In this third message in The Brief, I want to revisit the benefits to your practice and personal well-being of attending the TIPS Section Conference, where we will be celebrating more than 90 years as a Section serving the legal community.
The TIPS 10th Annual Section Conference will be held at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., from May 7–10, 2025, and feature insurance, defense, corporate, and plaintiff’s attorneys, as well as the judiciary. This year, we are honored to partner with our friends from the ABA Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division (GPSolo) and the ABA Judicial Division.
This incredible, in-person experience features tremendous programming, with 13 hours of CLE credit and 2.30 hours of ethics credit available and multiple opportunities to network throughout the conference, including the Wednesday night welcome reception, the Thursday evening Smithsonian gala (ticketed event), and the Friday networking luncheon (ticketed event), sponsored by the TIPS Women Trial Lawyers Committee.
Of particular note, the Thursday evening gala promises to be unforgettable, with unlimited access to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, the newest institution on the National Mall. The Section’s Lifetime Liberty Achievement Award will be given to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and the Liberty Achievement Award will be given to the Honorable J. Michelle Childs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The awards, presented by our TIPS partner, Thomson Reuters, will follow a first time ever fireside chat with Justice Sotomayor and Judge Childs.
I used “personal well-being” in my first sentence intentionally. An experience like the gala will form a core memory for your legal career. Following the pomp and circumstance of our gala with a walking tour of the Mall the following evening, led by our TIPS Wellness Task Force, shows how we cater to all types of experiences at our Section.
We are ever mindful that experiences, even those as incredible as we have put together, do not pay the bills at your law firm in and of themselves. That is why we have ensured that all of our panels have a focus on business generation, and nearly all of them have company perspectives included. Indeed, we’ve curated panels that combine substantive legal education with practical business insights, featuring an impressive array of in-house counsel speakers from leading companies, including Atmos Energy, Coalition, Gen Re, Johnson & Johnson, Liberty Mutual, M&T Bank, Markel, Nordstrom, Royal Caribbean, Samsung Electronics America, Toyota, Travelers, Verizon, Volkswagen, Wayfair, Zurich, and many more. From emerging technologies and ethics to trial preparation and financial management, each session has been thoughtfully designed to provide actionable insights for your practice.
We are ever grateful for the work of our Conference Cochairs: our lead Cochair, Jordan Howlette, and Cochairs Victoria Alvarez, Chris Ward, and Michelle Worrall. Please contact them if you have any questions concerning the program and how you can enhance your experience. And more importantly, register online now at https://events.americanbar.org/event/46A7479C-70E0-44AC-AC05-3E152A5D8FE0/summary.
I remain honored to serve TIPS and its members and look forward to seeing you this year! In the interim, send me a note anytime at my Holland & Knight LLP email address ([email protected]), and we can discuss how to enhance your TIPS experience with leadership opportunities, programming, and appointments.
