Letter From the Chair

At the end of the movie Blazing Saddles, as Hedley Lamar falls and dies in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, he studies the cement imprints (hand and feet) of Douglas Fairbanks and asks the question: “How did he do such fantastic stunts with such little feet?” As I begin my one year term as Chair, my feet must also appear small compared to the big shoes left by my predecessors. In the past five years, our Committee has become one of the real movers and shakers of the TIPS Section. This is due, in large part, to the vision, dedication, and leadership of former Chairs Mark Baugh (05-06), Tony Macauley (06-07), Len Nason (07-08), and Judge Todd Seelig (08-09). During their respective terms, we have seen an increase in membership, an improved web site, a more effective listserv, and numerous teleconferences and seminar presentations. Just last year, our Committee was chosen by the Membership Committee to receive a special award for most exceptional achievement committee. Further, our Committee regularly publishes a quality newsletter thanks to the significant efforts of Vice Chair, Sharon Murphy.

As we begin the 2009-2010 term, you may ask, what fantastic stunts can we expect from a Chair with such small feet? Thanks to the Committee Vice Chairs, I am pleased to report that the coming year looks great! First, we are planning an incredible three day seminar (March 4 – 6, 2010) at the beautiful Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. Program Chair, Chris Scheldrup, is spearheading a joint effort with the Labor & Employment Section’s Workers’ Compensation Committee to put on a “can’t miss” conference with cutting edge topics and top notch speakers. Second, Program Chair, James Kennedy, is planning a teleconference on the new mandatory reporting requirements of the Medicare, Medicaid & SCHIP Act of 2007 to be held in early 2010. Third, our new liaison program will continue to be used to spread the word about important national issues affecting workers’ compensation. Further, our new Membership Chair, Andy Schreck, will use the liaison program to generate interest in our committee and increase membership. Fourth, we have established a Task Force to study the impact of applying the American Medical Association’s Guidelines on The Evaluation of Permanent Impairment in workers’ compensation claims throughout the country. The Task Force has met several times and hopes to generate a final report in 2010 for use in recommending changes to the various states. Fifth, our Law Student Liaison, Kevin Hurt, will use his tremendous energy and enthusiasm to generate more interest in our Committee among the law school ranks.

If you are already a member, get ready for a fantastic year. If you are not yet a member, you could not pick a better time to join. Joining our committee is easy. If you are already a member of the ABA and TIPS, you can join our committee for free by clicking here. Or, if you need to join the ABA or TIPS, click here first. Once you are a member of our committee, you can immediately receive new editions of our Newsletter, access archived editions of the Newsletter online, and receive notice of for our activities and continuing legal education programs. If you want to become more involved in the Committee and its activities, just let me or Chair Elect, Alan Pierce, know. It would be our pleasure to assist you with whatever goals you may have. “Now here we go. Hold your ears, folks. It's SHOWTIME!”

Michael I. Fish,
Chair

Resources

Suggested Links

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CLE

Mandatory Insurer Reporting:
What it will Mean For Your Practice
June 30, 2010

Join our experienced experts for this extremely relevant and informative teleconference, as they examine the complex area of the new Mandatory Insurer Reporting (MIR) guidelines set forth in Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act (MMSEA) of 2007.

Learn More about the Teleconference:
Register Online Today