AUSTIN – Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) issued the following statement regarding Senate Bill 28 and House Bill 2826, which require transparency when local governments hire outside attorneys on contingency-fee contracts.

“Local governments must have the ability to contract with private attorneys, and contingency fee contracts based on the successful completion of the government’s case can be appropriate in some cases. At the same time, Texas taxpayers have the right to know the details when a private law firm is handling the government’s work, and they have the right to expect the government will keep the lion’s share of any money recovered in the lawsuit,” TLR General Counsel Lee Parsley said. “These bills bring transparency to the contracting process, keeping law firms accountable to Texas taxpayers and their government clients. It also ensures the best lawyers will be hired at reasonable fees and makes the standards for contingent-fee contracts by local governments consistent with those followed by the state of Texas.”

AUSTIN – Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) today issued the following statement regarding Gov. Greg Abbott’s 2019 State of the State Speech:

“The Texas miracle of job creation and economic growth continues today because of principled economic policies, including keeping our legal system fair and efficient, championed by Gov. Abbott and the Texas Legislature. Those policies helped Texas take the #1 spot in CNBC’s ranking of Best States for Business and Site Selection Magazine’s Governor’s Cup for a record breaking 14 years. TLR strongly supports Gov. Abbott’s continued efforts to keep Texas the best state to live, work and own a business.”

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AUSTIN—Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) today issued the following statement regarding Gov. Greg Abbott’s appointment of Mike Toth to the Third Court of Appeals, based in Austin:

“Mike Toth is an experienced and principled attorney whose background of service to our state and nation show a distinct commitment to the rule of law,” TLR General Counsel Lee Parsley said. “As an officer and military attorney in the U.S. Marine Corps and a special counsel in the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Mike has handled a variety of challenging and important legal issues. He will be an excellent addition to the Third Court of Appeals, which oversees some of the most significant legal and regulatory cases in our state.”

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AUSTIN—TLR today launched its newly updated and redesigned website, tortreform.com, which serves as a one-stop resource for lawsuit reform news and analysis, as well as the definitive record on Texas’ historic work to make its legal system fair, efficient and accountable.

“TLR has worked for nearly 25 years to pass common-sense reforms that have strengthened our state’s legal system and led to tremendous job growth and economic prosperity for Texas families,” TLR Communications Director Lucy Nashed said. “With the launch of the redesigned tortreform.com, Texans have a wealth of information about those reforms at their fingertips, presented in a modern and compelling visual setting that utilizes a variety of content to educate visitors about Texas’ legal system.”

The new tortreform.com is adaptive to viewing on mobile devices, which comprised more than 60 percent of the traffic the website received in the last year and are how 85 percent of adults in America consume their news.

The site features dedicated landing pages focused on broad areas of reform that detail the challenges that existed prior to tort reform and steps Texas has taken to create a fairer and more balanced legal system. The site also features a variety of supporting information—including news clips and TLR press releases and research—to provide additional context and information.

The new tortreform.com will use richer digital content, including videos, photos and infographics, to help Texans understand the impact of a fair and efficient legal system on our state. The site will also house original content created by TLR in its newsletter, The Advocate, as well as special reports and amicus briefs TLR has filed over the years. In the coming weeks, TLR will also launch a blog and redesign of its weekly clips email.

Please visit tortreform.com for more information about TLR’s work to make Texas’ legal system fair, efficient and predictable.

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AUSTIN—TLR today announced Lilyanne McClean will join the organization in April as president, as well as the addition of Marc Watts and Michael Weekley to TLR’s Board of Directors. Dick Weekley and Dick Trabulsi, TLR’s cofounders and longtime leaders of the United States’ pre-eminent lawsuit reform movement, will continue to lead TLR’s day-to-day operations as senior chairman and chairman, respectively.

“Over the past 25 years, TLR has built a legacy of smart, principled reforms that have laid the foundation for Texas’ economic success, creating opportunity for families, small businesses, job creators, medical professionals and everyone seeking access to a fair and honest legal system,” TLR Senior Chairman Dick Weekley said. “The addition of Lilyanne, Marc and Michael to our established leadership team will help TLR continue working seamlessly to improve public policy for the next 25 years, building on the critical reforms that have strengthened Texas’ economy and improved the fairness of our courts.”

“It’s an honor to join TLR’s battle-proven and highly successful leadership team,” McClean said. “I look forward to being part of this dynamic organization, which plays a unique role in protecting Texas’ business climate and keeping the state’s economy strong.”

McClean will be based in TLR’s Houston office, and will work closely with Senior Chairman Dick Weekley on fundraising, as well as continuing to mobilize the business community behind smart reforms to keep Texas’ courts fair, efficient and accessible. Dick Weekley will continue to serve as CEO and Trabulsi will continue to coordinate TLR’s legal and legislative activities. TLR cofounder Hugh Rice Kelly will continue as senior general counsel. McClean joins a seasoned management team that includes Executive Director Mary Tipps, General Counsel Lee Parsley and Communications Director Lucy Nashed.

McClean currently serves as Executive Vice President of Public Policy and Communications for the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP). She previously served as GHP’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy, and as interim president and CEO. Prior to joining GHP, she was part of the senior leadership team at K-Global, a senior policy and communications advisor for Bryan Cave LLP, and a Senior Vice President at Vox Global. McClean began her career in public policy, government affairs and public affairs in Washington, D.C. in 1994, after working for several years on Wall Street. She spent a large portion of her early career at American Express Co., with a broad portfolio that included securities litigation reform, regulatory relief and federal tax policy.

McClean has been an active member of the business community, holding several key positions on the Council on Foreign Relations, the Business Council for International Understanding and the Business Roundtable. She received a bachelor’s degree from Montclair State University, a law degree from George Washington University Law School and a master’s degree in communications and technology from Georgetown University.

Marc Watts is president of The Friedkin Group, an umbrella company overseeing various business interests that are principally automotive-related, including Gulf States Toyota Inc., a wholesale distributor of Toyota vehicles and products.

Prior to joining The Friedkin Group, Watts was vice chairman and managing partner for the Houston office of the 700-attorney law firm of Locke Lord LLP. Watts has more than 26 years of experience in corporate and securities law, governance and related matters. He is a board member of Highland Resources Inc., Service Corporation International, and Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation. He is also on various civic and community boards including, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (Houston Branch), United Way of Greater Houston and the Greater Houston Partnership.

Michael Weekley is the founder and principal of East River Investments, a special-purpose private equity vehicle. Prior to East River, he was the director of financial analysis at PetroLogistics, the largest on-purpose propylene producer in the U.S., where he focused on M&A and corporate strategy. Weekley previously worked for Citigroup’s Global Energy Investment Banking team, advising upstream, midstream, downstream and oilfield services clients. Prior to this, he was a member of the Energy Corporate Banking group at Amegy Bank.

Weekley received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with honors.

For more information about TLR, please visit www.tortreform.com.

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