DRI Annual Meeting 2026: Dates, Cost, Sessions, CLE and a Social Media Evidence Checklist

Last updated October 19, 2026, from DRI’s official event pages.

A screenshot of a text message is not evidence. It’s a picture of something that might become evidence, and DRI’s Annual Meeting has a session on exactly that gap. The meeting is October 21 to 23, 2026 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, DC, and the regular registration rate ends October 20. Below are the cost, the CLE and the sessions that matter to a trial team, plus a capture log and checklist so what you learn becomes exhibits you can use at trial.

Key takeaways

  • Regular registration is $1,595 for members and $1,995 for nonmembers through October 20, and onsite rates are $100 higher. Groups of four or more get 15% off.

  • Confirmed sessions include “Discovering and Admitting Social Media Evidence – The Ethical Way” (Wednesday), an AI Skills Lab (Thursday) and “Winning When the Room is Against You: A Trial Master Class” (Friday). DRI expects about 11.25 CLE hours, including 2 ethics.

  • A screenshot becomes evidence only when someone can say who made it, when, and why it matches the original. A five-step order, a capture log and a before / at / after checklist cover collecting, authenticating and showing each exhibit.

  • If your social media exhibits have to appear next to testimony, ExhibitView is trial presentation software with a built-in web browser for saving pages, side-by-side display and live markup, plus a 5-day trial.

What is the DRI Annual Meeting?

DRI is a civil defense organization and its Annual Meeting runs Wednesday, October 21 through Friday, October 23, 2026 at the Grand Hyatt Washington. DRI says the audience is civil defense attorneys, in-house counsel, claims professionals and industry leaders.

What does it cost?

DRI’s pricing page lists:

Category

Regular rate (through Oct. 20)

Onsite rate

Member

$1,595

$1,695

Nonmember

$1,995

$2,095

Nonmember bundle (includes up to nine months of membership)

$1,915

$2,015

  • Groups of four or more (non-sponsored) get 15% off, with one free registration for every 10 paid. Groups register by a separate form.

  • Government employees, in-house counsel, claims executives and law students get discounted rates. DRI doesn’t list the amounts.

  • Registration covers all CLE programs, non-ticketed events, “CLE on the GO”, Business and Bites, networking receptions and the DRI app. The diversity luncheon and the Friday night gala are ticketed separately.

What is on the program?

DRI’s CLE page lists the sessions below. Times and most speakers aren’t published there, so check the DRI app. The ones most relevant to a trial team:

  • Wednesday, October 21: “Discovering and Admitting Social Media Evidence – The Ethical Way”. DRI publishes no description.

  • Wednesday, October 21: “The Future of Aviation Litigators: Mock Trial Presentations by, and Practice Pointers for, Up-and-Coming Aviation Attorneys”. It’s aimed at aviation litigators, so it’s the format, not the subject, that applies to everyone.

  • Thursday, October 22: AI Skills Lab. No description or hosts are listed.

  • Friday, October 23: “Winning When the Room is Against You: A Trial Master Class”.

  • CLE on the GO: two short sessions, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, included with registration.

Also on the program: Senator Joe Manchin’s Thursday keynote, ethical mediation, in-house counsel and midterm-election sessions, an interrogation-based session on spotting lies and a Litigation Skills Workshop. There is an exhibit hall, but DRI’s page does not name exhibitors.

How do you get social media evidence ready for court?

Treat every post, photo and clip as an exhibit with a chain-of-custody problem, and work through five steps.

Step

What to do

Why it matters

Collect

Request the accounts from the other side and ask them in writing to preserve

You can’t authenticate what you never received

Capture

Record the URL, the account, the date and time, and who captured it

You’ll need a witness who can say how the image was made

Protect the original

Keep the original capture untouched and work on copies

Anyone can ask what the evidence looked like when it arrived

Authenticate

Plan the foundation before trial

Rules 901 and 902, below

Present

Show it with the full context ready

See “Showing it at trial”, below

Getting it from the other side

  • Ask for it. Rule 34(a)(1)(A) lets you request electronically stored information. If you don’t specify a form, the responding party can produce it as ordinarily maintained or in a reasonably usable form, so name the accounts and the form you want.

  • Ask early for preservation. Under Rule 37(e), a court can act when information that should have been preserved is lost because a party failed to take reasonable steps and it can’t be restored or replaced. Curative measures need prejudice. The harshest ones, such as an adverse-inference instruction, need a finding of intent to deprive.

  • Don’t count on the platform. The Stored Communications Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2702, generally bars providers from disclosing the contents of stored communications, and its listed exceptions do not name civil subpoenas. Expect to get content from the account holder or with consent, and check current case law in your circuit.

