Julie Braman Kane of Colson Hicks Eidson Elected President of American Association for Justice

August 3, 2016 / 6:36 am

Kane is the Seventh Woman to Lead the National Trial Bar in 70 Years and Continues the Law Firm’s Tradition of Leadership and Service to the Civil Justice System

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (August 3, 2016) – Colson Hicks Eidson partner Julie Braman Kane has been elected president of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), the world’s largest trial bar and leading defender of civil justice. Kane, who previously served as president-elect, was sworn in as president at the organization’s annual convention in Los Angeles, Calif. on Sunday, July 24. She is the 71st president, and seventh woman, to lead the association.

Kane’s appointment continues her Coral Gables-based law firm’s tradition of leadership with the American Association for Justice and service to the civil justice system. Colson Hicks Eidson co-founder, Bill Colson, served as president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America from 1964-1965 and partner, Lewis S. “Mike” Eidson, served as president from 2006-2007.

“My beliefs about safety, justice, and fairness align with everything the American Association for Justice stands for and I am deeply honored and committed to serving as president this year,” said Kane. “I am equally honored to continue my law firm’s tradition of leading this incredible organization. As long as there are corporations that put profits over people, we need the American Association for Justice and its members to protect people’s rights and hold corporations accountable.”

Founded in 1946 and based in Washington, D.C., the AAJ (formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America), works to promote a fair and effective justice system and to provide support to attorneys in their efforts to ensure that any person who is injured by the misconduct or negligence of others can obtain justice in America’s courtrooms, even when taking on the most powerful interests. For 70 years, AAJ has been the collective voice of the trial bar and its clients on Capitol Hill and in courthouses across the nation.

A champion of civil justice, Kane’s commitment to protecting the right to trial by jury and ensuring an effective civil justice system for all is evident in her more than 20 years of service. She has served the AAJ as its president-elect, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and parliamentarian, as a member of its Executive and Budget Committees, and as chair of its National Finance Council, Products Liability Section, Women’s Caucus and Diversity Task Force.

“Julie is an exceptional trial attorney and a relentless advocate for her clients and the civil justice system. The American Association for Justice is committed to preserving people’s Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial and Julie will be an important part of our fight. We are excited to have her leading AAJ and our members for the coming year,” said Linda Lipsen, CEO of the American Association for Justice.

In 2012, with voter suppression legislation on the rise across America, Kane initiated and chaired the Association’s Voter Protection Action Committee, AAJ’s election protection program that provides lawyers in all fifty states to protect the voting rights of American citizens whose access to the polls is otherwise limited. As chair, Kane was instrumental in placing AAJ members across the country to ensure that U.S. citizens’ voting rights were assured and their ballots were counted. Due to its success and Kane’s continued leadership, the Voter Protection Action Committee is still running strong, partnering with other national organizations to ensure that all legitimate votes are cast and counted.

During Kane’s presidency, AAJ is mounting a nationwide service project to match lawyers with high schools and middle schools across the nation to fight distracted driving among teens. The organization, EndDD, is committed to providing teens with tools to avoid distracted driving and to save lives. Kane’s initiative is to provide scientifically prepared presentations designed to help prevent countless deaths and injuries.

In addition to her service with the AAJ, Kane serves on the board of directors for the Florida Justice Association. She previously served as a commissioner on the Florida Elections Commission and as president of the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. She has also served as a trustee on the Justice PAC Board and as co-chair of the National College of Advocates.

An AV-rated trial lawyer, Kane concentrates her practice on catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death litigation as well as in commercial, class and mass actions. Throughout her 23-year career, she has represented hundreds of clients in a variety of personal injury and product liability cases and has secured multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for victims of negligence, including a $38 million verdict in a medical malpractice case.

