McKenna elevated to life membership

AILA life membership is awarded to “a person who has made a significant contribution to AILA or the field of insurance law”.

At the 2015 National Conference dinner, life membership was bestowed on former president David McKenna.

David started his law degree in 1979, then did articles with the Legal Aid Commission.

He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of WA in 1980 and admitted to the High Court in 1983. He is also admitted to practice in the Northern Territory and as a barrister in Queensland.

Early in David’s career, he developed a practice assisting refugees and opposing deportation orders. Today his areas of practice include property, transport, liability and professional indemnity insurance.

David has appeared in landmark cases involving local council liability and in the Workers’ Compensation Board, District, Supreme and Federal Courts and the High Court.

David joined Jackson McDonald in 1987 and became a partner in 1989. In 2003 he was a founding partner of his own firm, Jarman McKenna.

David has been an AILA member for 28 years and has served on the WA committee, including roles as secretary, treasurer and president. He joined the national board in 1995 and provided 19 years of invaluable service until 2014, including the executive roles of secretary and treasurer. He was national president from 2010 and 2012.

AILA president Susan Vidler said those who know David well would describe him as incredibly hard-working, dedicated, and a very sound and effective insurance lawyer.

“He is also rather fond of a Tasmanian stout called ‘Export’ which, contrary to the name, never actually leaves the Apple Isle.”

Immediate past AIDA president Michael Gill paid tribute to David:

“He has made a very significant contribution to the work of AIDA over many years and continues to do so. Not only have he and his wife, Trudy, attended many international events representing Australia, they have made many friendships and are very highly regarded by international members.

“On many occasions, the professionalism and success of the international program has owed much to David’s contribution, based largely on his extensive and practical knowledge of insurance law.”

Insurance law prize

Also during the conference dinner, Susan Vidler presented AILA’s annual insurance law prize to Ian Enright.

The prize is awarded to “a person who has made substantial contributions to the insurance industry or insurance law”.

Ian was born in NSW and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1981 and a Master of Laws in 1985 from King’s College London. He was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW in 1982 and the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1991.

Ian began his career as an associate to Justice Cripps in the NSW District Court and then the Land and Environment Court.

After admission, he was a solicitor at McDonnell Moffitt Dowelling Tayler, in Sydney, before taking an associate role for Simmons & Simmons, in London.

In 1990, Ian returned as a senior associate at Minter Ellison Morris Fletcher in Sydney, before holding partnerships at Ebsworth & Ebsworth and Henry Davis York.

Ian has held numerous teaching positions spanning 25 years and is an honorary professor of law at the University of Technology, Sydney.

He is an author and co-author of the insurance entries in Butterworths Australian Legal Dictionary, Professional Indemnity Insurance Law, the Australian section of International Insurance Law and Regulation and Sutton on Insurance Law.

In 2008, Ian was awarded the British Insurance Law Association book prize for the second edition of Professional Indemnity Insurance Law, and, in 2009, he featured as a “recommended lawyer” in the ALB Guide: Insurance Law.

Ian was appointed by the Insurance Council of Australia in 2012 to conduct the Independent Review of the General Insurance Code of Practice.

He is senior vice president and chief legal counsel, Australia & New Zealand, for RGA International in Sydney.

Susan said Ian was described as a technically brilliant lawyer, a leader in insurance law, and a kind, patient, generous and strong leader. “His respect for people and gratitude for others’ contributions at work speaks volumes of his character, both professionally and personally,” she said.

Susan Vidler said 2015 had seen the Ron Shorter Award extend from NSW into Victoria.

“The award is for young professionals to display professionalism in public speaking on an insurance topic of their choice and I congratulate Alexander Morell, of Colin Biggers & Paisley, and Divya Pahawa, of Meridian Lawyers, for their achievements in 2015,” she said.

Plans are in progress for the award to be launched in Queensland in 2016.

Susan said AILA was working with AIDA and the FDCC in America to create an inaugural regional conference in 2017. “If the proposal proceeds, it will be a wonderful opportunity for the Asia Pacific region to bring together existing, developing and new chapters to discuss insurance law issues on a global scale.”

She said AILA would submit a bid for the AIDA World Congress in 2022.

Retiring board members

Susan said AILA would not be possible but for dedicated volunteers at national board and state committee levels who gave hours of their time.

She paid tribute to three retiring national board members.

Allison Grice has been an AILA member for 16 years and has served on the national board for three years. Most recently she was vice-president and a knowledgeable addition to the board.

Roger Sands has been a member for more than 20 years and a board director representing WA for nine years. He was chair of the Perth 2012 national conference and has supported the board in numerous achievements throughout his time.

Steve Knight

In 2015, Steve Knight celebrated 20 years serving on the national board and has been an AILA member for more than 25 years. He was the founding member of the Tasmanian Branch in 1995 and national president from 2005 to 2007. Steve was awarded AILA life membership during his home conference in Hobart in 2012 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to AILA, which included chairing national conferences in 1999, 2005 and 2012 and co-chairing the highly successful joint 2007 conference with NZILA in Christchurch.

Stephen Williams, of Kott Gunning, in WA; Angus Kench, of Liberty IU, in NSW; and Chrissy Cheesman, of Woolworths, in Qld; have been recent additions to the board.

2016 conferences

Mark your diaries now.

Adelaide will host the 2016 AILA National Conference on 12-14 October 2016.

It will be preceded by the NZILA Annual Conference in Queenstown, NZ, on 21-23 September 2016.