Vested Interest - Martin J. Healy, ITLA President 1998-1999

May 1999 Issue
Next month I will complete my term as President and turn over the reins of ITLA to Michael J. Reagan. He is an excellent trial attorney whose leadership abilities will be a great benefit to our organization. His swearing-in, however, will break a recent tradition. [View Full Issue]

April 1999 Issue
As part of the ATLA’s “Keeping Our Families Safe” program, President Mark Mandell has launched the “Lawyer’s Challenge For Children”. The purpose is to provide representation to some of the 500,000 children in fostercare in the United States. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports a 19% increase in the number of foster care children nationwide from1990 to 1995. [View Full Issue]

March 1999 Issue
This is the time of year when the Illinois legislature gets into full swing. While thousands of bills were introduced, our concern will come down to just hundreds of them. At this point, all bills which will be considered by the full House must have passed out of committee. However, the subject matter of bills which have not passed out of committee can still be considered as an amendment if tacked onto another bill passed out of committee. [View Full Issue]

February 1999 Issue
As most of you already know, the Illinois Legislature has re-convened with the swearing in of the Ninety-First General Assembly. There will be thousands of bills introduced during this session which will have potential impact on every area of the law. Fortunately for ITLA, we will only have to monitor about 100 to 200 bills of the estimated 3,000 that will be introduced in the next few months. [View Full Issue]

January 1999 Issue
At our recent Board Meeting a number of interesting matters were discussed and approved . The Board voted to move ahead with the reinstitution of an ITLA journal. There had been a journal published by ITLA until the late 1980's. This will give an opportunity for all members, especially younger members, to become published in areas of trial advocacy. [View Full Issue]

December 1998 Issue
As I have mentioned previously, there seems to be a change in attitude about trial attorneys, both from those that view them and trial attorneys themselves. From late night talk show hosts, you might think we are the center of everyone's thoughts. However, a national poll conducted by ATLA gives some different insights. [View Full Issue]

November 1998 Issue
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the members who gave generously of their time and financial support for the victim-oriented and consumer-oriented candidates in the recent election. This year we made a strong effort to expand the number of members who participated in the election process. For too long the heavy burden of support had been on too few. [View Full Issue]

October 1998 Issue
As President, I believe one of my most important responsibilities is to endeavor to preserve a legal framework within which injured victims are given an opportunity to obtain fair compensation. Accordingly, with the fall election approaching, my focus should necessarily be on the General Assembly and Gubernatorial races. This will be my last opportunity before the election to discuss the importance of this election with the entire membership. [View Full Issue]

September 1998 Issue
From my years of practice, knowing all the societal good that is done by consumer oriented attorneys, it has always surprised me that the public at large seems to be unaware of or does not appreciate what we do. As attorneys representing consumers, we know that our cars, our medical devices, our children’s clothing and toys are safer; our roads, our skies, our rails are safer. The quality of probably every aspect of life has improved because of the efforts of trial attorneys. [View Full Issue]

July 1998 Issue
As we move into the summer months, the tone of my year as President has, at least in part, been set by recent events. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, through its President, declared an all-out attack on trial lawyers across the country calling us the "enemies of business." On the local level, last month the Illinois Civil Justice League wrote a letter of solicitation to potential members. [View Full Issue]

June 1998 Issue
As I am about to be sworn in as the 45th President of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, I think about those who have preceded me in this office, my legal career and our Association’s past and future. It is interesting to note that two years out of law school after clerking for Justice Thomas Kluczynski of the Illinois Supreme Court, I was introduced to and began to work for one of the outstanding trial attorneys at that time, James A. Dooley. I later found out that he some 20 years earlier had been the first President of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. [View Full Issue]

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