Ambulance Chasers Look For “Big Payback”
It’s common knowledge that the S.C. Trial Lawyers Association – we’re sorry, the “S.C. Association for Justice” – didn’t hire political consultants Richard Quinn & Associates for market research, strategic consulting or any of the other “agency drivel” both sides like to spew when asked about their unholy alliance.
The Ambulance Chasers hired “the Quinndom” – at six figures a year, no less – for one reason and one reason only, to influence the multiple GOP elected officials that currently reside in the consulting firm’s stable.
That’s why it’s not surprising that we’re beginning to see the Ambulance Chaser lobby working Quinn elected officials harder than ever this legislative session – just as the Quinns are also presumably working them from behind the scenes.
It starts at the top, with S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster – the Quinn’s “golden boy” for 2010.
McMaster’s most recent financial disclosure form is littered with attorney contributions, tens of thousands of dollars raised with the assistance of the Trial Lawyer lobby.
But cash is flowing to other elected officials, as well, with the expectation that they will be friendly to the Ambulance Chaser agenda now that they’ve got “Republican cover.”
Needless to say, the once-flirtation – now full-on grope session – between the Quinns and the Ambulance Chasers has caught the attention of the state’s business community, which is supporting a GOP-led drive for tort reform this session.
It’s also reportedly caught the attention of Gov. Mark Sanford and many of his ideological allies, who are said to have a dog in the fight due to South Carolina’s need to create – not diminish – competitive advantages.
Oh, and let’s not forget the bloodbath the Ambulance Chasers sought to inflict on Sanford recently when he went after the exorbitant workers’ compensation judgments they were receiving.
Obviously, we’ll be watching this brewing battle closely as it represents one of those rare instances in which Sanford may join forces with the likes of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce and other groups who are publicly supporting the tort reform package.
Comments
By Simon on February 26th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
The Torm Reform Bill being pushed by the business coalition has modeled their private attorney retention contract language after the contract that McMaster came up with and uses for the AG’s office.
Nice try though.
By Tired of RINOs! on February 26th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I hope Governor Sanford and the state’s business community exposes the RINOs who campaign for reform in their districts then come to Columbia and support the anti-business, trial lawyer agenda.
By sclawyerIII on February 26th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Hey if we can get tort reform to the point where no business is responsible for any of its actions, how great a competitive advantage would that be?
By fitsnews on February 26th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Oh you funny lawyers!
-FITS
By Pete on February 26th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
McMaster’s a lawyer? I thought he was just another perennial politician.
By scguy123 on February 26th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Pete, he is.
By Hey SC Lawyer Cut Your Fees!! on February 26th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Hey SC Lawyer,
Why do trial lawyers insist on charging poor, injured victims between 33-50% of their awards?
By Silence Dogood on February 26th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
FITS, if I didn’t know any better I would think this article of half baked truths was more about scarring potential clients (read politicans in need of consultants) away from one major S.C. political consulting firms (the Quinn’s)and trying to heard them into another direction??? But who could that third party “other” political consulting firm be…
However, I know that a non-biased, objective, disinterested sourse like FITS would have no reason to ever try such a ploy. I’m probably just paranoid, right?
By sclawyerIII on February 27th, 2009 at 10:56 am
I work by the hour most of the time and haven’t really done any personal injury.
I would hazard to guess that lawyers work on contingencies because their injuried clients that can’t get reasonable settlements out of insurance companies don’t have the money to pay their hourly rate.
If you shop around, maybe you can find a Charleston School of Law graduate who will do it for a loaf of bread and some peanut butter. Public service and all that.
By Bob Hope on February 27th, 2009 at 11:20 am
I’m glad I can always find a nice lawyer-friendly bias here at FITS. What would we look like if we had fewer lawyers in government? Probably a lot like South Carolina.
By Personal Injury Lawyers Cut Your Fees!! on February 27th, 2009 at 11:48 am
SC Lawyer,
I understand why injured parties have to use contingency fees, what I cannot understand is how personal injury lawyers go to bed at night taking nearly half the award of an injured victim.
