For The Defense, December 2011 - DRI Today

Anne M. Talcott is the recipient of the Richard H.
Krochock Award.
committees and was the chair of the 2011
DRI Annual Meeting. Even with her busy
practice and DRI work, Ms. Tal cott continues
to serve as a resource to the Young
Lawyers Committee and its members.
■ The Davis Carr Outstanding Committee
Chair Award was presented to
Vickie L. Henry, a senior staff attorney
at the Gay & Lesbian Advocates &
Defenders (GLAD) office in Boston. This
award honors a current or immediate
past DRI committee chair under whom
the committee has achieved its goals, has
increased membership, has motivated
member participation, including among
minorities, has created and implemented
new projects, and has filled all required
committee leadership positions.
Ms. Henry is a skilled litigator who
came to GLAD from the law firm Foley
Hoag LLP, where she worked for 15 years,
becoming a partner in 2002. She focused
her career on intellectual property and
commercial litigation disputes. Ms.
Henry is the recipient of many honors
and awards. She received the Massachusetts
LGBTQ Bar Association Pioneering
Spirit Award in 2008. Ms. Henry has
been named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer
since 2004.
Ms. Henry is the immediate past chair
of DRI’s Commercial Litigation Committee.
She has held several leadership
roles within the committee and has continued
the work of past committee leaders.
The committee has thrived under her
leadership.
The Davis Carr Outstanding Committee Chair Award is
presented to Vickie L. Henry.
■ Asim K. Desai received the Albert
H. Parnell Outstanding Program Chair
Award. This award recognizes an individual
who created a dynamic educational
program enhancing DRI’s image and
who has effectively led educational program
planning, marketing, and presentation,
displaying leadership, dedication,
and creativity in seminar development
and meeting organizational expectations
for a seminar.
Mr. Desai was the program chair for
DRI’s Insurance Bad Faith and Extra-
Contractual Liability Seminar in the
summer of 2011. He effectively led the
seminar programming committee from
the early planning stages through the
marketing phase. He kept the program
on schedule and was thoroughly engaging
as an on-site chair. Attendance and
sponsorships exceeded the projections
for the seminar. His dedication as program
chair was remarkable and contributed
to the program’s success.
Mr. Desai is the managing partner of
Carlson, Calladine & Peterson LLP’s Los
Angeles office, where he specializes in
high stakes complex litigation including
insurance bad faith, corporate fraud,
commercial litigation, product liability,
and catastrophic personal injuries.
■ DRI bestowed the Outstanding State
Representative Award on Thomas J. Maroney,
a founding member of Maroney
O’Connor LLP in New York City. This
award is presented to a current or immediate
past DRI State Representative
who has made significant contributions
toward promoting
DRI membership within his
or her state. This recipient has
also been instrumental in implementing
a significant, unique
program to foster the relationship
between DRI and his or her
SLDO, enhancing DRI’s stature
or the public’s view of the role
of the defense lawyer in society.
Mr. Maroney has given generously
of his time and talents
as the DRI New York State Representative.
His leadership skills
have been beneficial in recruiting
and retaining members for
DRI and the Defense Association
of New York (DANY). Mr.
Maroney is a past- president of DANY,
and now acts as an outstanding liaison
between DRI and the DANY.
Mr. Maroney has spent the last 29
years dedicating his practice to high
exposure, complex, and multi- party civil
defense litigation. He serves as chair of
the executive committee of the New York
State Bar Association’s Torts, Insurance
and Compensation Law Section.
■ The SLDO Diversity Award is presented
to a state or local defense organization
that has achieved significant
success in demonstrating a commitment
to diversity within and outside the organization.
The organization must also
demonstrate a commitment to diversity
as evidenced by a formal diversity
The Albert H. Parnell Outstanding Program Chair Award is
accepted by Anthony R. Zelle on behalf of Asim K. Desai.
For The Defense ■ December 2011 ■ 15