Lawyers Marching on Atlanta

What lawyer doesn’t like a good fight?

As we report in this issue of Insurance Journal Southeast, the Georgia Legislature is considering a number of bills that address tort reform in the Peach State (page 8). Skyrocketing medical malpractice rates and extended litigation have put a hurt on the market for agents to write med-mal in this corner of the country.

With dollar signs in their eyes, lawyers have spread out all over Georgia in search of med-mal cash prizes quicker than Union General William Tecumseh Sherman in his famous Atlanta Campaign of 1864. If Sherman had had lawyers in his unit, they likely would have been good at putting up roadblocks.

According to Julie Pulliam, American Insurance Association (AIA) public affairs director for the Southeast region, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association is leading the opposition to the tort reform bills. Pulliam indicates that “there are also several trial lawyers in influential positions in the Legislature (e.g. the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and several of its members) who will make it more difficult to get favorable action on the House bills.”

The question that comes out of this mess is simply, “Can’t we all just get along?”

I am all for going after physicians who cut corners or make major mistakes. However, judges who are lining their pockets with campaign contributions from lawyers also need to be held accountable. Outrageous litigation, and costly litigation at that, continues to swamp the courts and impact the insurance industry. Until all sides come together and find a fair compromise, agents should continue to be wary of hoping to write med-mal coverage in the Peach State. They’re more likely to find the pits.

Also in this issue, we go one-on-one with West Virginia Insurance Commissioner Jane Cline (page 12). Appointed in 2001, Cline discusses the challenge agents have doing business in a small state.

Finally, in our Parting Shots column (page 38), Mickie Edwards, president of the Alabama Independent Insurance Agents, gives readers a report on the progress of that group and what agents can gain from joining.

Drop us a line and let us know what is going on in your state. We want to be your number one source for news for independent agents and the industry in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.

We hope you like your Insurance Journal Southeast issue, and we’ll talk to you soon.