With my term as Chair of the International Law Committee coming to end, I can't help but reflect on the positive experience of participating in the launching of DRI Europe.  I have gotten to know several of you through this process and as an American, the meeting places were always great.

We are hoping that many of you will attend the DRI Annual Meeting.  For those of you who do, by all means please attend the International Law Committee Meeting.  We will be meeting from 3:30-6:00 on Thursday October 23, 2008.  The first part of the meeting will be a business meeting where we transition the leadership of the Committee to the next group.  We definitely want the input of DRI Europe members in that process, as well as appointing interested DRI Europe members to positions of leadership within the International Law Committee.  The highlight of the Committee Meeting will be the substantive presentation by DRI Europe members Dr. Truiken Heydn from Munich and Kiernan Cowhey from Dublin on "The Latest Legal Developments Affecting Corporate Defendants in Europe."  

There are many ways for DRI Europe members to participate in the International Law Committee and the International Law Committee is poised to support those efforts.  We hope that DRI Europe Members will make regular contributions to our periodical, Across Frontiers, which we will be publishing for the first time in over five years in August or September.  While there will be some shuffle of Chair and Vice Chair positions around the time of the Annual Meeting, we are very lucky that Brian Inamine of the Los Angeles office of Wright, Robinson, Osthimer & Tatum has agreed to stay on another year as the Publications Chair.  Publications; both our regular contributions to the DRI Europe Newsletter and DRI Europe's hopeful regular contributions to Across Frontiers, is probably the easiest way for DRI Europe to synergize with the International Law Committee and vice versa.  If you have any interest in preparing an article for Across Frontiers, please contact Brian Inamine at binamine@wrightrobinson.com.

Another great opportunity for DRI Europe members and the DRI International Law Committee to work together on a project would be through a joint Webinar.  The DRI International Law Committee's first Webinar will be aired on September 10, 2008.  The topic is "Taking Depositions in Foreign Jurisdictions" and will be presented by Dr. Alexander P. Imberg of the San Francisco office of Carroll, Burdick & McDonough and David Osterman of the Princeton, New Jersey office of Goldberg Segalla.  We are very grateful for the hard work on this effort by our Program Chair  Frank Ciano of the White Plains, New York office of Goldberg Segalla. A challenge for the DRI International Law Committee and DRI Europe will be to develop a Webinar program that we can co-sponsor before the 2009 Annual Meeting.  The Chair of Programs for the DRI International Law Committee is a position that will be filled at the DRI Annual Meeting.  There is no reason why this position cannot be assigned to a DRI Europe member, so if you have any interest in the job of Chair for Programs for the International Law Committee, please let me know of your interest by emailing me at bob.allen@mbtlaw.com.

Finally, it is never too early to start thinking about and planning for the 2009 DRI Annual Meeting.  The first priority for the International Law Committee will be to plan and present a high quality substantive program.  Similar to this year, this can be an area where DRI Europe members can play a big role.  Another initiative on which the DRI International Law Committee and DRI Europe can work together with respect to the 2009 DRI Annual Meeting (or perhaps a future DRI Annual Meeting) would be to co-sponsor a Blockbuster CLE Session on an International legal topic.

As can be seen, there are a number of ways and projects for the DRI International Law Committee to work with DRI Europe.  I say let's expound on the current relationship and enjoy the experience of becoming a sum greater than the component parts.  We look forward to seeing many of you in New Orleans

Bob Allen

Chair: DRI International Law Committee