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Message From the President

Carol S. Watson

Welcome to the Association of Life Insurance Counsel

Ronald Reagan once said… “Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.” This truism has certainly become a standard in the life insurance industry. With constant regulatory change, both on the federal and state levels, and never-ceasing developing case law, the value of membership in the Association of Life Insurance Counsel (ALIC) becomes clear.

As in-house counsel for a life insurance company or outside counsel who focus on life insurance issues, you will find the opportunity to discuss these issues in depth with other members of ALIC. ALIC’s role is to present you as a member of the life insurance bar with a range of educational and professional development opportunities.

While our companies compete with another on a daily basis, the core issues facing them are the same, regardless of their size or niche market. Beyond these core issues are those faced by companies engaged more broadly in financial services industries or doing business internationally.

ALIC presents you with access to other senior life insurance lawyers who have expertise in any number of complex fields impacting companies in the industry. This access ranges from the most academic to that of simple collegiality.

Our annual meeting held in May of each year is our foremost event. Programs at the annual meetings are presented by leaders in their fields. Papers prepared by these leaders can serve as a valuable resource to you for years. The programs combine plenary sessions with breakout sessions presented separately on sometimes on a combined basis by the various sections. These sections include Insurance, Tax, Corporate, Securities, Litigation and Investment. An Ethics presentation is also included. CLE credit is available for the presentations.

Beyond the academic presentations, another important benefit of membership is the fellowship with other members. The Annual Meeting provides an opportunity to engage in athletic and social activities such as golf, tennis, croquet, and beach volleyball as well as tours, receptions and a dinner dance.

Spouses and guests are welcome at our Annual Meetings. They are included in all athletic and social events and additional optional activities are scheduled while members are attending professional and business meetings.

The 2012 Annual Meeting will be held on May 20-22 at the Sawgrass Marriott just outside of Jacksonville, FL in Ponte Verde, Florida. The hotel is just 35 minutes away from the Jacksonville airport. We are planning on having the scramble on the TPC Pete Dye Valley course and we will reserve tee times for Saturday and Sunday on THE PLAYERS Stadium course. We hope to have a dinner (not a formal ALIC-sponsored event) on Saturday evening at the TPC clubhouse. All of this will require that we commit to participate early next spring, so watch for the emails giving you more details.

One of the advantages of the Sawgrass property is its multiple offerings. We will have our tennis tournament on clay courts at the Sawgrass Country Club. We will also be once again playing croquet. You can go to the beach and use the hotel’s beautiful beach club, or use its recently updated and expanded spa facilities. St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States, is 30 minutes away. There are also four pools and fantastic shopping! We hope that you will consider coming to the hotel for a long weekend before the meeting so that you can take advantage of all that there is to do there. We hope to see all of you next year at the Sawgrass Marriott!

Carol S. Watson
President
Association of Life Insurance Counsel