For Immediate Release
Contact: Ken Hoagland, Communications Director
713-667-3331; txhoagies@aol.com

Austin, Texas (November 6, 2003) “ Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR), a grassroots civil justice reform group, today acknowledged that despite recent legislative reforms, two Texas jurisdictions have once again been cited in the American Tort Reform™s annual report on œJudicial Hellholes.

œNot even the most positive civil justice reforms can fully restore a fair and balanced civil justice system until every one of our judges, in every part of our state, are honest, independent, diligent and competent, said TLR President Richard J. Trabulsi, Jr.

Trabulsi said that Texans for Lawsuit Reform has begun research on three legal issues that would have a profound effect on the administration of civil justice in Texas. œJudicial administration, judicial selection reform, and legal ethics reform are each at the heart of fairness and balance in our civil courts, said Trabulsi.

œWe believe that recent legislative reforms will go far to restore litigation in Texas to its appropriate role in our society, but there are still venues where litigants cannot be confident that they will get a fair day in court. That must change, he said.

œWe have gone from one of the worst states in the nation to one of the best in terms of our civil justice system but we still have some problems that result in unfair verdicts, unnecessary costs to consumers and uneven administration of justice, he said. œThe people of Texas and their representatives in the Legislature have made clear that they want a system that is above reproach, and we will continue to work toward that goal.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform is a grassroots civil justice reform group with more than 10,000 local supporters in hundreds of towns and cities throughout Texas.