DRI Nursing Home/ALF Litigation

By: J. Richard Moore
BleekeDillonCrandall

During the week of September 12, 2011, several members of BleekeDillonCrandall will be participating in the Defense Research Institute Nursing Home/ALF Litigation seminar in Boston, Massachusetts. The seminar, which will be attended by over 500 lawyers, risk managers, insurance representatives and business owners, focuses on current issues involved in defending and trying lawsuits against nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health and hospice services, and other providers of medical and nursing care to the elderly and others who require skilled nursing care.

This seminar is an important endeavor for the firm, and this year it is particularly special for me. I first attended this annual conference in 2004, after having worked in the defense of nursing homes and long-term care providers for about two years. That year the seminar was also held in Boston, and I was impressed by the range of talent among the speakers, and the level of sophistication and depth of experience among the attendees. I committed myself to becoming involved with the DRI Medical and Health Care Law committee, the Nursing Home/ALF Litigation subcommittee, and the steering committees for the annual seminars.

Three years later, in 2007, I had the opportunity to serve as a seminar speaker at the Nursing Home/ALF Litigation seminar in Las Vegas. That year I met and spent some highly enjoyable social time with Jim Bleeke and Jeb Crandall, who have also regularly attended the seminar. Although at that time I was living in south Alabama, the three of us kept in touch over the next few years, sharing experiences, defense strategies and professional contacts, and visiting twice at year at the DRI seminars.

Last year, I again had the opportunity to speak at the Nursing Home/ALF Litigation seminar, which was held in Chicago. Jim and Jeb attended again, along with their partner Carol Dillon. During that visit we first discussed the possibility of my joining Jim, Jeb and Carol in their thriving Indianapolis-based practice. By March 2011, that had become a reality, and in June 2011 we were joined by Stephanie Holtzlander. Incidentally, our mutual interest in having Stephanie come on board stemmed from spending time with her at another DRI conference, the 2011 Medical and Health Care Litigation seminar held in March 2011 in San Francisco.

This year, Jim, Jeb, Stephanie and I will be attending the Nursing Home/ALF Litigation seminar, where I have the privilege of serving as Program Chair. It is fitting to me that I am serving in that position in the same city, Boston, where I first attended the seminar long ago. We look forward to visiting with valued client representatives, renewing acquaintances with trusted colleagues from across the country, and learning from the panel of well-reputed speakers.