America's Newspapers and Reporters on Trial Lawyers

Journalists across the country agree that trial lawyers play a valuable role in protecting the rights of American families. Below are excerpts from news articles, editorials, and columns about the good deeds of trial lawyers who stand up for the health and safety of consumers, patients, children, and families.

The Memphis Flyer (October 10, 2004)
"The Real Tort" by Alan Crone, an attorney and local GOP leader

"Nothing has done more to prevent malpractice, encourage product safety, and ensure fair treatment in the workplace than the fear of lawsuits. If you put a cap on jury awards, will that make doctors more or less careful? Will companies be more or less inclined to safety-test new products? This deterrence-and-prevention function is as important as that of compensating victims."

The Boston Globe (August 25, 2004)
"Now, smearing the trial lawyers" by Robert Kuttner

"Litigation sorts out the mess afterwards when regulators could not police corporate conduct in advance, and lawsuits usefully bring ugly facts to light. If the tobacco industry didn't want lawsuits, it shouldn't have hidden evidence that smoking caused cancer… The attack on trial lawyers is an attack on the rights of ordinary Americans by the corporate elite."

Austin American-Statesman (July 28, 2004)
"Trial Lawyers Aren't Just Ambulance Chasers" by Emily Bazelon

"Sometimes trial lawyers play Robin Hood. They have initiated lawsuits that spurred the return of Nazi-era gold to the descendants of its rightful owners, forced tobacco companies to compensate state governments for smoking-related medical expenses and won the money to clean up polluted neighborhoods. Whatever their imperfections, these are lawyers with a cause."

The Hartford Courant (July 18, 2004)
"Who Gave Trial lawyers a Bad Name" by Leslie C. Levin

"So who are trial lawyers really? They are lawyers whose cases range from small auto accidents to sophisticated product liability suits. Some of them barely eke out a living, and others, like Edwards, do well. They typically work hard and take few vacations because they do not have the support staff to do otherwise. They often litigate against well-funded, well-staffed law firms representing corporate clients... Today, most of the dollars that go to purchasing legal services pay for representing corporations, not individuals. And although trial lawyers are not without their blemishes, those who use the term as a dirty word should understand that its use harks back to ethnic biases and well-orchestrated public relations campaigns."

Arizona Daily Star (July 15, 2004)
Editorial: "Bush and Trial Lawyers"

"Any Bush remonstration about the alleged evil of trial lawyers always avoids two important truths: One, trial lawyers do not award huge sums in damages. Juries do. Two, the companies sued typically hire the best lawyers to represent them. If a jury decides a victim deserves a large settlement, it is because juries are made of everyday men and women who do their utmost to serve justice. It's a fundamental part of the American justice system. We regret that the president finds it offensive."

Star-Telegram in Fort Worth, TX (July 15, 2004)
"Lawyers and Money Galore" by Linda Campbell

"[M]any trial lawyers honorably represent clients with legitimate claims. Product liability suits have led to children's pajamas that don't quickly burst into flames, safer medical devices, safer sports equipment, safer cars."

CBS MarketWatch (July 14, 2004)
"GOP created need for trial lawyers it now condemns" by Chris Pummer

"We now have a government so downsized that almost every federal, state and local agency lacks the financial means to vigorously investigate complaints from the public… So where is the average Joe to go for justice but the courts when government ignores the wrong done him, often in a criminal way?"

Orlando Sentinel (July 13, 2004)
"Name-callers, beware" by Ken Connor, a Republican and personal-injury lawyer

"If the rap on Edwards is that he is the friend of personal-injury trial lawyers, where does this leave the Republican National Committee? Is the RNC the friend of the drunken driver?"

The Hartford Courant (July 11, 2004)
"Tarring Edwards Obscures Debates" by Dan Haar

"[Y]ou might be alive and reading this column because of a car-safety feature installed as a result of a lawsuit."

Orlando Sentinel (July 10, 2004)
"Republicans and Trial Lawyers" by John Stemberger

"Trial lawyers are Jewish and Christian, black and white, amazingly rich and typical middle class. Almost half the members of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers are Republicans. A quarter of the American Trial Lawyers Association membership is Republican. Central Florida has produced a stream of successful Republican trial-lawyer politicians in Mel Martinez, Bill Sublette, Dick Langley and Ken Connor. And let us not forget that America's most respected president, Abraham Lincoln, was both a Republican—and a darn good trial lawyer."