Laura De Santos, a partner in the Houston office, has been appointed to The Foundation of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), which works to serve as a platform for educating the public and the legal community on current litigation issues and supporting the integrity of the legal system throughout the world.
Among the many programs that the Foundation supports and promotes, one that particularly stands out is its work with iCivics (www.icivics.org). Founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and originally called Our Courts, iCivics is a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in U.S. democracy. Justice O'Connor, in an appearance at the Midyear Meeting of the IADC in 2011, declared that she considers iCivics as one of her greatest accomplishments.
When The Foundation of the IADC got involved, Our Courts was offered in only a handful of states and had a couple of web games on the court system. Now, there are State Coordinators in every state and iCivics has educational video games and teaching materials on topics such as citizenship and participation, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, separation of powers, the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch. The site has also grown to include a repository of resources for teachers to make it as easy as possible for them to include civics in their lesson plans.
Laura has been a member of the IADC since 2003 and served as the Membership Committee Chair from 2009-2011, and Chair of the Diversity Committee from 2006-2007. She also has served in leadership positions on the Drug, Device & Biotech Committee of the IADC. IADC is an invitation-only, peer-reviewed association that has been serving a distinguished membership of corporate and insurance defense attorneys for more than 85 years.
For more information on The Foundation of the IADC, please click here.