Last Friday, Dick J. Trabulsi, President of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, visited us to discuss the importance of enacting more tort reform in Texas. He told us how the goal of his organization was to reduce outrageous claims for damages and unneccessary lawsuits. Trabulsi claimed that if more tort reform was enacted, the costs of many goods and services in Texas would go down, and it would also spur entrepreneurial innovation. It was a really interesting issue to hear about , and it made many students of the Academy curious about the issue.
The next Monday, we were visited by the Texas Trial Lawyers Association's Senior Director of Public Affairs, James Fields .When he arrived the whole room fell silent. Having listened to his opponent the day before, we did not know what to expect of a man who introduced himself as "the devil." As he told us of his past experience and his shifts in political sides, from working with tort reform, to working against it, we were enthralled by his various stories. He then proceeded to paint us a picture of the injustices of tort reform by reading from the book, Breaking Down the Courthouse Door by Stephanie Mencimer, which illustrated his argument that medicine malpractice reimbursement should not be capped, instead that full damages should be paid, instead of a fraction of the real amount that should be paid. But his best advice to us was after the lecture when he told us "Don't believe anything [I say], read up on this issue by yourselves." We enjoyed Mr. Fields lecture, and the ability to view both sides of an argument that is "age old" and to choose which side is right for ourselves. We would like to thank Mr. Fields for taking the time to visit us.
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