President’s
Message by Alison D. Kohler
Alison D. Kohler (Dugan, Babij & Tolley, LLC, Timonium) received her J.D. Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University Law School. She is a member of MTLA’s President’s Club as an Eagle and serves on the Executive Committee. She has previously served as Chair
of the Fundraising Committee and is currently a member of the Legislative Committee. Ms. Kohler has previously served on the Executive Committee of the Bar Association of Baltimore City, and the Board of Governors of the MSBA, and was Past President of Executive Women’s Network. Ms. Kohler represents seriously injured children and adults in the areas of medical malpractice, premises and product liability, negligent security, disability insurance, and general tort litigation.
I am now one third of the way through
my year as MTLA President and I often feel like the jockey aboard Afleet Alex in the 2005 Preakness – off to a racing start, pushed and pulled, tripping and almost going down, recovering and racing to a first place finish. MTLA, like Afleet Alex, through the efforts of our terrific staff and our fabulous hard working volunteers, is an organization with lots of talent and an even bigger heart and will for prosecut- ing our clients’ cases and defending our clients’ rights. We can all be proud. Fulfilling our motto of “Keeping Fami-
lies Safe,” I am pleased to report that on November 29, 2005, MTLA delivered to the Maryland Safe Kids Coalition a check in the amount of $16,500, representing monies for the purchase of 676 smoke detectors and 1,200 helmets. MTLA’s community outreach program, chaired by Larry Greenberg, participated with the Baltimore City Fire Department and the Safe Kids Coalition in a neighborhood sweep and helped install smoke detectors in homes without this critical safety fea-
ture. We will again partner with Safe Kids in the spring to give out bike helmets at elementary schools in Baltimore City, Prince George’s County and the Eastern Shore. We will continue to raise funds for this important public outreach. We are also continuing to seek volunteers for the bike helmet giveaways. If you would like to participate, contact the MTLA of- fice or Larry Greenberg.
If you missed the myriad of educa-
tional programs offered by MTLA this fall, you’ve missed some fantastic oppor- tunities to learn about topics such as the ever-troubling subject of liens, changes to the ethics rules as they affect a plaintiff’s practice, tips for the automobile tort prac- titioner and much more. Be sure to register early for MTLA’s winter CLE of- ferings, which we expect to be every bit as relevant as the fall offerings. First up this winter will be a full day Mock Trial Program on January 16, 2006. The pro- gram features two live juries and gives us an opportunity to see how juries interact with each other and to hear what issues
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and personalities influence a jury’s deci- sion. One jury will be questioned throughout the trial with regard to their thought processes. The other jury will deliberate only at the end of the case. This full day seminar is a must attend event for every trial lawyer. We expect this semi- nar to be sold out, so book your seat now. The MTLA legislative team has also
been hard at work this fall, getting ready for the upcoming legislative session. We are working to override Governor Ehrlich’s veto of HB 1162, which defines the bur- den of proof in an uninsured motorist claim. We are also working to help intro- duce a number of bills in the workers’ compensation and automobile tort areas. We have been closely following the filings and reports of Medical Mutual and con- tinue to be ready to fight any medical malpractice tort reform bills that are in- troduced.
If you have questions about
MTLA’s legislative efforts, I invite you to call me or Bob Zarbin, our Legislative Chair. We are also supporting the efforts of the Coalition for Patients’ Rights (“CPR”), the coalition bringing the voice of the medical malpractice victim to An- napolis. CPR is urging the introduction and passage of a patient safety measure designed to impose infection control stan- dards on Maryland medical facilities. Similar standards instituted in other coun- tries, including Canada, have dramatically reduced the rate of hospital acquired in- fections such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and VRE (vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus). If you have clients who have suffered lengthy hospitalizations or death as a result of acquiring these deadly infections, please call me. The victim’s voice is important in Annapolis. As you can see, the breadth and depth
of MTLA’s activities is impressive. I am very proud to be a member and serve our wonderful association.
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