DRI, the nation’s leading organization of defense attorneys and in-house counsel with 22,000 members, has named Goldberg Segalla partner Joseph M. Hanna as the first-ever chair of its External Policy Alliances (EPA) Committee.

Joe, chair of Goldberg Segalla’s national Sports and Entertainment and Retail and Hospitality Practice Groups, will be responsible for establishing and maintaining the EPA’s mission. As a new committee within the DRI Center for Law and Public Policy, the EPA will act as both an advisory body and a liaison for the Center, and be a crucial contributor to DRI’s mission of ensuring the fairness of the civil justice system at all levels. With a nationwide mandate, the committee will monitor entities whose activities may impact the interests of DRI or the defense bar — such as state legislatures, other administrative or governing bodies, and legal organizations — and propose either alliances or other strategic actions to advance those shared interests and goals. Where any activity of those entities is not aligned with the interests and goals of DRI, or could hamper the fairness or efficient functioning of the civil justice system, the committee will alert the Center for Law and Public Policy and outline and evaluate strategies to address any such activity.

Joe’s leadership roles in DRI have been numerous and various, from chairing the organization’s 2016 Annual Meeting in Boston to serving several committees and groups as liaison to the Diversity Law Committee. He has served in countless roles for the Young Lawyers Committee, and is currently active in the Commercial Litigation Committee as chair of the Sports and Entertainment Law Specialized Litigation Group (SLG), as well as the Pro Bono and Public Service Committee and the Issues and Advocacy Committee. DRI recognized Joe with its Young Lawyer of the Year Award for Outstanding Service in 2007 and with its Community Service Award in 2011.