SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

A third bill has been introduced in Congress to reform the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the personal injury lawyers that exploit this federal law.

This July, thousands of trial lawyers packed their briefcases, said goodbye to family and friends, and attended the American Association for Justice’s annual convention. Much like summer camp, these trial lawyers were fully immersed in courses and activities that taught them new skills. Unlike summer camp, they weren’t there to learn camping or sporting skills; they were learning how to generate more lawsuits.

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. According to the National Federation of Independent Business (NIFB), America’s leading small business association, small businesses in this country employ about half of private-sector employees, have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade, and create more than half of nonfarm private gross domestic product. Yet these businesses are increasingly targeted with frivolous lawsuits by plaintiff’s attorneys that use ev

The avalanche of personal injury lawyer advertising on TV, the internet, radio, billboards, bus stops and everywhere else isn’t just annoying. It’s potentially harmful to patients who are seeing fear-filled messages about their health treatments.

Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan recently body slammed the celebrity news site Gawker in court for publicizing a private video featuring Hogan.

Sometimes just desserts do get served. For over a year we’ve been reading about the greed-driven political corruption case involving former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Like all businesses, personal injury lawyers need a product to sell and customers who will buy that product. In the case of personal injury lawyers, the product they are selling is lawsuits –and their customers are each and every one of us as their potential plaintiffs.

Just as the way some iconic advertising campaigns might create among us a unique cultural bond, TV watchers and internet surfers today share a common experience.

Personal injury lawyers are constantly innovating new ways to generate lawsuits to make money for themselves. Regardless of the specific tactic, you can be sure that it involves luring consumers in to act as their harmed plaintiffs.

By this time of year, many state legislators have moved pass gubernatorial addresses, commemorating those newly elected, and organizing for the legislative session.

The Super Bowl is well-known as one of the greatest – and most expensive – opportunities to advertise to American consumers. This year, the game will attract the largest audience and the ads will cost the most in NFL history. Even at a cost of $4.5 million for just 30 seconds of airtime – an 11 percent increase over last year – NBC sold out its entire stock of Super Bowl ad slots.

Recently, the New York Times posted a series of articles (Part I, II, III) attacking arbitration but overlooking the value of this alternate form of dispute resolution and omitting an excess of relevant details.

The Institute for Legal Reform recently released its 2015 Lawsuit Climate Survey, which ranks states based upon how fair their tort liability systems are.

Arbitration is an important alternative to litigation that empowers American consumers to resolve disputes quickly, often without hiring a lawyer.

A recent column in Forbes called our litigation system and “the explosion of frivolous lawsuits” in our country “one of our economy’s most profound weaknesses.” The piece, which urges readers to support legislation or reform that seeks to put a stop to abusive litigation, argues that the fear of litigation in our country limits freedom, economic growth, and innovation.