ACA Ethics Seminar at the ESPN Zone

ACA’s 2008 Ethics Seminar was held on September 17th, 2008 in conjunction with our 2008 Fall Outing at the ESPN Zone in Buckhead. The event was a great success, providing interesting and educational presentations. Attendees enjoyed a great lunch buffet and were provided tokens for the interactive games afterward in the ESPN Zone Game Room. The Education Committee and the Fall Outing Committee would like to thank all of our attendees for making the seminar a success through their attendance, interaction with our speakers and great questions.

Our first speaker was Michael D. St. Amand of Gray, Rust, St. Amand, Moffett & Brieske LLP. Mike provided an informative and compelling presentation on Recent Developments In Fair Claims Handling in Georgia. The presentation covered statutory bad faith, bad faith case law developments, and the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act. Additionally, he provided great insight into good faith claims handling best practices.

Our second speaker was Ian Neil Matthes of Vernis & Bowling of Atlanta, LLC. Ian provided an interactive presentation on Defense Counsel and Our Responsibilities to Clients, Carriers and the Courts. In covering numerous examples of attorneys’ responsibilities and obligations under the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct, he provided an opportunity for attendees to participate in responding to challenging claims-related hypothetical situations. The presentation further discussed opportunities for claims professionals to avoid creating ethical quagmires for their counsel.

Our final speaker was William S. Goodman of Henning Mediation & Arbitration Service, Inc. In his presentation on Ethics and Professionalism in Mediation, Bill provided an excellent and insightful look into the ethics of mediation based upon his 40 years of defense practice and service in over 2000 mediations. He provided excellent advice on how to successfully mediate cases while upholding our ethical responsibilities.

The Education Committee and the Fall Outing Committee would also like to thank the generous support of our Silver Sponsors, Gray, Rust, St. Amand, Moffett & Brieske LLP and White-Hart & Associates, as well as our Bronze Sponsors, Vernis & Bowling of Atlanta, LLC and Hall, Booth, Smith & Slover, P.C. The Committees would also like to thank the volunteers who assisted in organizing and administering the seminar.