CHICAGO — The National Association of Dealer Counsel (NADC) board of directors elected new officers during its 7th Annual Member Conference held at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago.

The NADC is a nationwide professional organization of attorneys who represent automobile and other vehicle dealers.

Patricia Covington of Hudson Cook LLP was elected president, replacing former president Rob Cohen of Auto Advisory Services Inc. Larry Young of HughesWattersAskanase, Oren Tasini of Haile, Shaw & Pfaffenberger P.A. and Stephen Linzer of Tiffany & Bosco P.A. were all elected vice presidents. Andrew Weill of Benjamin, Weill & Mazer was elected treasurer and Tom Hudson of Hudson Cook LLP – and one of F&I and Showroom magazine’s legal columnists – was elected secretary. The new officers will serve two-year terms.

On being elected president, Covington commented, “NADC is a robust and fast-growing association, not only bringing together attorneys with the similar aim to serve dealer clients, but with first-rate benefits to members. This has only been achieved through the superior leadership of past presidents Jonathan Harvey, Michael Charapp and Rob Cohen. There are high expectations and as the saying goes, ‘I have big shoes to fill.’ However, I am very excited about the opportunity, and intend to continue the wonderful leadership that we at the NADC expect.”

The 2011 member conference featured legal presentations by some of the industry’s top lawyers, as well as a question-and-answer session with Joel Winston, associate director of the division of financial practices in the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Other sessions included: Class Action Lawsuits (Preventative and Reactive Measures); Top 20 Franchise Trends for 2011; Responding to Pre-Termination Notices and Corrective Measures; Alternatives in a Post-Arbitration World; CFPB Update; NADA Update; Estate Planning; Tax Issues Affecting Dealers – UNICAP; Personnel and Labor Trends; and Social Media.

Prior to leaving his position as president, Cohen proudly announced that the NADC reached its goal and the milestone of 500 members.