August 24, 2007

Same Leopard, New Spots

The Institute for Legal Reform has issued a press release regarding the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association's recent name-change. The ILR also is running an ad on some Tennessee blogs, R. Neal at KnoxViews.com - the blogger formerly known as "South Knox Bubba" - reports that he rejected the ILR's ad. Not me. I'm a capitalist. You can see the add over there on the right sidebar and will be running through late September. Here is a snippet from the ILR's press release...

The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) has launched a new public awareness campaign highlighting the recent name change by Tennessee's trial lawyer organization and the motives behind the coordinated effort now happening in at least 13 states. The SameLeopardNewSpots.com Web site criticizes the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, which has voted to call itself the Tennessee Association for Justice, for trying to conceal its identity from the public by changing its name.

"Tennessee's trial lawyers have apparently signed onto a national campaign of concealment conducted by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, who renamed themselves the American Association for Justice last year," said ILR President Lisa A. Rickard. "Because decades of abusing the civil justice system has driven their popularity into the ground, they are resorting to the oldest PR trick in the book: when your brand is tarnished, change your name."

To highlight the name change, ILR is running a public awareness campaign in Tennessee, as well as in other states where the state trial lawyer associations have recently voted to change their names. As more states follow suit, ILR is expected to expand its public awareness campaign.

"We doubt the people of Tennessee will be fooled by a misleading name change – a leopard with new spots is still a leopard, and trial lawyers' reputations will remain tarnished until they stop abusing the system," said Rickard.