Meeting of Insurance Law Section
Four Seasons Hotel - Austin
Room: San Jacinto West
June 14, 2001

The Insurance Law Section would like to personally invite you to attend the 
Insurance Law Section meeting and the free CLE which will be presented next 
Thursday, June 14, 2001 at the State Bar convention in Austin.

On June 14, 2001, the Insurance Law Section will hold its annual meeting and 
sponsor its annual 3 hour CLE program at the Four Season's Hotel. As usual, 
Council members and Committee chairs will be elected  by the Section members  
at the annual meeting. The schedule for the meeting and the CLE program is 
set out below. We hope that you can attend the annual meeting and the CLE 
presentations.

1:30 PM to 2:00 PM - - annual section meeting and election of Council members

2:00 PM to 5:00 PM  FREE   CLE program


2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Insurance Declaratory Judgment Actions
Topic: This panel will consider declaratory judgment actions regarding 
insurance coverage. When should they be filed? Who should file them? What 
discovery is necessary and appropriate? Can they usually be resolved by 
summary judgment? How should these cases be tried? What is the proper role of 
the expert? What is the proper role of the jury? What are the appellate 
twists?

Comment: The Supreme Court of Texas has repeatedly suggested that insurers 
and insureds alike put this procedural device to more use.

Panelists:
Mike Huddleston
Karen Keltz
Rusty McMains
Claudia Volaire
Beth Bradley
Stephen Walraven

3 p.m.- 4 p.m.

When Negligence Blindly Assists Deliberateness

Topic: Suppose Mr. Sleeze Ball sets out to kill his business partner, Cheese 
Square. Suppose further that Mrs. Ball helps Sleeze in various ways which 
turn out to be necessary. Suppose further that Mrs. Ball does not realize 
what Sleeze is up to and does not foresee the consequences of her actions. 
Finally, suppose Sleeze is convicted of murder and then a wrongful death 
action is brought by Cheesey's family (Swiss, Cheddar, and the rest) against 
both Mr. and Mrs. Ball, and their dog Astral. Naturally the Balls have 
homeowner's coverage and Mrs. Ball wants a defense. Question: Should she get 
it?

Comment: This is a burning issue in contemporary liability insurance law, and 
a great deal turns on it. Plaintiff's personal injuries lawyers take note.

Debaters:
Michael Sean Quinn - Affirmative
Christopher Martin - Negative

4 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Insurance Defense Guidelines

Topic: Many liability insurers have attempted to issue guidelines and rules 
to govern the ways in which defense lawyers may conduct defenses. Often, if 
the activities of defense counsel do not conform to these guidelines defense 
counsel do not get paid. Recently the Texas legislature outlawed these 
guidelines, or at least some of them. Is this law a good idea, or a bad one? 
Will it be effective? Will it be enforced? Is it really in the interest of 
insureds who are defendants in law suits or is it designed to help lawyers?

Panelists:
Charles Levy
Roland Leon
Clark Richards

Format: Audience participation on all of these topics is welcomed.
It is positively encouraged, not that it could be stopped anyway.

We hope to see you there next week.

James L. Cornell
tel: 713 547 2231
fax: 713 236 5583
cornellj@haynesboone.com