Trial Magazine
President's Page
All In for the Future
July 2020Serving as president of the American Association for Justice has been the greatest honor of my life. Thank you for your support and trust. When I began my term last July, my goals were to increase membership, bring us up to date with technology, put in place a plan to help reelect pro-civil-justice members of Congress, and serve as an ambassador for AAJ while traveling abroad and to our state trial lawyers associations (TLAs).
The ability to share knowledge, listen to what’s happening worldwide, and engage with other trial lawyers are all fundamental to what AAJ members offer each other. I have had the pleasure of getting to know international counterparts in Europe and Australia; participating in the conferences of organizations such as the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and the National Association of Trial Lawyer Executives; and meeting with members of TLAs in Alabama, Delaware, Louisiana, Montana, and other states.
In March, as the COVID-19 virus became a pandemic and stay-at-home orders were issued in most states, AAJ was forced to change course. Life as we knew it came to an abrupt stop, and we faced many unexpected challenges. I soon learned firsthand how the virus was impacting so many of us both professionally and personally. Staying connected, supporting one another, and talking about what we’re learning from this new era of being a trial lawyer are more important than ever—whether we are able to meet in person or remotely.
In just the last 20 years, past presidents of AAJ have had to deal with unexpected catastrophes that radically changed the direction of the country and the association. Leo Boyle never expected when he took the president’s gavel in July 2001 that he would have to confront the aftermath of 9/11. Les Weisbrod and Anthony Tarricone never expected to spend their years as president dealing with the economic challenges that faced the organization. Julie Kane never expected when she was sworn in that she would have to deal with a Congress controlled by those who are undermining the interests of our members and civil justice.
But crises bring out the best in us. “Whether an organization dies, survives or thrives . . . is greatly determined by its leadership—before, during and after a crisis,” wrote Gail Borden, an award-winning journalist and communications strategist. AAJ is blessed with great leadership from the top down. We will survive this crisis and thrive as an organization.
We must continue to be forward-thinking in everything—from the way we approach continuing legal education, to the way we provide additional benefits for our members, to the tactically brilliant way the association dissects and approaches regulatory and legislative issues at both the state and federal levels. And most important in this election year, we must be forward-thinking in the way we support pro-civil-justice candidates and demand change.
Let us band together as never before. If you are interested in protecting voters’ rights, reach out to AAJ’s Voter Protection Action Committee (vpac@justice.org). If you do not already, please give to the bipartisan AAJ PAC (https://www.justice.org/AAJPAC). We must be all in for the future of civil justice in this country. If we all participate over the next four months, we have a chance to emerge from the shadows of 2020 and be an even stronger united force for justice and our clients.
Bruce H. Stern is a shareholder at Stark & Stark in Lawrenceville, N.J. He can be reached at bruce.stern@justice.org.