Legislative Tort Reform

Legislative tort reform is a hot button with the attorneys at Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. (SHB). Knowing the following facts explains why we work tirelessly toward legislative tort reform:

• The cost of the U.S. tort system for 2003 was $246 billion or $845 per citizen or $3,380 for a family of four.
• U.S. tort costs increased 35.4 percent from 2000 to 2003.
• The Growth of U.S. tort costs have exceeded the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2-3 percentage points in the past 50 years.
• The U.S. tort system is inefficient; it returns less than 50 cents on the dollar and less than 22 cents for actual economic loss to claimants. ion & Policy

Many of the attorneys at SHB are involved in legislative tort reform through memberships in the American Tort Reform Association (AATRA). ATRA was founded in 1986 by the American Council of Engineering Companies. Shortly thereafter, the American Medical Association joined them. Since that time, ATRA has been working on legislative tort reform to bring greater fairness, predictability and efficiency to America's civil justice system. Those efforts have resulted in the enactment of state and federal laws that make the system fairer for everyone. Further, ATRA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with affiliated coalitions in more than 40 states. ATRA is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to tort and liability reform through public education and legislative tort reform. ATRA's membership is diverse and includes nonprofits, small and large companies, as well as state and national trade, business, and professional associations.

Today, America's $246 billion civil justice system is the most expensive in the industrialized world. Aggressive personal injury lawyers target certain professions, industries, and individual companies as profit centers. These lawsuits are bad for business; they are also bad for society. They compromise access to affordable health care, punish consumers by raising the cost of goods and services, chill innovation, and undermine the notion of personal responsibility.

SHB is proud to be associated with the businesses that share our goal of achieving legislative tort reform. Together, with ATRA, we are leading the fight for common-sense reforms in the states, the Congress, and the court of public opinion. Additionally, we counsel corporate clients on legislative tort reform at the state and national levels. To learn more about our involvement in legislative tort reform, contact us today.