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President’s Message (Continued from page 3)


promoting tort reform is two fold: (1) “Weakening constraints on the conduct of corporate entities” and (2) “Limiting the income of trial lawyers, thereby lim- iting the attorneys’ ability to lobby and contribute money to what they call ‘the left’.” Indeed, Grover Norquist, the head of


Americans for Tax Reform, is quoted as having declared that even, “Modest tort reform, much of which has been actively considered by committees in both hous- es, would defund the trial lawyers, now second only to the unions—and this is debatable—as the funding source of the left in America.” Speaking more bluntly, Norquist was also noted as discussing the effect that tort reform would have on the Democratic Party, observing, “trial lawyers give more to Democrats than union leaders do.” The Commonweal Institute report de-


scribes the methods used by the unholy alliance of far-right foundations, wealthy corporations, and their shills, to ac- complish tort reform—the coordinated dissemination of strategic messages by seemingly unrelated persons and groups (thus making them appear more credible), repetition of strategic messages in multiple communication channels (such as talk radio, Fox News, the Drudge Report, planted op-ed pieces


in newspapers, prefabricated letters to the editor, and scripted pundits, politi- cians and public speakers armed with talking points), and the use of phony “grassroots” organizations to create the appearance of widespread public sup- port. The report reveals that the attack on


the tort system must be understood for what it is, a part of a larger war to eliminate political opponents and open the door to unfettered corporate power by rendering trial lawyers impotent through tort reform, undermining the Labor movement by “Paycheck Protec- tion” legislation, curtailing the power of teachers unions via attacks on public schools, and keeping people away from the polls by limiting voting rights legisla- tion. You may read the 64 page re-


port for yourself at http://www. commonwealinstitute.org/cw/files/At- tackTrialLawyersTortLaw.pdf The Maryland Association for Justice


(MAJ) remains vigilant in its defense against the attacks on our legal system by those seeking to advance corporate greed and/or partisan political goals but we are only as strong as our members’ support. If you see tort reform rhetoric in your local paper, hear it on radio, or learn of some upcoming tort reform event, alert me by email at wmw@askthelawdoc.com so your MAJ can respond quickly. Even more importantly, if you are not an MAJ


Eagle, become one today. Working together we can turn the


tide back toward civil justice. One day damage caps will fall. n


About the Author


Wayne M. Willoughby is a cum laude graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law (1986), where he held the distinction of authoring the school’s first Law Review student comment cited by the United States Supreme Court. Currently, Mr. Willoughby works at


the law firm Gershon, Willoughby, Getz & Smith, LLC in Owings Mills, where he concentrates his practice on representing children who suffer from cerebral palsy and other birth injuries caused by medi- cal negligence. Gershon, Willoughby, Getz & Smith, LLC, was formed by Mr. Willoughby in 2004. Active in the legal community, Mr.


Willoughby founded the MAJ Medical Negligence Section, and has served as MAJ Legislative Chair and on numer- ous MAJ committees. Mr. Willoughby also is a long-time member of the Ethics Committee of the Bar Association of Baltimore City, and is a member of the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the Baltimore County Bar Association and the Council of Presidents of the American Association for Justice, among other professional organizations.


Executive Director’s Message (Continued from page 5)


using these? If not, you’re missing out on the number one reason most members join. True, access to these resources is not easy because of the security efforts, but the MAJ staff is here to help. Call us and we’ll walk you through the process. 2009 is already projected to be a year of


change. As the Association moves from President, Wayne Willoughby’s term to Kevin Goldberg’s, we will continue to be a community that offers our members the resources to move the profession


forward. My hope is that you continue to use the resources that help you and you can become more involved with your MAJ community. The networking opportunities, online resources, listservs and CLE programs are designed to get you connected and involved. By being involved, the entire community benefits and, together, we can move forward and help each other. n


About the Author


David B. Walls, CAE, CMP, is the Executive Director of the Maryland


Association Justice. In this capacity, Mr. Walls is responsible for the overall operations of the association. Former managing director for ELM Services, Inc., Mr. Walls has spent more than 20 years in the association, meeting planning and hospitality industries. He earned the prestigious Certified As- sociation Executive (CAE) designation (June 2004) and earned his Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designa- tion in 1991.


Winter 2009


Trial Reporter


7


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