I’m glad you are not one of them.
By sclawyerIII on February 27th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
How do doctors sleep at night charging what they charge of sick people?
By Personal Injury Lawyers Cut Your Fees!! on February 27th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Doctors perform necessary and life saving services for our people. An argument can be made that personal injury lawyers do more harm than good in most cases.
I guess you and Gerry Spence are the only people in America that think trial lawyers are more important than doctors.
Mr. Spence made the following statement about trial lawyers “We are the most important people in America … I want to ask you which would be more important: If all of the doctors in the country somehow disappeared or all the trial lawyers somehow disappeared? … We can live without medical care, but we cannot live without justice”.
SC Lawyer, can you deliver a baby? Can you perform surgery? 99% of the people would prefer doctors over personal injury lawyers.
Trial lawyers need to get a grip.
By Red Bank Bar on February 27th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
The Institute of Medicine says doctors kill 98,000 Americans EVERY YEAR through mistakes and medical malpractice.
Doctors bury their mistakes. Lawyers have printed theirs for the last 1000 years.
No one emulates American medicine across the world. Billions of people emulate our Constitution and Bill of Rights, documents created by the trial lawyers of their time.
Cuba has doctors but no lawyers.
The only people who want to eliminate lawyers are drunk doctors who operate on patients, insurance companies, and corporate America like W.R. Grace that deliberately poisons Americans for corporate profits.
By Pro Small Biz on February 27th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Red Bank Bar –
Are you a socialist or a communist?
It seems like you hate everyone who has a private sector job.
Jobs are produced by businesses. Doctors save lives. Trial lawyers do neither.
By Another View on February 28th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Dear Pro Small Biz,
I am not a lawyer, but there are several firms in my building. They are small in size…5-6 lawyers at the most, but each firm has about 25 people working there. My guess is they are not doing it for free, so it seems to me that they DO create jobs and they ARE in the private sector, which pretty much negates that part of your argument. Everybody hates a lawyer, until they need one…ask FITS News. He has few he uses and does some work for trial lawyers as well. They’re easy to beat up on, but when you get a DUI, or accused of a crime (even if your innocent) or some doctor maims or kills a loved one, I hope you’ll just represent yourself.
By Pro Small Biz on February 28th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Another View – personal injury lawyers cause our state to lose more jobs than they create.
Why else would the Secretary Of Commerce, the business community, legislative leaders, and the governor support legal reform?
Do your research before making such a statement. The US Department of Commerce released a report in October about the negative impact that our litigation system has on investment in the US.
By the way, I have no problem with lawyers who do not prey on injured victims.
In fact, I like lawyers who protect doctors from frivolous lawsuits and prosecute criminals.
By Red Bank Bar on February 28th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Well, we know who Small One watches. Another dumb-arse Faux News person who thinks Obama is a Muslim and Iraquis were on the 911 planes. The stupidity never ceases.
The US Dept of Commerce, October 2008, a/k/a. Junior Bush School of Economics and Hand Puppetry. Bobby Harrell, Glenn McConnell, Marshall Sanford, Joe Taylor, our fearless leaders who have helped create our record unemployment and stagnant economy. Their response is to blame the unemployed.
Why don’t you name us a business where personal injury lawyers caused a South Carolina business to fire an employee?
By Pro Small Biz You Won the Debate on February 28th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Hey Pro Small Biz,
When they start attacking you instead of answering your questions or responding to your position, you’ve won the debate.
Good job.
I agree with you about attorneys. There are some really good lawyers in our state.
This debate is about jobs and improving our business climate. Unfortunately, the 1 800 Lawyers (aka TV Lawyers) are doing a lot of harm to our business climate encouraging needless lawsuits.
These greedy TV lawyers blame everyone but themselves about the harm that is being done by excessive lawsuits.
Read their comments they blame the insurance companies, big business, “drunk” doctors, Republicans, Fox News, George Bush, and Governor Sanford.
They like to act as defenders of the “little man”, instead, they are greedy personal injury lawyers taking 50% of an injured parties award. They are an embarrassment to the legal profession.