LPBA Winter 2005 Meeting
Lucaya Resort
Freeport, Grand Bahama
ISLAND TIME
After an absence of 14 years, LPBA returned to the Bahamas to escape the brutal cold gripping much of the United States. LPBA met in the Bahamas on six prior occasions: March 1968 (West End), February 1975 (Lucayan Beach), January 1984 (Treasure Cay), February 1986 (Treasure Cay), February 1987 (Treasure Cay) and February 1991 (Treasure Cay). The Our Lucaya Resort at Freeport Grand Bahamas welcomed over 120 LPBA members and guests.
The resort was in remarkable shape, having survived direct hits from two major hurricanes just 4 months prior
Our Wednesday night welcome party featured fresh seafood and steel drum music. One of the highlights of the meeting was the presence of Justin Croix Yodice. Born November 16, 2004, Croix is the son of LPBA President Kathy Yodice and Steve Harris. Croix is shown with Kathy and proud grandfather, LPBA Past President John Yodice.
President Elect Marty Weiss delivered a first class CLE program. Our first speaker, Solicitor Tim Scorer, provided a lively update on aviation law in the United Kingdom. Tim gave his always-entertaining presentation, and profiled the case of an airplane owner whose business plan was "An accident is all I need to get this airplane fixed".
Attorney John S. Yodice provided information on "Ethical Considerations For Attorneys Handling FAA Enforcement Cases". Not only valuable information, but also one hour of ethics CLE credit!
Joan Schofield, RN, BSN, MBA, provided insights into the development of life care plans and the ground rules for valuing future medical care expenses. Joan also covered special considerations for the valuation of spinal cord injury cases.
Our Thursday afternoon activities included fun on the beach, and a golf outing at the Reef Course. Tennis was cancelled due to storm damage to the courts. The nearby Port Lucaya Marketplace provided great places to eat and shop.
Our Friday CLE session featured Attorney John E. Wells of the Air Line Pilots Association. John discussed the trend of state and federal law enforcement agencies to "criminalize" the alleged negligent actions of flight crews. Law enforcement now becomes involved in all aviation accidents and incidents, and often attempts to portray actions leading to unfortunate outcomes as "criminal". While 2004 was the safest year in the history of scheduled air travel, anyone representing aviation interests must be aware of this potential danger.
Attorney Gregory Winton provided us with the information and tools needed to properly defend an emergency revocation proceeding brought by the FAA. Only a brave and well equipped practitioner ventures into this type of representation, given the almost 100% success rate of the FAA in these cases.
Attorney Mark Kolber, making his third appearance as a speaker before the LPBA, provided the basics on the emerging area of electronic discovery. He profiled the Zebulake decision, and the analysis of when electronic information must be retrieved or restored during litigation. The presentation concluded with an overview of the proposed amendments to the federal rules related to electronic discovery and document retention.
Saturday morning began with perfect weather for our run/walk around Lucaya.
Our Saturday CLE session featured Arlene Feldman, Regional Administrator for the Eastern Region of the FAA. Giving us a candid look at an agency in transition, she made it clear just how complex the role of the FAA has become. Her skill at balancing competing interests was demonstrated by her work on a runway expansion project at PHL. Arlene answered questions and even gave out her direct office phone number, although we will not repeat it here.
Our CLE presentations concluded with an encore performance by Solicitor Tim Scorer. Back by popular demand, Tim continued with stories of litigation from across the pond. His presentation concluded with a final joke with the punch line: "Those Fokkers were Messerschmitts!".
Our Saturday night banquet featured awards and island music. The next morning all of our members made it back through the Bermuda Triangle to the US mainland. Our next meeting is in Makinac Island, MI, July 6-10, 2005
Photographs contributed by Marty Weiss, Tim Frets, Ed Booth, Errol Kantor and Clark Bell
