The Pennsylvania Defense Institute

President Cummins President’s Promise

After fifty five years of serving the civil defense community, most prominently by providing one of the best amicus curiae programs in the nation while affording its membership consistent, quality educational opportunities, it is my promise to work to expand the outreach efforts and influence of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute.

There are many challenges facing those interested in a fair and just civil litigation system which are not going to be overcome in the courtroom.  Medical malpractice venue reform, stacking reform, the growing influence of third-party funders in civil litigation, and judicial decisions undermining the intended effect of the Fair Share Act, are all issues that are only going to be addressed through the legislature.  Over the course of the last year, PDI began to bring its expertise and knowledge to the legislature, re-introducing PDI to the Commonwealth’s newest lawmakers and offering its guidance and insight.  It is vital that we continue our efforts to assist and educate the legislature on the impact of the recent changes in the legal landscape, the need for action to ensure a fair civil litigation system, and the consequences of legislative action or inaction in these areas.  It is time for the defense bar to do its part to ensure that Commonwealth’s lawmakers have access to all necessary information and points of view in making legislative decisions.  PDI is uniquely suited to that pursuit, and it is my goal to work to expand PDI’s efforts in this area to complement the excellent work of the organization’s amicus curiae program in the courtroom.

None of PDI’s vital work can be accomplished without a robust and active membership base.  It is only through the breadth of experience of our membership that we are able to provide insightful, informed, and well-grounded guidance to the bar, our members, and the legislature.  To expand the membership base, it is crucial that PDI communicate its important work and successes to its membership.  This year it is my promise to focus on the promotion PDI’s value to each of its members and the defense bar as a whole.  PDI provides free, live, remote CLE programs to its membership on a monthly basis.  Its committees work to ensure that our members and the judiciary remain on the cutting edge of new developments in the law.  Most notably, for more than a decade the Products Liability Committee has been leading the charge to ensure that the judiciary is educated on products liability law following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Tincher v. Omega Flex, and has circulated and refined model jury instructions for presentation by defense counsel which accurately state the law, notwithstanding the clear errors contained in the Suggested Standard Civil Jury Instructions.  Our amicus curiae committee is involved in virtually every significant Supreme Court decision impacting civil defense litigation, and participates in a wide variety of matters at the intermediate appellate level.  As the Commonwealth’s only state-wide civil defense organization, PDI affords its membership opportunities for state-wide collaboration and networking, through its active list-serve and its regular educational and social activities.  None of this vital work happens without our membership.  Through the active promotion of PDI’s crucial work, we will retain our members, while aiding the recruitment of new members by arming our current members with the information they need to convince their colleagues of the essential role PDI fills both for its individual members and the defense bar as a whole.

In a profession where attorneys and insurance professionals must focus intensely on the claims and suits before them, and are continuously pressed to account for each hour of their time, it becomes almost impossible for individual practitioners to find additional time to work for the greater good. The Pennsylvania Defense Institute is the only state-wide organization doing the work necessary to benefit civil defense bar as a whole.  Every day it benefits every member of the defense bar, whether a member of the organization or not.  It is for this reason that I am proud to have been a PDI member for the last fifteen years, and am prouder still to be its current President.

Nicholas A. Cummins, Esquire

PDI President