In 10 days I head to Albany with other personal injury attorneys to lobby the legislature to keep the civil justice system open and available to New Yorkers. Why me? Well, if not me, who then?

You see the insurance companies have armies of lobbyists in state capitols around the nation. So do the massive health care giants, drug companies, and let's face it, Fortune 500 companies all over the place. "Think tanks" and Chambers of Commerce that dream up ways to closde the courthouse doors to consumers don't exist without money.

But those who've been victimized by the negligence don't have those voices of influence at their beck and call. Victims become part of this group unwillingly, in unplanned ways. They have no organization. They don't have access to the levers of power.

They only thing they usually have are the personal injury attorneys that are helping them with their case. Who also happen to be the ones that know about the problems with the laws that their new clients face.

For example, in years past I have written about:

• The problems with our No-Fault Laws (New York's No-Fault Law Problem With "Serious Injuries" and New York's No-Fault litigation mess (Do Our Judges Want Doctors To Go To Law School?);
• The problems of poorly paid judges (Where Are Our Judicial Pay Raises?);
• The inability of claimants to sue for grief (The September 11th Lawsuits And The Problem Of Compensable Grief in NY);
• The unsettled state of the law when it comes to medical liens (NY Court of Appeals Urges Legislative Action On Insurance Issues); and
• Counterfeit drugs (Counterfeit Drugs and My Appearance on Assembly TV).

So who fights for the injured? The people that represent them. Those of us who stand in the well of the courtroom to fight on their behalf. I'll be heading up there with the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, of which I am a proud, card-carrying member, and have been for many years.

And if you are an attorney that deals with these types of cases, I have one question for you:
Are you lobbying your legislature? Because there aren't any good reasons to answer no.

Labels: Political Action