Leonard M. Ring Champion of Justice

Chris Spagnoli has devoted her career to standing up for American consumers in the courtroom. In a storied career, she has obtained many landmark verdicts, including the General Motors case in which a defective fuel tank was found responsible for the burn injuries of two adults and four children. She was also co-counsel in the largest ever personal injury verdict in California –for a man severely burned by a defective O-Ring.

Consumer Attorney Association of Los Angeles recognized Chris as its trial lawyer of the year, the first time ever that a woman received that honor. She was also awarded AAJ’s Harry Philo Award, which recognizes someone whose work has advanced the safety and protection of American consumers.

Chris always helps other trial lawyers when they need it. Her integrity is constant, her commitment to her clients is remarkable, and her passion for being a trial lawyer is evident in everything she does.

For nearly 40 years, AAJ Past President (2008-09) Les Weisbrod has been at the forefront of national birth injury litigation. His commitment to families and children and to educating other trial lawyers to excel in representing them led him to co-found AAJ’s Birth Trauma Litigation Group in 1991. Les also provided pro bono representation for  the family of the first Ebola victim in the U.S. He is a founding Co-Chair of AAJ’s Medical Negligence Litigation Group and served as Chair of AAJ’s Professional Negligence Section in 1996, Les has also served on AAJ’s Board of Governors since 1998 and the Executive Committee since 2001.