At the AAJ Annual Convention in San Francisco in August of 2009, the FELA Litigation Group held its first annual meeting. The American Association for Justice, formerly The American Trial Lawyers Association, is the largest plaintiff’s bar group in the country, comprised of thousands of lawyers who represent consumers and regular people in injury and wrongful death cases against insurance companies and corporations. The Railroad Law Section is part of AAJ and John C. is the immediate past chair of that group of lawyers who meet and discuss issues related to railroad worker injuries as well as grade crossing and derailment litigation.
As an offshoot of the Railroad Law Section, a new litigation group has started for Federal Employers Liability Act attorneys. This group of lawyers represents railroad workers in their cases against major railroad carriers, such as Norfolk Southern, CSX, and AMTRAK in the Eastern U.S. The purpose of the FELA Litigation Group is to share ideas, documents, and strategies in a confidential setting among fellow members of the plaintiff’s bar. John C. was elected the first Secretary/Treasurer of this new specialty litigation group of AAJ.