Democratic state Supreme Court candidates – backed by the money and influence of the powerful trial lawyer lobby – scored several victories last night that could result in the rollback of important legal reform legislation and lead to a more lawsuit-friendly, anti-business environment.  The trial bar also strengthened its grip on the judicial selection process […]

In a new update of its invaluable Trial Lawyers, Inc. series, the Manhattan Institute lifts the rock on the unholy alliance between West Virginia’s Attorney General’s office and the state’s trial bar, and the devastating impact it has had on West Virginia’s economy.  Legal Newsline has a summary and the full report can be found […]

Trial lawyers like to pretend they’re fighting to protect the little guy, but the case of two disgraced Kentucky trial lawyers demonstrates yet again that the real motivation behind most mega-torts is plain old greed.  William Gallion and Shirley Allen Cunningham, Jr. were sentenced last week to the legal profession’s equivalent of life without parole […]

The West Virginia State Journal takes a long look at yet one more example of the unholy alliance between state Attorneys General and wealthy trial lawyers.  Four years ago, West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw agreed to a $10 million settlement in the state’s lawsuit against the maker of OxyContin – a painkiller so widely […]

A Wall Street Journal editorial today lifts the rock on VP nominee Joe Biden’s cozy connections with the trial bar and his labors to make his home state of Delaware a wholly-owned subsidiary of the asbestos litigation machine.
The Journal reports that Sen. Biden’s top contributor (over $200,000) is the SimmonsCooper law firm, which pocketed hundreds […]

PointOfLaw.com recently posted a few interesting comments from Senator Joe Biden speaking at a fundraiser hosted by the trial lawyers’ lobby.  Fun reading in advance of tomorrow night’s big debate.  You can read it all, but two comments stand out.  First, Sen. Biden claims he’s “done more than any other senator combined [sic]” for trial […]

Apparently even jail time isn’t enough to stop trial lawyer kingpin Bill Lerach from trying to manipulate the justice system for personal gain.  Lerach is currently behind bars after admitting he illegally paid off plaintiffs to serve as front men in bogus class action lawsuits – but not before he raked in millions in legal […]

Ralph Reiland has an interesting piece in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review highlighting the difficulties and threats small businesses face from overregulation and lawsuit-happy trial lawyers:
Unfortunately, we have a government at every level that’s overloaded with lawmakers who don’t have a clue about the impact on the small business community, on both owners and employees, of their legislation […]

If you think it’s been a bad year for the trial bar, think again.  Sure, three of its most esteemed members – Melvyn Weiss, Bill Lerach and Dickie Scruggs – are behind bars for the various abuses they’ve perpetrated on the legal system.  But as the Wall Street Journal editorial page makes clear, trial lawyers […]

A decision last month by the South Carolina Supreme Court threatens to make businesses in the state an even bigger target for enterprising trial attorneys.
Cam Crawford, Executive Director of the South Carolina Civil Justice Coalition says the new ruling (Colleton Prep Academy v. Hoover Universal) would allow personal injury lawyers and their plaintiffs to sue […]