Michael Pope Named Chair of New ACTL Committee
CHICAGO (July 18, 2006) — Michael A. Pope, a partner in McDermott Will & Emery's Chicago Trial Department, has been appointed the inaugural chair of the Courageous Jurist Award Committee of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL). The mission of the committee is to honor judges throughout the country who have performed their duties under very difficult or dangerous circumstances.
Mr. Pope is a fellow of the ACTL and serves on its special committee on the Administration of Justice. ACTL is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellowship in the ACTL is extended by invitation only and only to those experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality. The College strives to improve and elevate the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the trial profession. For more information visit www.actl.com/.
As head of McDermott's product liability practice, Mr. Pope has a national practice in product liability matters, including the defense of class action lawsuits. He also has extensive experience in handling reinsurance disputes, in the interpretation of excess and umbrella liability insurance policies, and in professional liability and complex business litigation.
Mr. Pope is the immediate past president of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association. He is a former chairman of the board of trustees of the National Judicial College in Nevada. He heads the Defense Research Institute’s Task Force on Mass Torts, and is a past president of Lawyers for Civil Justice, a national coalition of corporations and trial lawyers interested in improvements in the civil justice system. He has served as president of the International Association of Defense Counsel. He is also a fellow of the International Society of Barristers and of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Since 1996, he has been a member of the American Law Institute. Mr. Pope is a member of the Chicago Bar Association (Board of Managers, 1987-1990), the Illinois State Bar Association (Chair, Special Committee on Discovery Reform, 1994-1995), the American Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute (Board of Directors, 1993-1995), and the Product Liability Advisory Council.
