February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The conference will take place at the Hotel Europe in Killarney, Co. Kerry, from Aug. 11-14.
Crotty was New York City corporate counsel during the Giuliani era. He was nominated to a federal judgeship by Democratic senator Charles Schumer. New York’s Republican governor, George Pataki, also supported his nomination. Crotty was confirmed on Monday by a 95-0 Senate vote.
The organizers of the TICL conference expect a number of people who are not attorneys, as well as major figures in the New York state legal system, to take part in the Killarney conference. They say that there are still places available and that the conference will be an educational experience for anyone interested in recent developments in the insurance industry.
Sean Downes, a New York lawyer, is a delegate to the TICL and, along with the organization’s chair, Douglas J Hayden, is one of the key figures behind the trip.
“It’s an opportunity for everybody who is involved in the same area of law to get together in a comfortable setting, outside of the courts, and to discuss emerging issues in the area,” Downes said.
Downes himself will chair a roundtable discussion on the recent changes concerning compensation for illegal immigrants injured in the course of their work in New York.
Downes said that, traditionally, someone injured in such a scenario could claim compensation for lost earnings based on the salary he or she was making in the U.S.
While there have been no legislative changes, Downes contends there has been a trend among judges toward interpreting the law in a different way. It now is being held to mean that the size of the claimant’s award for lost earnings should be determined in line with rates of pay in his or her native country.
This move clearly has negative effects for an illegal immigrant from the developing world. But Downes believes that it could be beneficial for injured illegals from countries like Ireland that have a robust economy and where wages are high. He hopes that the roundtable session will further highlight this issue.
Discussions will not be confined to insurance and compensation-related matters, however. John Finucane, the son of Pat Finucane, will also address the meeting.
Pat Finucane, a Belfast attorney, was murdered in his home in 1989. Collusion between British security forces and the loyalists who killed Finucane has long been suspected. Although there have already been several probes into the Finucane case, his family — and many other people — believe the full truth has yet to emerge.
Among the other figures from New York confirmed to attend the TICL meeting are Frank Durkan and Rob Dunn of the O’Dwyer&Bernstein law firm and Gerry McCarthy, vice-president of AIG.
Lawyers who attend will also receive Continuing Legal Education credits.
Anyone who wants to receive further details about the meeting should contact Sean Downes at (212) 248 3232 or sjd_esq@hotmail.com. Details are also available on the Web site of the New York State Bar Association: www.nysba.org.