A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
PORAC Legal Defense Fund Member Conference
July 22nd to July 23rd, 2019
Las Vegas – Nevada
FRED ROWBOTHAM
Chairman
As it comes to a close, I have been reflecting on the year behind us. It has been a year of moving forward on many fronts. In the past, the membership map has contained a couple of small voids in the northeast. Recently, associations in those last remaining states have become LDF members. The PORAC Legal Defense Fund now has members in all 50 states and in four United States territories. As I always remind members when I give presentations to their associations, if you find yourself in need of representation anywhere in the country, we have attorneys in every state, and every LDF phone number works nationwide. Your entitlement to benefits under your chosen plan remain constant, regardless of where you find yourself in the U.S.
LDF has witnessed several years of adverse decisions in court rulings, but it appears we may have turned a corner. We have seen numerous not-guilty verdicts recently, and remain hopeful the trend will continue, moving forward.
After several years of contemplation and planning, we had our first-ever LDF Conference of Members, which took place in Las Vegas from July 22–23. The event quickly sold out, forcing us to cap attendance at just under 350 attendees. It was two days of nonstop networking, powerful seminars throughout the day and social events hosted all evening. Conference presenters came from all over the nation to speak to the attendees, providing valuable insight from their unique areas of practice and regions of the country. I would like to extend my appreciation to the California attorneys who took time from their practices to attend, including Stuart Adams, Brandi Harper, David E. Mastagni, Rick Pinckard, Mike Rains and Michael Schwartz. Day in and day out, these attorneys do great work on our behalf and are a valuable part of the PORAC LDF team!
After having the opportunity to observe the finished product and digest the survey results, the trustees have determined it is in our participants’ best interest to continue with the LDF Conference of Members next year. Planning has already begun, and it is sure to be a quality event not to be missed. Many attendees expressed a desire to include a vendor- and village-type area next year, providing additional opportunities to interact with the attorneys at various booths. In response, we have decided to include this at upcoming Conferences. Booth space will not only be available to law firms, but to other businesses that offer value to the law enforcement community. Just like the LDF itself, we will strive to continually improve the Conference experience. Additional information will be provided in the near future, and we hope that you will join us next year.