in litigation.
NCADA President Lach Zemp observes “This award is testament to the forward-looking programming and hard work of the past and current leadership of the Diversity Committee and the Board.”
NCADA has previously been recognized by DRI with the Janata Award in 2002, and is the only state defense group to date to be presented DRI’s Diversity Award in 2005 and 2012. Please follow this link to read the nomination letter.
North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys 4441-106 Six Forks Road, #107 Raleigh, NC 27609
Phone: 919-239-4463 admin@ncada.org
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