18th Annual TDLA Meeting (17 Sep 2026)

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

September 17 & 18, 2026

18th Annual TDLA Meeting

Earn 4 CLE, including 60 minutes Ethics.

Join us for TDLA’s 18^th Annual Meeting. The event begins on Thursday evening at 6pm with a networking reception followed by dinner and a speaker. Friday morning’s business meeting begins at 8am, followed by a full slate of CLE’s. The event concludes by noon.

Hilton Garden Inn Downtown

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Reserve Your Room Now

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hilton Garden Inn, at the special rate of $279+.

Reserve by August 18, 2023

THE CLE PROGRAM

MICHAEL KENNEDY, ESQ.

Bar Counsel, The Vermont Judiciary

Get Ready for an Ethics Trivia Challenge!

followed by a discussion on a "hot topic".

Mike Kennedy graduated from the University of Vermont and the George Washington University Law School. Mike has been Vermont Bar Counsel since 2012. As Bar Counsel, Mike focuses on assisting lawyers and judges to comply with the Rules of Professional Conduct and their professional obligations. From 2000-2012, Mike was Vermont’s Disciplinary Counsel, investigating and prosecuting lawyers who violated the Vermont Rules of Professional Conduct. He previously served as the president of the Vermont Bar Association and as an assistant attorney general for the Department of Corrections and Department of Health. In 2022, he received the prestigious American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Second Circuit.

DRI Speaker

HENRY M. SNEATH

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Pittsburgh, PA

AI – Defending the Algorithm

Practical AI Strategies for the Defense Attorney

A 2-hour intensive, this topic will have a practical piece and a substantive piece.

Henry Sneath is a Director/Shareholder Attorney at Houston Harbaugh, P.C. in Pittsburgh, where he Co-Chairs the Litigation Section, and is Chair of the IP Section. He has tried over 95 civil jury trials to verdict. He specializes in Business Litigation, Intellectual Property, Patent, Trademark and Copyright Infringement, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Trade Secret Protection, DTSALaw®, Cybersecurity and Data Breach, Prevention, Mitigation and Litigation, Products Liability Defense, Employment, Non-Competes, Restrictive Covenants, Probate, Trusts and Estates Litigation and Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Litigation. He also serves as a certified mediator, arbitrator and Federal Court Special Master.

He is a Past President of DRI (Defense Research Institute) and is the former Chair of its Commercial Litigation Committee and Intellectual Property Subcommittee. He received his J.D. degree from Duquesne University School of Law.

JAMES P. SPIZUOCO, Shareholder

Drummond Woodsum

Portland, Maine

Recent Trends in Medical Malpractice

James Spizuoco will analyze recent multi-million-dollar medical malpractice verdicts in Maine, as well as damages issues currently before the Maine Law Court that implicate the cap on wrongful death actions. He’ll also report on the state of attorney-directed voir dire and provide observations on how it was used at a recent jury trial. Finally, this session will include an essential overview of Perringer releases: what they are, how they are used, and how a defendant should elect between the offset and allocation methods.

James Spizuoco is a Shareholder at Drummond Woodsum who focuses his practice on civil litigation, insurance coverage and defense, and medical malpractice defense. He represents medical professionals of every level and specialty, as well as hospitals and health care systems. Known for his ability to quickly learn and understand complex medical concepts, James advises clients from the notice of a malpractice claim up to and including trial. At a trial in Maine this summer, he helped obtain a unanimous defense verdict in a case that featured an alleged failure to diagnose osteomyelitis in the jaw of a patient who was seeking more than $1 million in damages. James has been recognized by both New England Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers USA.

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Tri-State Defense Lawyers Association upcoming events

18th Annual TDLA Meeting (17 Sep 2026)