CHICAGO, March 18 /PRNewswire/ --

- 'Product Recalls & Claims - Facing the New Challenges' to Advise Legal Professionals on Global Product Liability Claims & Product Safety Regulation

DRI Europe, a newly created section of DRI -- the Voice of the Defense Bar (the world's largest organisation of business defence lawyers with over 22,000 members worldwide) will be holding its inaugural conference on April 17-18, 2008 at the Hotel Ritz Madrid in Madrid, Spain.

The conference, titled "Product Recalls and Claims -- Facing the New Challenges" will feature an examination of the growing issues surrounding product recalls and claims in Europe and the US. Attendees will be able to attend top notch continuing legal education seminars, where they will learn the latest issues surrounding how to manage global product liability claims, how to respond if a product claim or recall hits their clients' companies and how regulators are responding to the issues of product recalls and claims on a worldwide scale.

"The topic matter of product recalls and claims is a perfect launching point for DRI Europe's conference series," said Rod Freeman of Lovells LLP (London), Chair of the European Leadership Council for DRI Europe. "More than ever, European lawyers representing and advising multinational law firms need to be up to date on the latest developments on worldwide product liability and product safety trends. DRI Europe is dedicated to meeting the needs of these lawyers by providing high quality legal education in a variety of areas, including product liability and product safety. This conference will be an important event providing a unique view of recent developments and future trends from both a European and US perspective."

Some of the conference's continuing legal education sessions will cover topics such as:

-- Absolute "dos" and "don'ts" when responding to and managing a product crisis. -- European and US products law and statistics in real time. -- Who is "on the hook" for product claims?

"DRI has built a solid reputation of providing excellent learning opportunities at its practice group conferences. Not only do legal professionals get to learn from some of the top legal minds, but also to network with other lawyers from their fields on how to more effectively handle challenges and obstacles encountered in their practices on a daily basis," said Christian Bouckaert of SCP Bouckaert Ormen Passemard (Paris), Vice Chair of the European Leadership Council for DRI Europe. "We are confident that this conference, and subsequent DRI Europe conferences, will exemplify the same level of quality and value for its members enjoyed by those who attend DRI programs in the United States."

Lawyers and corporate counsel who are interested in attending the seminar can register online at http://drieurope.org/open/eurocle.aspx and clicking on the "Register Now" link near the bottom of the page.

ABOUT DRI EUROPE

DRI Europe, a section of DRI, consists of lawyers representing business interests and practice throughout Europe. DRI Europe provides an open forum for in-house counsel and lawyers in private practice to freely exchange ideas and information. Members are encouraged to participate in professional activities which will enhance their practice as well as their understanding of the law, while developing relationships with lawyers from Europe and other nations. The organisation can be reached at http://www.drieurope.org.

ABOUT DRI

Founded in 1960 with more than 22,000 members, DRI is the largest legal association for lawyers who represent individuals and business interests in litigation, dispute resolution and regulatory matters. The organisation provides numerous educational and informational resources to members and offers many opportunities for liaison among defense lawyers, corporations, and regional legal organisations. The organisation can be reached at http://www.dri.org.

CONTACT: Daniel Rothfield +1-202-973-1337 dan.rothfield@levick.com Web site: http://www.dri.org http://www.drieurope.org

Daniel Rothfield, +1-202-973-1337, dan.rothfield@levick.com, for DRI Europe