Highlights from the SLD Annual Meeting

The ABA Senior Lawyers Division’s August 2019 Annual Meeting in San Francisco included the annual Pickering Award dinner and reception, committee meetings, a Council meeting, CLE Showcase program on addressing the national opioid crisis with the ABA Health Law Section, and more. 

During the committee and Council meetings, the SLD reviewed the accomplishments of the 2018-2019 bar year and discussed upcoming publications, programs, and projects for the 2019-2020 bar year for the 58,000 SLD members.  

Here’s a recap of a few of the events at the Annual Meeting.

James J. Brosnahan receives the John H. Pickering Award

The SLD organized the 13th annual John H. Pickering Award Reception and Dinner held on Thursday, August 8th at the Marines' Memorial Club & Hotel. The Award is named in memory of John H. Pickering, the 1996-97 SLD Chair whose life and accomplishments demonstrated outstanding legal ability and dedication to the improvement of access to justice.

This year’s Award recipient is James J. Brosnahan, senior trial counsel at Morrison & Foerster LLP, considered a “lion” of the trial bar, and is one of the most recognized and respected trial lawyers in America. After receiving the Award from 2018-2019 SLD Chair Marvin Dang, Mr. Brosnahan delivered an inspiring acceptance speech on his devotion to helping the poor and unrepresented in a wide range of legal services and improving the practice of law by including more lawyers who are minorities and women. He reminded us that the law was written to protect everyone by quoting the Constitution, "We the People..." and by leaving a pocketbook copy of the Constitution in each seat. 

The dinner and reception was generously sponsored by Jack W. Londen and Morrison & Foerster LLP; Gary Naftalis and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP; Michael Van Zandt and Hanson Bridgett LLP; and Marvin S.C. Dang and The Law Offices of Marvin S.C. Dang LLLC. 

Read the press release here.

See pictures from the event on our Facebook page.

CLE Showcase: Responding to the National Opioid Crisis

ABA Senior Lawyers Division and Health Law Section held a CLE Showcase program Saturday morning on addressing the national opioid epidemic bringing together the president-elect of the American Medical Association (Dr. Susan Bailey), an attorney on the multi-district opioid litigation (Anne Kearse), and a co-chair of the Legal Services Corporation's Opioid Task Force (David Hoffman). Their message was two-fold: (1) doctors and lawyers must work together to address the opioid epidemic, and (2) any settlement or judgment dollars must go toward the prevention and treatment of opioid misuse. Both the AMA and ABA have passed resolutions supporting these positions. Read entire coverage here.

Toast to SLD leaders and volunteers during Champagne Reception

The SLD hosted a special Champagne Reception on Saturday, August 10 at the Marriott Marquis after the CLE Showcase program.  Outgoing ABA President, Bob Carlson, Incoming President-Elect, Trish Refo, SLD members, and other ABA members raised a toast to congratulate Jack Young for winning the Robert Meserve Award for outstanding service to the SLD, and to thank and congratulate Marvin Dang for his exemplary year of service as outgoing 2018-2019 SLD Chair, Al Harvey (incoming SLD Chair), Michael Van Zandt (incoming Chair-Elect), Sheila Slocum Hollis (incoming Vice-Chair), Llew Pritchard (outgoing Budget Officer), Bill Mock (incoming Budget Officer), Carole Worthington (outgoing Secretary), Jeff Allen (incoming Secretary), John Uilkema (Division Delegate), and other Division leaders.  To thank everyone at the Reception, Marvin brought chocolate-covered macadamia nut candies from his hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Jack Young Receives the Robert Meserve Award

During the SLD’s Champagne Reception, Jack Young received from 2018-19 SLD Chair Marvin Dang the Robert W. Meserve Award for outstanding service to the SLD.  (Robert Meserve was the first Chair of the SLD from 1985-1986.) Jack is Immediate Past Chair of the SLD (2017-2018). Over the past few years, he spearheaded the Division's efforts to address the national opioid epidemic with an Opioid Summit whose Report's action items and recommendations became ABA Policy with the adoption of Resolution 108 during the ABA Midyear Meeting in January 2019 in Las Vegas. Jack continued to raise awareness of the Opioid Report and Resolution by speaking on a panel at the ABA Section of State & Local Government Law's Spring Meeting in April, organizing and speaking on a CLE panel on the ethics of dealing with clients and colleagues misusing opioids during the SLD Spring Meeting in New York City in May, and working with the ABA Health Law Section (HLS) to organize the joint CLE Showcase program at Annual on addressing the opioid epidemic by partnering with doctors. From that collaboration, the HLS and SLD have created a Joint Opioid Task Force on which Jack serves. Jack is the current Chair of the SLD Book Board and also serves as Co-Chair of the SLD Strategic Planning Committee.