MIAMI LAWYER MIKE EIDSON NAMED PRESIDENT OF ASSOCIATION OF TRIAL LAWYERS OF AMERICA

Local attorney to preside over one of this nation’s leading organizations for protecting and strengthening civil justice system

CORAL GABLES, FL (July 22, 2006) – Coral Gables attorney Mike Eidson has been elected President of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA),    at the organization’s annual meeting in Seattle, WA.

Eidson, a partner in the law firm of Colson Hicks Eidson, is a leading expert in the field of product safety and aviation law. He is best known for his work as the lead counsel in some of the largest automobile recalls in U.S. history: the Ford Pinto, the Chrysler Minivan and most recently, the Firestone/Ford tire tread separation. The outcomes of these cases created higher safety standards in the automobile industry safeguarding consumers across the globe.

The world's largest trial bar, ATLA promotes justice and fairness for injured persons, defends the constitutional right to trial by jury and strengthens the civil justice system through education and disclosure of information critical to public health and safety. With 60,000 members worldwide, ATLA provides lawyers with the information and professional assistance they need to serve clients successfully and protect the democratic values of the civil justice system.

"ATLA is moving forward on many levels and I'm very pleased that someone with the ability and integrity of Mike Eidson is going to be leading us for the next year,'' said Ken Suggs, the association's outgoing president.

   “There is no greater honor for a trial attorney than to be elevated by his peers to this position,’’ Eidson said. “I am humbled by the appointment and committed to set forth an agenda that will be steadfast in its mission to pursue justice at every turn. I am also honored by the legacy of firm Founder Bill Colson, who also presided over this prestigious organization.”

Among the items on Eidson’s agenda are:

• Reframe the public debate on the civil justice system so that all Americans understand that the system is their last line of defense against corporate misconduct and negligence.
• Encourage women and minorities to pursue careers as trial attorneys and advocates of justice.
• A name change to better reflect the association’s core mission.
• Work to elect candidates to office who believe in the importance of a strong, independent civil justice system, full and fair justice for all, and the right of trial by jury as guaranteed by the United States Constitution.
• Highlight the contributions that attorneys make to the public good not only in what they do every day to ensure that every American receives fair treatment in court when they have suffered from the wrongful conduct of others, but also for the positive contributions they make to their communities in other ways.
• Defend the independence of the judiciary.

Eidson is the past recipient of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers Professionalism Award and the American Bar Associations’s prestigious Pursuit of Justice Award. He is the President of the Miami City Ballet, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Miami Performing Arts Center and the Advocates for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Eidson has received many awards for his contributions to the arts and other charitable organizations.  

The Law Firm of Colson Hicks Eidson is a trial firm with more than 35 years of experience handling local, national and international litigation. Partners at the firm have also had the distinction of holding the following offices: President of the 60,000-member Association of Trial Lawyers of America; President of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers; President of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers; President of the Dade County Bar Association; Untied States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida,; and Chairman of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission.