It gives us great pleasure to announce that this year's Spring "Convention" will be held on May 7-9, 2008, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Amelia Island, Florida. Entitled "Decision 2008: Reclaiming the Purpose and Integrity of the Arbitration Process," the Convention will focus on a return to the traditional values and spirit of arbitration in a changing and sophisticated reinsurance environment.

As our Keynote Speaker on the first day of the Convention, we are honored to have Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito discuss the arbitration process.

This unique Convention features three plenary tutorial sessions. The "Ethics in Arbitration" session is presented by ethics expert Professor Catherine Rogers. The "Insurance Linked Securities"panel is comprised of industry leaders who will describe the various capital markets products and address the potential reinsurance arbitration issues that could arise from these contracts. David Geronemus, a renowned mediator, will lead a panel entitled "Use of Mediation as a Tool to Resolve Reinsurance Arbitration Disputes." In addition, there will be two plenary mock arbitration sessions arising from one master topical fact pattern: one utilizes a "baseball arbitration" resolution approach, and the other will demonstrate the differences between UK and US reinsurance arbitration advocates and panels.

Before sessions begin on May 7th, there will be a Women's Networking Lunch and Life and Health Lunch.

In addition, on the morning of May 8, attendees will be able to select two "Caucus" workshops from a list of five that will address the following topics:

• Life & Health Reinsurance Workshop
• Technology in Managing a Reinsurance Dispute
• Newer Arbitrator Program Mock Streamlined Proceeding
• Commutation Disputes and Actuarial Panels
• New Contract Clauses and Arbitration Procedures: the Future of Reinsurance Arbitration

This year, Jim Stinson will serve as Golf Chair. He is organizing the Tenth Annual ARIAS·U.S. Open Tournament to be held on Thursday afternoon, May 8, at The Golf Club of Amelia Island, which is adjacent to the hotel. The Fifth Annual ARIAS Tennis Tournament will be chaired again by Eric Kobrick. This event will also take place on Thursday afternoon at the resort. Registration has opened for the Tenth Annual ARIAS Golf Tournament and the Fifth Annual ARIAS Tennis Tournament. Prospective players wishing to register can fill out the forms they received by mail or email. They can also go to the Golf Registration page or the Tennis Registration page, print it out and send it in to reserve their places.

A detailed program description is available in the brochure; hotel and registration information follow. We hope you will join us at what promises to be a great convention. We look forward to seeing you in Florida.

This conference will be conducted in accordance with the ARIAS·U.S. Antitrust Policy.

Hotel Arrangements

Guest Room Group Rates: The ARIAS group rates are $275 for Coastline View rooms and $325 for Deluxe Coastline View rooms (high floor). All rooms have balconies and face the Atlantic Ocean. To receive these rates, you must indicate the group code ARIARIA for the Coastline View room or ARIARIO for the Deluxe. All rooms are single or double occupancy, $15 per day for a third or fourth person.

You may make your reservation online, via the Ritz-Carlton's online reservation system. Be sure to enter the code in the "Group code" box. If you prefer to phone, the number is 800-241-3333. To receive the ARIAS group rate, be sure to mention that you are with ARIAS or specify the room type by using the code.

The Coastal Deluxe Rooms are limited (50 out of the 400 in the peak night room block), so they are on a first-come, first-reserved basis. A limited number of rooms are available for several days before and after the conference at the group rate on the same basis.

The main phone number for the Ritz-Carlton is 904-277-1100. The fax number is 904-261-9064. The address is 4750 Amelia Island Parkway, Amelia Island, FL 32034.

To be guaranteed conference group rates, all hotel reservations must be made no later than April 11, 2008. Accommodations are on a first-come basis, but sufficient rooms should be available in the ARIAS room block before the reservation deadline. After the deadline, there may be no rooms available at any rate. There is no resort fee at this hotel. However, local taxes and fees are additional.

The conference runs from noon on Wednesday until noon on Friday. Plan to stay, at least, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Check-in time is 4:00 p.m.; if you are arriving on Wednesday for the noon start,you will have to store bags upon arrival, unless your room is ready early.

Conference Registration Fees & Deadlines

* Non-members may apply for membership and receive member rates.

Final Conference Registration Deadline: April 25, 2008
The website will continue to accept registration requests after this date. However, $100 additional will be charged, and conference materials will have to be picked up at check-in.

Golf and Tennis: Costs and details of the golf and tennis tournaments will be sent separately.

Registration Fee Includes: Program materials, two continental breakfasts, two luncheons, three refreshment breaks, two cocktail receptions, the second being longer and with added food stations, rather than a formal seated dinner.

Not Included in the Registration Fee: Travel, lodging, and recreational activity expenses

Spouse/guest Fee Includes: All food events and receptions; not the conference sessions.

Conference materials will be sent in advance to everyone who has registered by April 11. They are not guaranteed after that date. However, an attempt will be made to provide them in time.

Cancellation Policy: The cutoff date for a full refund of the Conference Registration fee is April 25, 2008. Anyone who cancels after that date will receive a refund, less a $100 administrative fee. Notification must be received in writing by email, fax, or postal mail. Refund will be issued by check. Failure to cancel before the conference begins will result in forfeiture of the registration fee.

Direct any inquiries to:
Bill Yankus, ARIAS·U.S. Executive Director · ARIAS·U.S. · PO Box 9001, Mt. Vernon, NY 10552
Phone: 914-966-3180 ext. 116 · Fax: 914-966-3264 · Email: info@arias-us.org

NYS CLE Credit: ARIAS·U.S.is accredited by the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board as a provider of CLE training. Nine and one-half hours of Continuing Legal Education credits are available to those who attend this conference, swhich breaks down as follows: 1.0 CLE credits for Ethics, 8.5 CLE credits for Skills. This program is structured for both newly-admitted attorneys and experienced attorneys. Sign-in and sign-out sheets will verify attendance and will be the basis upon which certificates of attendance will be sent, but certification of completed credit hours to CLE Boards is the responsibility of each attorney.

Financial Hardship Policy Statement: As required by the NYS Continuing Legal Education Board, if a member of the bar of New York would like to attend an ARIAS·U.S. seminar, but finds that he or she would incur a financial hardship by doing so, an application for waiver of the attendance fee may be made to the Board of Directors of ARIAS·U.S. Such application would be held in confidence.