Authenticating it

Federal Rule of Evidence 901 requires evidence that an item is what you say it is, and 901(b)(4) allows authentication by distinctive characteristics. Rule 902 lists items that authenticate themselves, including certified electronic records and data copied from an electronic device (902(13) and 902(14)). State rules differ, so check yours and the judge’s pretrial order.

Showing it at trial

  • Show the whole thread first, then enlarge the line you rely on. Rule 106 lets the adverse party require more of a recorded statement when fairness demands it, so expect an objection to a screenshot that cuts off the context. Keep the complete original ready.

  • Put it next to the testimony it supports or contradicts, so the jury sees the contrast without a speech.

  • For video, bookmark the clip and test playback on the courtroom equipment.

  • Keep the admitted exhibit clean. Callouts and enlargements are illustrative aids, which Rule 107 treats as helping the jury understand the evidence, not as evidence. Mark up copies.

A capture log you can copy

Keep one row per capture, filled in at the moment you take it. The examples are illustrative:

Field

Example

Exhibit number and label

DX-14, “Plaintiff’s June 3 post”

URL and account

Full link and the account name

Date and time captured

With time zone

Captured by

The person who can testify to it

Method

Browser save, screenshot or export

Original file name

Kept untouched, with a separate working copy

Authenticating witness

Who will lay the foundation

Rule route

Witness (901), distinctive characteristics (901(b)(4)) or certification (902(13)/(14))

What is the checklist for the meeting?

Before you go

  • Register, or confirm the onsite rate and whether staff can register.

  • Check what you’ve already asked for: a Rule 34 request naming the accounts and the form of production, and a written preservation request.

  • List your three weakest social media or photo exhibits and start a capture log row for each, including who can authenticate it.

  • For the AI Skills Lab, plan to use sample or non-confidential material. Don’t put client documents into a demo tool.

  • Check the DRI app for session times, since the CLE page doesn’t list them.

At the meeting

  • In the social media session, ask how to authenticate each exhibit, what to do when the other side calls a screenshot incomplete, and who your witness is.

  • In the AI lab, ask how every output links back to its source page, where your data goes, and how to check it against the record (ABA Formal Opinion 512 covers duties when using generative AI).

  • In the exhibit hall, ask any vendor to show your sample exhibit, not slides.

Within two weeks of getting back

  • Complete the capture log, then number and file each social media exhibit with it. Our guide to organizing exhibits for a complex trial covers numbering and witness folders.

  • Run one mock direct on the real laptop and display, with the real exhibit list. See running trial presentation yourself.

  • Practice showing a post beside a deposition excerpt. See comparing documents side by side.

  • If any evidence is video, cut and watch each clip from start to end. See playing video evidence in court.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the DRI Annual Meeting 2026?

October 21 to 23, 2026 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, DC, according to DRI.

How much does it cost?

Regular rates through October 20 are $1,595 for members and $1,995 for nonmembers, with onsite rates $100 higher. Groups of four or more get 15% off.

Is there a session on social media evidence?

Yes: “Discovering and Admitting Social Media Evidence – The Ethical Way” on Wednesday, October 21. DRI doesn’t list its time or speakers on the CLE page.

Is there CLE at the DRI Annual Meeting 2026?

DRI expects about 11.25 hours, including 2.00 ethics, and will request accreditation from every state with MCLE requirements. Final details haven’t been published.

Can I still register after October 20?

DRI lists an onsite rate of $1,695 for members and $2,095 for nonmembers, $100 above the regular rate. Check DRI’s registration page for current terms.

Can paralegals or legal staff attend?

DRI’s pricing page doesn’t mention staff or paralegals, so ask DRI before you register.

What is “CLE on the GO”?

Two short sessions, Wednesday 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. and Thursday 3:00 to 4:30 p.m., with limited space. DRI doesn’t map specific topics to them.

How do you authenticate social media evidence?

Usually with a witness who can say the capture is what it claims to be, evidence of distinctive characteristics, or a certification for electronic records, under Federal Rules of Evidence 901 and 902. State rules vary.

What if the other side deletes a post?

Federal Rule 37(e) lets a court respond when electronically stored information that should have been preserved is lost and can’t be restored. Measures need prejudice, and the harshest need intent to deprive.

Can I subpoena a platform for someone’s posts?

The Stored Communications Act generally bars providers from disclosing content, and its listed exceptions don’t name civil subpoenas. Ask the account holder instead, and check your circuit’s law.

About ExhibitView

ExhibitView makes trial presentation software for lawyers and paralegals, built so one person can run exhibits, deposition clips and live markup from a single laptop, without a technician. Trial Presenter includes a built-in web browser for saving web pages, a library with witness folders and side-by-side display, so a capture can be filed, numbered and shown like any other exhibit. A 15-minute call with Bill shows how, using a sanitized exhibit list of your own.

Book a 15-minute call with Bill or read about Trial Presenter.