PS&H Partner Howard Merten was elected to be President of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC) for 2022-2023 at the organization’s recent Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1936, the FDCC is an international organization composed of the nation’s leaders in the legal community. Federation members have been judged by their peers to have achieved the highest in professional distinction, and are committed to promoting “Knowledge, Justice and Fellowship.” The over 1500 members of the FDCC include the top attorneys in private practice who specialize in civil defense litigation, as well as general counsel, risk managers and insurance claims examiners from throughout the world. The Federation is the premier organization for civil defense attorneys in the country and membership is by invitation after an extensive peer review selection process.
Howard has been an active member of the FDCC for 20 years. During that time, Howard has served on the Board of the FDCC for ten years, as Director, Senior Director, Secretary-Treasurer, and President-Elect. During his membership, Howard has led efforts to raise the visibility and rebrand the FDCC, as well as served as Convention Chair for the organization’s meeting in Banff, Canada, and as Convention Chair for the organizations Leadership Institute. He has also been a frequent plenary and section programming speaker, and prolific writer.
Howard remarked, “I am honored to lead an organization with such strong traditions of professionalism, comradery and legal excellence. The FDCC has been, by far, the most valuable and personally fulfilling organization I have ever been involved with. Together, our members have built a vital, growing organization that continues to strengthen the defense bar and justice system,” said Merten. “I look forward to the year ahead and the opportunity to serve my fellow members as their president.” Howard’s priority as President will be to re-establish the importance and value of in-person FDCC Meetings in a post-COVID world, and to more directly measure and increase the value of FDCC membership.
Howard served as President-Elect for one year before becoming President of the Federation (2022-2023).
