During the AILA conference dinner, president David Lee made two very special presentations, awarding life membership to Michael Gill and the AILA Prize to Chris Rodd.

He said the life membership award definition from AILA’s corporate management guidelines was: “A person who has made a significant contribution to AILA or the field of insurance law.”

Life member Michael Gill

 

He then detailed Michael’s achievements which showed why he was a worthy recipient.

• Completed a Bachelor of Laws at Sydney University in 1970

• Admitted to the Supreme Court of NSW in 1970, High Court of Australia in 1975 and Supreme Court of Victoria in 1991

• Held a partnership with DLA Piper for 37 years, and now consults to the firm

• A member of the NSW Law Society for 43 years, including holding the positions of president, treasurer, vice-president and seveal committee chairmanships

• A member of the Law Council of Australia for 27 years, including acting as a council member for seven years and holding the positions of president, vice-president and treasurer. Also chaired the Law Council Foundation, Law Council Holdings Ltd and the National Insurance Lawyers Group, General Practice Section

• Appointed to the Society of Notaries of NSW in 1987 and a member for 26 years

• A member of and/or office bearer in the following organisations: Aviation Law Association, Law Foundation of NSW, Australian Institute of Company Directors, Financial Ombudsman Service, Canadian Bar Association, International Bar Association, American Bar Association, International Association of Defense Counsel, International Insurance Society, Australian Reform Commission, Motor Accident Authority, Westpac Services and Westpac Funds Management, Customers 1 to 1 Pty Ltd, Markel Australia, Medical Research and Compensation Fund, James Milson Village and the North Sydney Parish

• Written and co-authored articles and books, including Surveyors and Their Professional Liability: A Manual of Loss Prevention

• Nominated twice for awards for being “among the world’s best”

• Specialises in: Insurance and reinsurance documentation; self-insurance schemes, pools and funds; insurance legislation; regulatory compliance & corporate issues; policy drafting, interpretation and disputes; agency & broker agreements; risk management strategies; alternative dispute resolution; professional indemnity/malpractice; D&O liability; environment and pollution; and material and consequential loss.

• Has worked in international legal systems in New Guinea, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore, the US, Indonesia, Italy, Korea and Fiji.

• A founding Member of AILA in 1982, and has been a president and inaugural chair

• Involved with key AILA committees, including the 1994 AIDA World Congress planning committee, chair of ASPAC, Australian chair for the joint planning committee of the 2007 AILA/NZILA Christchurch conference

• A member of AIDA 27 years and elected the first Australian AIDA president in 2010 and remains in office in 2013.

The winner of the Insurance Law Prize is defined as: “A person who has made substantial contributions to the insurance industry or insurance law. Without limiting the categories from which such persons may be nominated, they include insurers, reinsurers, adjusters, brokers, consultants, academics, judges and lawyers.”

 

AILA prize winner Chris Rodd

 

Mr Lee outlined Chris Rodd’s achievements, which made him a worthy recipient.

•  B Juris, LLB from Monash University

• Graduate Diploma in Insurance Law from Melbourne University

• More than 31 years’ experience as an insurance lawyer

• An ANZIIF fellow

• Actively involved with AIDA, the Law Institute of Victoria, the Law Council of Australia Insurance Advisory Committee and ACLA.

• An AILA member for 25 years; joined the Victorian Committee more than 20 years ago and served a two-year term as Victorian president in the 1990s; served on the national board from 2005 to 2012; was national president from 2007 to 2009.

• Chris was awarded a life membership in 2011 for his contribution to AILA

• Lecturer at Monash University

• A member of FDCC in the US, is the principal link between AIDA worldwide and FDCC and is highly regarded in the US.

• He is a prominent member of AIDA’s climate change working party and has participated in international meetings across the globe. Presented in his climate change capacity at the NZILA conference in September 2013

• Key practice areas are compliance and dispute resolution

• A leading speaker on dispute resolution in insurance

• A leader of knowledge on the Insurance Contracts Act

• Famed for his personality, bow tie, and love of skiing and diving and travel.

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