Bradley’s Ed Sledge Appointed Director-Elect of IADC Trial Academy and to NFJE Board
Edward S. Sledge IV, a partner in Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP’s Birmingham office, has been appointed director-elect of the annual Trial Academy of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC). He also has been appointed to the board of the National Foundation for Judicial Excellence (NFJE).
With the Trial Academy, Sledge will serve as director-elect in 2020 and as director, overseeing implementation of the program, in 2021. He was appointed to a three-year term on the NFJE board, beginning this month.
A member of Bradley’s Litigation Practice Group, Sledge is a litigator and trial lawyer, with experience in high-stakes, bet-the-company disputes for a variety of corporate clients and private equity groups, the firm said in a release. He has tried cases to verdict in multiple state and federal courts and serves as national trial counsel to a unit of a Fortune 50 corporation. Sledge represents financial services clients in connection with finance-related litigation, including the defense of class actions, lender liability, securities, and RICO claims. In addition, to commercial disputes, Sledge litigates product liability matters, consumer finance disputes, intellectual property disputes, and insurance coverage matters, , as well as personal injury and wrongful death matters, the firm said.
Sledge is a frequent lecturer and author on civil litigation and trial issues. He serves on the Foundation Board of the IADC, is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Benchmark Litigation, Mid-South Super Lawyers and Alabama Super Lawyers (Top 50), among other publications. As a former Army officer, Sledge remains active in serving veterans’ issues for which he has been recognized by the Alabama State Bar with its President’s Award three times. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and the University of Alabama School of Law.
Held in the summer at Stanford Law School in Palo Alto, Calif., the IADC’s Trial Academy is a seven-day, intensive training event and one of the oldest and most respected programs in the country for enhancing trial advocacy skills of less experienced lawyers. The program emphasizes the learning-by-doing method of instruction, blending faculty instruction and demonstration with individual student participation. The program’s faculty consists of IADC members who are leading defense trial lawyers, representing different geographic areas and diverse practices, styles and personalities.
The IADC is the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests. In addition to its core purpose involving professional development for its members, the IADC takes a leadership role in many areas of legal reform. Founded in 1920, the IADC’s 2,500 members hail from six continents, more than 50 countries and territories, and all 50 U.S. states.
The NFJE addresses important legal policy issues affecting the law and civil justice system by providing meaningful support and education to the judiciary, including by publishing scholarly works and by engaging in other efforts to continually enhance and ensure judicial excellence and fairness for all engaged in the judicial process.
