Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Through political action, legal, academic and market research, and grassroots initiatives, TLR fights for common-sense reforms that keep Texas open for business.

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Statement on House Passage of SB 1189

AUSTIN – Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) today issued the following statement regarding the House passage of Senate Bill 1189, sponsored by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, which requires accountability and transparency in attorney television advertising.

“No Texan should be frightened out of taking a necessary medication because of a misleading legal services ad on TV,” TLR General Counsel Lee Parsley said. “Today’s passage of Senate Bill 1189 brings Texas one step closer to requiring common-sense disclosures in legal services ads—including a disclaimer not to stop taking a prescribed medication without consulting a physician. We are grateful for the House’s quick action on this critical bill to keep Texans from being harmed by misleading advertising, and look forward to seeing Senate Bill 1189 on Gov. Abbott’s desk.”

Statement on House Passage of HB 2826

AUSTIN – Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) today issued the following statement regarding the House passage of House Bill 2826 by Rep. Greg Bonnen, which brings transparency into contingency fee legal contracts with local governments.

“By passing House Bill 2826, the Texas House stood up for taxpayers, who expect transparency in government contracts, consistency in how those contracts are handled and accountability any time a private lawyer is involved with government litigation,” TLR General Counsel Lee Parsley said. “This bill is the product of thoughtful debate and input from stakeholders and will ensure local government clients get quality private legal services at a reasonable rate that allows them to keep more of any potential awards. We look forward to the Senate taking quick action on this critical bill.”

Statement on Senate Passage of SB 1189

AUSTIN – Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) today issued the following statement regarding the Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 1189 by Sen. Dawn Buckingham, which requires accountability and transparency in attorney television advertising.

“The Texas Senate sent a strong message today that our state will not tolerate lawyer advertising practices that unnecessarily alarm Texans and create threats to public health to generate clients,” TLR General Counsel Lee Parsley said. “It’s unacceptable that Texans have suffered adverse health consequences or died because they were frightened into discontinuing use of a necessary medication by an advertisement for legal services. This bill requires a few common-sense disclaimers, including, ‘Do not stop taking a prescribed medication without first consulting a physician.’ We hope the Texas House will take quick action to ensure Texans are not harmed by harmful advertising practices.”

TLR Statement on SB 2342 HB 3336

AUSTIN – Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) issued the following statement regarding Senate Bill 2342 and House Bill 3336, which help increase access to courts for Texans.

“For many Texans, the time and cost of taking a small dispute to court is too high to pursue. A person’s economic status should not cut off their right to the courts,” TLR General Counsel Lee Parsley said. “Moving lawsuits more quickly through the courts helps ensure Texans of all backgrounds have access to an affordable, fair and efficient legal system. For the last decade, expedited claims and justices of the peace have helped more Texans resolve their disputes more quickly and less expensively. These bills would expand those successful procedures to apply to more lawsuits.”

TLR Statement on SB 28 HB 2826

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.”

Statement on 2019 State of the State

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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Statement Regarding Gov. Abbott’s Appointment of Toth to Third Court of Appeals

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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TLR Launches Redesigned tortreform.com

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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TLR Announces Lilyanne McClean to Join as President, Addition of Marc Watts and Michael Weekley as Board Members

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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Common-Sense Lawsuit Reform Keeps Texas off ATRA Judicial Hellholes List

Common-Sense Lawsuit Reform Keeps Texas off ATRA Judicial Hellholes List
House Bill 1774 cited as a Point of Light for stopping lawsuit abuse

AUSTIN – Decisive action by the Texas Legislature to shut down abusive lawsuits following severe weather events helped Texas stay off the American Tort Reform Association’s (ATRA) 2017 Judicial Hellholes list. Preliminary analysis of lawsuit filings shows an 84 percent reduction in weather-related lawsuits since House Bill 1774 took effect.

“The Legislature put Texas consumers first by passing House Bill 1774 to shut down lawsuit abuse that was making property insurance more expensive and less accessible for Texans,” TLR Communications Director Lucy Nashed said. “For over two decades, Texas has fought back against personal injury trial lawyers and their job-killing agenda, passing common-sense reforms to keep our legal system fair, efficient and accessible each time a new abuse has arisen. This commitment has made Texas a national example for smart reforms.”

The 2017 report lists House Bill 1774 as a Point of Light, or a noteworthy action taken by judges, lawmakers or other government officials to stem abuse of the legal system. Last year’s Judicial Hellholes report listed Hidalgo County, Texas, as the ninth worst jurisdiction in the nation for lawsuit abuse. Hidalgo County was the birthplace of weather-related lawsuit abuse by storm-chasing lawyers.

ATRA is a nonprofit organization that works to educate the public about the civil justice system and tort law. It has compiled the Judicial Hellholes report since 2002. The full 2017 Judicial Hellholes report can be viewed here.

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform
1701 Brun Street
Houston, Texas 77019

Ph. 713-963-9363
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Copyright © 2022 · Texans for Lawsuit Reform. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy

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All rights reserved.
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