For a few hours on June 12, the Greater New York Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel reminded its attendees of the importance of a true American city - New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz and home to authentic Creole cuisine.
The chapter's Fifth Annual Pro Bono Event, which took place from 4 to 7 p.m. at The Penn Club in New York City, focused on crisis management and the ethical issues accompanying the decisions of in-house counsel. Through three hypothetical questions drafted toward communicating with corporate executives regarding environmental responsibilities, forming a crisis plan in times of a 'corporate disaster,' and responding to the disaster by interacting with government regulatory officials and insurance carriers, a panel of attorneys guided the audience through the processes that should be taken in preparation for a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina.
To introduce the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Tony Ciaccio, a practicing attorney at Santiago & Ciaccio in New Orleans, briefly described the days leading up to and the days following the striking of the storm. Stephen C. King (Hunton & Williams LLP), Richard P. Lewis (Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C.), Philip B. Rosen (Jackson Lewis LLP), Michael J. Tone (Nixon Peabody LLP), Joe D. Whitley (Alston & Bird LLP), and Ida Wurczinger Draim (Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky LLP) served on the panel of speakers providing the audience with responses to the hypothetical questions surrounding the corporate survival of natural disasters.
Carole Basri, Executive Director of the Greater New York Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, served as the moderator to this event. In addition, she provided video recordings she took while on a tour with the New Orleans Visitor's Bureau a week before the event so that a recent presentation could be created for the attendees.
In addition to the jazz ensemble and the festive decorations provided by the Greater New York Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, Tulane University Law School and the New Orleans Visitor's Bureau provided pamphlets and jazz CD's for the attendees at the event so they could take a piece of New Orleans home with them.