Wednesday, July 7, 2004
John Edwards: Yeah, He's A Trial Lawyer
It's amusing that the GOP constantly harps about people "picking themselves up by their bootstraps", "working hard", yadda, yadda, yadda. But, when John Edwards, a man who did exactly that, becomes a massive thorn in their side, they seek to discredit his accomplishments as a (gasp!) trial lawyer.
Now, I'll agree that trial lawyers deserve a big part of the bad rap they get. (O.J. anyone?) But at their best, trial lawyers can be one of the few advocates that regular schmoes like me and you will have when the shit hits the fan.
Read the following and tell me if Ed Gillespie is right in saying that John Edwards undeservingly "pocketed" a bunch of money as a trial lawyer:
The defining case in Edwards' legal career wrapped up that same year. In 1993, a five-year-old girl named Valerie Lakey had been playing in a Wake County, N.C., wading pool when she became caught in an uncovered drain so forcefully that the suction pulled out most of her intestines. She survived but for the rest of her life will need to be hooked up to feeding tubes for 12 hours each night. Edwards filed suit on the Lakeys' behalf against Sta-Rite Industries, the Wisconsin corporation that manufactured the drain. Attorneys describe his handling of the case as a virtuoso example of a trial layer bringing a negligent corporation to heel. Sta-Rite offered the Lakeys $100,000 to settle the case. Edwards passed. Before trial, he discovered that 12 other children had suffered similar injuries from Sta-Rite drains. The company raised its offer to $1.25 million. Two weeks into the trial, they upped the figure to $8.5 million. Edwards declined the offer and asked for their insurance policy limit of $22.5 million. The day before the trial resumed from Christmas break, Sta-Rite countered with $17.5 million. Again, Edwards said no. On January 10, 1997, lawyers from across the state packed the courtroom to hear Edwards' closing argument, "the most impressive legal performance I have ever seen," recalls Dayton. Three days later, the jury found Sta-Rite guilty and liable for $25 million in economic damages (by state law, punitive damages could have tripled that amount). The company immediately settled for $25 million, the largest verdict in state history. For their part, Edwards and Kirby earned the Association of Trial Lawyers of America's national award for public service.
Lawyers are, at worst, leeches that seek to capitalize off of others' misery. However, in situations like this when someone has been wronged to the point that their life was almost taken, it's comforting to know that good lawyers do still exist.
As for whether or not Edwards should benefit financially from this work, sure he should. I wonder how many people in this world could have brought that case to a similar end. Like professional athletes that often get paid way too much for what they do, they get paid the big bucks for a reason. It's because they can do what 99.99% of us CAN'T do. Right or wrong, if you work to become the best, you should be able to enjoy the rewards.
Now as for profiting from a business deal with Saddam Hussein (a guy that our President and Vice President have told me many times is pure evil) in 1998 as the CEO of Halliburton, well that might be a somewhat less noble way to earn a buck...
Legal? Sure. Noble? Not quite...
UPDATE: For a more detailed description of why Edwards is the right guy for the job, E.J. Dionne has a great piece in the Washington Post. I love how he shuts down the speculation that Edwards "isn't experienced enough.":
When you hear Republicans disparage Sen. John Edwards's lack of experience, remember the words of Sen. Orrin Hatch, spoken to George W. Bush at a debate on Dec. 6, 1999.
"You've been a great governor," Hatch declared of his rival for the Republican presidential nomination. "My only problem with you, governor, is that you've only had four and going into your fifth year of governorship. . . . Frankly, I really believe that you need more experience before you become president of the United States. That's why I'm thinking of you as a vice presidential candidate."
Which is exactly what Edwards was chosen for yesterday.
Rude Pundit has a little more historical ammo as well...
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