With the start of a new year, the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) continues its history of dissecting important, trending legal industry issues through the publication of its Defense Counsel Journal (DCJ).
Among the topics covered in the first-quarter DCJ issue of 2023 are recent diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts in the law and their relationship to veterans, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative.
“The IADC provides an ideal platform to exchange ideas, share information, and to anticipate what is likely to occur,” said IADC member and current DCJ Editor Marsha M. Piccone, also a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP in Denver, Colorado. “An important part of the IADC is this journal. It provides a forum for sharing thoughts and ideas of our profession in an ever-changing world that will help all of us in navigating this 21st century practice of law.”
Frequently and favorably cited by courts and other legal scholarship, the DCJ is a quarterly forum for topical and scholarly writings on the law, including its development and reform, as well as on the practice of law in general. DCJ articles are written by members of the IADC, which is a 2,500-member, invitation-only, worldwide organization that serves its members and their clients, as well as the civil justice system and the legal profession.
Following are brief summaries of the articles included in the first-quarter 2023 issue of the DCJ:
• “Diversity, Inclusion and Veterans in the Law” by Robert F. Redmond Jr., a partner at McGuireWoods LLP in Richmond, Virginia – The article explores the omission of veterans from efforts such as the Mansfield Rule and the 2018 MDL Guidelines (as amended by the 2021 Inclusivity Guidelines) that focus on bringing diversity to the more coveted positions of the practice of law. The remedy for this omission is simple, the article opines: the Mansfield Rule, the 2018 MDL Guidelines and the 2021 Inclusivity Guidelines should be revised to include veterans.
• “The Department of Justice’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative and Its Impact on the False Claims Act” by Peter J. Pizzi, a partner at Walsh Pizzi O’Reilly Falanga LLP in Newark, New Jersey, and Kimberly Bessiere Martin, a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Huntsville, Alabama – This article discusses the Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative and provides an overview of the False Claims Act and its use in cybersecurity issues, as well as addresses why companies should expect increased action by the DOJ with regard to alleged violations.
The IADC’s first-quarter 2023 DCJ is available for free and without a subscription via the IADC’s website at www.iadclaw.org/documents/?CategoryId=4.
