This year's AILA National Conference in Tasmania is drawing closer.

It's an extremely packed schedule this year, with high-quality speakers and many interesting events planned. In particular, I urge all delegates to take advantage of the practical breakout sessions.

Forensic IT specialist David Caldwell will host an IT fraud breakout session. Mr Caldwell is a former Victorian policeman who now works at Ferrier Hodgson specialising in data capture, recovery and analysis. Corporations and individuals are now heavily dependent on technology - and that can cause vulnerabilities and risk. There are growing insurance law implications, with an increasing number of disputes within organisations and employers over IP ownership and IT fraud.

Mr Caldwell has more than a decade's worth of experience as a forensic practitioner and plans to highlight how IT investigations have been integral to resolving internal company disputes and legal cases. His work includes determining who made edits to important business emails and he examines companies' IP theft allegations. Companies are increasingly concerned former employees are taking this information to their new employers - often a competitor.

Mr Caldwell will also highlight metadata's importance and how it allows forensic specialists to trace people and their whereabouts or documents' origins. Last year's high-profile case of Madeleine Pulver, the Sydney girl forced to wear a fake bomb when an intruder entered her house, is an example of how metadata assisted in finding the culprit.

On a very different note, delegates can visit the Incat shipbuilding yard for another breakout session. Incat's spectacular products will be on show during a site tour. Its latest vessel, the Hull 069, will be almost ready for launch.

Managing director Simon Carter says it's the world's first high-speed passenger ferry powered by duel fuel; starting off using diesel and later changing to LNG. It can hold 450 tonnes of cargo, is 99m long and uses the same gas turbine engines as jumbo jets.

Mr Carter, who is responsible for the company's legal affairs, says many Australian laws originate from shipping law because most trade and commerce was conducted on the high seas in past centuries. And of course, when disaster strikes ships, it's usually big - whether it be for the hull and machinery or third party losses, such as oil spills, or ships' collisions with other vessels or permanent structures like wharves.

Other speakers include NSW Appeal Court President Justice James Allsop, who will examine insurance's central role in society and development of the law. Justice Allsop has had a distinguished career in commercial law and has lectured at the University of Sydney for many years.

Samantha Traves, a QUT Faculty of Law visiting fellow and Barry Nilsson consultant, will present on the duty of utmost good faith, its application to insurance contract terms, insurers' pre-contractual obligations to inform, and an insured's right to know. NZILA President Craig Langstone will examine legal and coverage issues arising out of the NZ earthquakes.

And don't forget David Foster's wood chopping exhibition.

Sign up now to attend the conference.

AIDA Europe conference

The AIDA conference in London on September 13-14 is shaping up to be very interesting. The conference theme is Testing times, uncertain outcomes: How are insurers and reinsurers expected to measure up? 

I am sure those attending will enjoy the keynote presentation from Karel van Hulle, head of the Unit for Insurance and Pensions, DG Internal Market and Services, European Commission, and other excellent speakers. For more information, go to http://www.aida.org.uk/AIDAEurop/Forthcoming-events.asp

AILA membership renewal

I know members have now received renewal forms. As the accompanying letter indicated, there has been a small membership fee increase to assist with budgetary costs and in line with the CPI. I truly believe AILA membership is great value for money with benefits including the national conference, quarterly AILA News editions and many networking opportunities throughout the year. Membership has increased almost 20% in the past three years and AILA recorded its highest-ever membership figures in the 2011-12 financial year.

David Lee 

AILA President