The Construction Litigation Section held its inaugural fly-in meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 8. The meeting was hosted by member-firm Roetzel & Andress. Twenty-five attorneys from nineteen firms attended. For most of those in attendance, this was their first USLAW function.

The agenda was simple: Get to know each other. To facilitate morning travel, the gathering started at 11:00 with an informal “meet and greet” time, followed by a catered sandwich luncheon. Following lunch, Jean Lawler of Murchinson Cummings, Los Angeles, gave a presentation on developments in insurance coverage issues affecting many of our clients in the Construction Defect market. Meg Faust of Roetzel & Andress led a brief discussion on related issues.

Finally, we held discussions on cross-marketing. One of the points emphasized by several members is that this is truly a relationship-based organization. With that comes the obligation to respect the relationship between a member and his or her client. Among other things, that means that members providing client-contact information should be consulted before a potential client is contacted to determine the best manner of approach. The participants then divided into regional groups to discuss client and marketing opportunities. Many groups explored potential regional gatherings with clients. We discussed developments taking place within the client companies and how to best gain access to new business opportunities.

The structured portion of the meeting concluded with a general discussion of upcoming events and conferences. The group is exploring the possibility of sponsoring hospitality suites at future DRI, West Coast Casualty and other organizations’ seminars.

The social highlight of the fly-in was the baseball game at Jacobs’ Field. Roetzel & Andress allowed us the use of their Loge. More than twenty of the participants went to the game. This created a great atmosphere for getting to know each other and sharing ideas and information.

Congratulations and thanks are due to Kathy Davis (Carr Allison), Ron Lee (Roetzel & Andress) and Meg Faust for organizing and hosting a great meeting. There is no doubt that the energy and relationships developed at this fly-in will strengthen the organization and benefit the member firms.