Trial Magazine

Being your president has been my greatest professional privilege. The past year has challenged our association, but I am proud that AAJ remains focused on its mission to protect the constitutional right to trial by jury, provide exceptional education for plaintiff lawyers, promote accountability and safety, and improve our communities.

An integral part of our practices is trying to stop negligent or harmful behavior and to save lives in the quest for justice for our clients. That’s why I asked AAJ members to give End Distracted Driving presentations to high school students. Hundreds of thousands of people have been injured by distracted drivers. Throughout the 2016–2017 school year, members helped us reach about 60,000 students—a fantastic addition to the work of trial lawyers who have reached more than 325,000 people through EndDD (www.EndDD.org).

Despite successes like the EndDD program, last fall’s tumultuous election introduced a new era of public perception of truth, media, and politics. AAJ’s challenge since then has been to ­broadcast our message of accountability and the importance of preserving the constitutional rights of people who want a fair shot in a system they believe is rigged against them.

One way we are doing that is through AAJ’s voluntary membership assessment, which is helping us fund a digital communications, messaging, and advocacy plan. To help with these efforts, AAJ is hiring a content strategist; upgrading its website; and spreading the word through viral social media production, digital advertising, and print advertising. If you have contributed, thank you. To those who have not, please visit www.justice.org/fightback.

No one in America voted to give up their rights. In fact, AAJ commissioned a poll in seven conservative-leaning states (Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah) to gauge perceptions about some of the tort “reform” bills Congress has introduced. We explained, among other things, that one bill would severely limit the ability of injured patients, nursing home residents, and their families to hold health care and medical providers accountable in court for negligent care or even malicious abuse.

The results? At least 63 percent of voters in all seven states oppose the legislation, and opposition grows as voters learn more about the bill. At least 58 percent say they would be less likely to vote for their member of Congress if he or she supported the bill. And at least 77 percent think they should be able to take nursing homes to court if a loved one was neglected or abused.

AAJ also increased its commitment to our Republican community. In March, during AAJ’s Republican Trial Lawyers Caucus (RTLC) Lobby Days, 40 trial lawyers met with 100 members of Congress. Congress listened, and AAJ is planning future RTLC Lobby Days. To learn more, see Republican Members Hit the Hill of this issue of Trial.

AAJ’s Women Trial Lawyers Caucus Lobby Days in May was the best attended Lobby Days event AAJ has ever had. Our women stormed Capitol Hill and were champions communicating AAJ’s message.

Each AAJ department has made important gains this year—publishing new books and research, creating Litigation Groups and Litigation Packets, reaching new heights in membership and retention rates, increasing Education programming, developing new member benefits such as a complimentary quarterly webinar series, and granting members free access to the Personal Jurisdiction Document Library (www.justice.org/litigation-group/personal-jurisdiction-3).

The association provides so much, often in the face of daunting opposition, to protect our clients’ rights and to help us be the best lawyers we can be. I thank each of you for all you do for the trial bar, for your clients, and to protect Americans’ constitutional rights. I have cherished the opportunity to serve as your president.

Julie Braman Kane is a partner at Colson Hicks Eidson in Coral Gables, Fla. She can be reached at julie.kane@justice.org.