She has earned multiple accolades for her legal skills, her leadership and her dedication to community members, consumers and the trial bar. Most recently, Kane was honored by Miami-Dade Florida Association of Women Lawyers’ (FAWL) with its prestigious Mattie Belle Davis Award for professional achievement, perseverance and dedication demonstrated by the late Judge Davis. She is also a past recipient of the AAJ’s Distinguished Service Award, the Howard Twiggs Commitment to Justice Award, the Marie Lambert Award for leadership, the Joe Tonahill service award, and multiple Weideman Wysocki awards.

About Colson Hicks Eidson

The Law Firm of Colson Hicks Eidson is a trial firm with nearly 50 years of experience handling local, national and international litigation, and arbitration. Members of the firm have been involved in some of the country’s most high-profile and landmark cases resulting in impactful and precedential rulings. A mid-size firm with a diverse staff comprised of more than 50 percent women and minorities, Colson Hicks Eidson prides itself on a track record of developing future leaders within the legal profession and its civic and community involvement. Members of the firm have held notable positions serving on the boards of prominent institutions, such as the State University System of Florida and the Florida State Board of Education, and holding high-ranking offices, including President of the 60,000-member American Association for Justice; President of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers; President of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers; President of the Dade County Bar Association; President of the Miami-Dade Florida Association of Women Lawyers; United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and Chairman of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission.

About the American Association for Justice

As the world’s largest trial bar, the American Association for Justice (formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America) works to make sure people have a fair chance to receive justice through the legal system when they are injured by the negligence or misconduct of others—even when it means taking on the most powerful corporations. For more information, visit www.justice.org.

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The complaint was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois where United Airlines is headquartered.

About Colson Hicks Eidson

Colson Hicks Eidson is a boutique litigation firm serving clients in local, national, and international matters. Our multilingual team of highly experienced attorneys is dedicated to providing our clients with top-tier legal representation backed by a commitment to hard work, creative thinking, responsiveness, and professionalism. From our offices in Miami, we have handled a broad range of significant legal matters around the world for over 50 years.

About BartlettChen LLC

Based in Chicago, BartlettChen LLC represents individuals in aviation, wrongful death, and immigration matters across the nation and internationally. Austin Bartlett of BartlettChen has practiced aviation law for more than two decades and brings the unique perspective of a former aviation defense attorney to help victims and their families secure full compensation for their losses.

Colson Hicks Eidson is pleased to announce that nine attorneys have been named in the 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers. Lawyers for this guide are selected through Lawdragon’s process of independent journalistic research and submissions.  Their selection process emphasizes lawyers who have demonstrated consistent excellence and have made notable impacts in their fields.

Click here to read the full guide.

The Firm’s recognized attorneys are listed below.

About Colson Hicks Eidson

Colson Hicks Eidson is a boutique litigation law firm based in Miami, Florida, serving clients in local, national, and international matters across multiple languages. Practice areas include complex civil and commercial litigation, catastrophic personal injury, medical negligence, product liability, class action, mass tort, and white-collar criminal defense for the most serious and challenging of cases.  Since 1971, the firm and its lawyers have consistently worked to be respected by the state and federal judiciary – securing numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts, judgments, and settlements on behalf of clients. Learn more at www.colson.com.

MIAMI (November 2, 2023) – Colson Hicks Eidson announced today that it has been named in the 2024 list of The Best Law Firms in America. The Miami-based firm has once again received this honor at both the national and metropolitan level. This follows a recent announcement where seven of the firm’s attorneys were named as Best Lawyers in America” for 2024 across a range of fields.

“We strive every day to provide the best possible representation for our clients, and we are honored to continue to receive this recognition for our work,” said Dean C. Colson, Managing Partner of Colson Hicks Eidson.

Best Lawyers, a distinguished peer-review legal publication company, develops The Best Law Firms in America listings through individual lawyer and law firm surveys and firm recognition history. Colson Hicks Eidson is recognized in the following areas.

