AAJ Advocacy
AAJ protects the constitutional right to trial by jury and safeguards the right to pursue justice in court for harms caused by the negligence or misconduct of others.
AAJ and our Public Affairs team are committed to protecting civil justice and lobbying Congress in support of as many of our members’ practice areas as possible. Not only is Public Affairs fighting anti-civil-justice legislation, but it is also working to introduce proactive legislation to repair damage done by tort reform proponents at the federal level.
AAJ currently supports legislation to end forced arbitration, increase trucking insurance minimums, eliminate the unjust ‘qualified immunity’ doctrine, and other legislative priorities. Additionally, AAJ monitors legislation that would preempt state tort law.
AAJ also advocates at the federal agency level. The Public Affairs team works to ensure the regulatory rulemaking process remains fair and addresses our members’ concerns. Since federal agencies write regulations, AAJ tracks the rules that affect our members and their clients, often writing formal comments as part of the public rulemaking process.
AAJ works with federal agencies on Medicare Secondary Payer, generic drug manufacturers’ accountability, and student loan issues.
The Federal Rules establish how civil lawsuits are filed, pursued, and tried in federal courts. AAJ closely monitors proposed changes to Federal Rules, which are considered by the Judicial Conference’s Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure and its five advisory rules committees.
AAJ participated in the rulemaking on corporate depositions and successfully advocated for removing conferral on the number and description of topics, and removal of an ongoing duty to confer.
AAJ works to protect the civil justice system by participating in the development of law through filing amicus curiae briefs in federal and state courts, including in the United States Supreme Court
In addition to our Amicus Curiae program, we also become involved in regulatory litigation either defending or objecting to regulatory actions undertaken by the executive program. AAJ joined with coalition partners to defend the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid’s 2016 regulation prohibiting nursing homes’ use of pre-dispute arbitration clauses.
AAJ’s State Affairs Department helps states protect civil justice by providing expert legal and legislative analysis, advocacy, research, and coalition building to state trial lawyer associations in their fight against anti-civil justice legislation in every state and territory.
AAJ works with states to beat back limits on lawyers fees, evidence and discovery, and other anti-civil justice legislation.
For more than 75 years, the American Association for Justice, also known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA®), has supported plaintiff trial lawyers—as the voice of the trial bar on Capitol Hill and in courthouses across the nation and by providing exclusive services designed for trial lawyers. Join Today!
