The American Association for Justice (AAJ), formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) is a nonprofit advocacy and lobbying organization for plaintiff's lawyers in the United States.[1] Focused on opposing tort reform, the organization is one of the Democratic Party's most influential political allies, according to The Washington Post.[2]
| Purpose | Oppose tort reform |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Website | www |
History
editIn 1946, a group of plaintiffs' attorneys involved in workers' compensation litigation founded the National Association of Claimants' Compensation Attorneys (NACCA). As their work broadened beyond workers' compensation, in 1960 the NACCA changed its name to the National Association of Claimants' Counsel of America, and four years later, to the American Trial Lawyers Association.[3]
In 1972, these groups merged as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA).
In 1977, ATLA's headquarters moved from Boston to Washington, D.C.[4]
In 2006, ATLA became the American Association for Justice (AAJ). Around the same time, a group of attorneys quietly began forming a competitor organization to AAJ. The competitor organization called itself The American Trial Lawyers Association, or TheATLA. TheATLA solicited thousands of AAJ's members to join. AAJ filed suit to force TheATLA to drop the name, arguing it was confusing AAJ members and infringing a trademark held by AAJ.[5]
In 2015, Munley Law partner Marion Munley was named Secretary of the American Association for Justice Trucking Litigation Group.[6]
In 2023, Sean Dominick was sworn in as the new president of the American Association of Justice.[7]
Political positions
editThe AAJ's most notable position is promoting the passage of the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act, a law which bans the practice of enacting pre-dispute arbitration clauses and contractual jury trial waivers. The AAJ claims that tens of millions of Americans sign away their rights to sue companies and are instead required to resolve disputes through binding arbitration, which the AAJ claims is where overwhelmingly white male arbitrators rule against consumers in disputes between consumers and companies.[8][9][10][11]
The AAJ also has taken a stance in raising trucking insurance minimums, arguing that inflation and rising medical costs lower the value of covered insurance, provided that insurance typically covers only $750,000 of a typical $4.9 Million truck accident.[12] Member lawyers of the AAJ and supporters of the AAJ's position state that its support of raising insurance minimums allows truckers to have their insurance catch up with inflation, while critics of the AAJ say the association's $2 million minimum is both arbitrary and not backed up by relevant data.[13][14][15]
Activities
editMembers of the AAJ have been responsible for multibillion-dollar settlements in cigarette cases and millions of asbestos injury claims.[3]
The association has been criticized by organizations such as the United States Chamber of Commerce for its role as a special interest and lobbying group promoting the interests of plaintiffs' lawyers.[16]
In 2006, ATLA's membership voted to change their name to the American Association for Justice.[16][17] The Chamber of Commerce responded by again criticizing the organization.[18]
The AAJ holds biannual legal conventions in cities such as Las Vegas and Palm Springs.[19][20]
See also
edit- David Shrager, past president
- Fred Baron, past president
- List of Trial Lawyer Associations
- Wiedemann Wysocki National Finance Council Award
References
edit- ^ Rowland, Kara; Miller, S.A. (September 28, 2009). "Trial lawyers lobby sinks $6.2M in debt". Washington Times. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ Eggen, Dan (May 2, 2010). "Linda Lipsen to become head of American Association for Justice". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ a b Fabian Witt, John (October 24, 2006). "First, Rename All the Lawyers". New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "Official AAJ Website: About the AAJ". Archived from the original on 2007-03-22. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
- ^ Birnbaum, Jeffrey (November 30, 2007). "A Case of Trial Lawyers v. Trial Lawyers". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
- ^ Staff Report (2015-08-04). "Atty. Marion Munley elected to multiple positions at American Association for Justice". Abington Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ^ "Florida's Domnick leads the American Association for Justice". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ^ "Where White Men Rule: How the Secretive System of Forced Arbitration Hurts Women and Minorities". www.justice.org. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Kanu, Hassan (2021-06-10). "Arbitration's access-to-justice problems run wide and deep". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "Jayapal Bill Ends Forced Arbitration for Sexual Assault and Harassment Claims". Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "Attys Group Opposes Delayed Arbitration in Taco Bell Franchisee Class Action". Top Class Actions. 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "Trucking Insurance". www.justice.org. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ "State Farm Insurance – When a Good Neighbor Becomes a Bad Neighbor". Samples Ames, PLLC. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "Positive legislation news from AAJ". www.advocatemagazine.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "House approves trucking insurance increase and hours-of-service delay". FreightWaves. 2020-07-01. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ a b Ann Knef (2006-07-19). "ATLA drops 'Trial Lawyer,' adds 'Justice' to name". Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-29. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Same Leopard, New Spots". Archived from the original on 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
- ^ Feezor, Liz (2022-02-24). "AAJ Winter Convention Recap". Hennessey Digital. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ^ "Justice for All: Metwork at AAJ Philadelphia 2023 | Metwork". 2023-07-24. Retrieved 2024-02-26.