National Tier 2 (Represents national clients and smaller companies)

  1. Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs

Metropolitan Tier 1 (Scored within a certain percentage of highest-scoring firms in area)

Miami

  1. Bet-the-Company Litigation
  2. Commercial Litigation
  3. Criminal Defense: White-Collar
  4. Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
  5. Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs
  6. Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
  7. Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
  8. Insurance Law

Metropolitan Tier 2 (Scored within a certain percentage of the next highest-scoring firms in area)

Miami

  1. Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
  2. Professional Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs

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About Colson Hicks Eidson

Colson Hicks Eidson is a boutique litigation law firm based in Miami, Florida, serving clients in local, national, and international matters across multiple languages. Practice areas include complex civil and commercial litigation, catastrophic personal injury, medical negligence, product liability, class action, mass tort, and white-collar criminal defense for the most serious and challenging of cases.  Since 1971, the firm and its lawyers have consistently worked to be respected by the state and federal judiciary – securing numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts, judgments, and settlements on behalf of clients. Learn more at www.colson.com.

Colson Hicks Eidson (CHE) is proud to announce its recent involvement in a significant legal matter with statewide implications. Sabrina Saieh, an attorney at CHE, has filed an amicus brief in the First District Court of Appeal in the case of State of Florida, Agency of Health Care Administration v. Alfredo Ivan Murciano, M.D. in support of Dr. Murciano’s brief.

The amicus brief was filed on behalf of CHE senior partner Roberto Martinez, who served on the most recent Florida Constitution Review Commission and was the primary sponsor of an amendment to the Florida Constitution, now found in Article V, Section 21, titled “Judicial Interpretation of Statutes and Rules.” This amendment explicitly prevents courts and Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) from deferring to administrative agencies’ interpretations of state statutes or rules.

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This amicus brief underscores CHE’s dedication to defending the integrity of the Florida Constitution and ensuring that judicial interpretation of statutes and rules remains impartial and independent from administrative agencies.

Organizing Committee Appointee  Stephanie Casey formally honored by Judge Altman

MIAMI (September 9, 2023) –  Colson Hicks Eidson, a multilingual complex civil and commercial litigation law firm based in Miami, FL, today congratulated Stephanie A. Casey for her leadership as an ad-hoc organizer of the Florida Southern District’s 6th Biennial Bench and Bar Conference. She was recognized formally by Judge Roy Altman for her remarkable service at the event in Miami Beach on September 9, 2023. 

The Bench and Bar Conference of the Southern District – a collaborative effort between the US District Court and the South Florida Chapters of the Federal Bar Association – brought together legal professionals, judges, and experts in a sold-out event, attracting more than 1,000 attendees. Casey played a pivotal role in organizing this prestigious gathering, which featured a day-long program of engaging panel discussions with esteemed judges, legal experts, and members of the Southern District of Florida’s Bench and Bar.

One of the highlights of the conference was the “Supreme Court Roundup,” featuring distinguished speakers Miguel A. Estrada and Neal Katyal. Additionally, a thought-provoking panel discussion marked the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Gideon v. Wainwright decision, with Yale Law Professor Akhil Reed Amar, the Honorable Kathleen M. Williams, and the Honorable Robert N. Scola, Jr. 

“We are immensely proud of our partner Stephanie Casey for her exceptional contributions to the 6th Biennial Bench and Bar Conference,” Senior Partner Curt Miner said. “Her leadership and commitment to advancing the legal profession are exactly in line with our firm values, and we look forward to her continued success.”

Casey was appointed to the Southern District’s Bench and Bar Committee by Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga in May 2022.  

About Colson Hicks Eidson

Colson Hicks Eidson is a renowned law firm based in Miami, Florida that is recognized as one of the top trial firms in the United States. Built on a foundation of over 50 years of dedication forging strong client relationships, Colson Hicks Eidson handles local, national, and international litigation, with cases spanning from Miami, Florida, and throughout the United States, to matters in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and Europe. Learn more at: www.colson.com.