While the 2004 Republican and Democratic conventions are supposed to be devoid of any real controversy, the same cannot be said for the annual convention of the American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA). The trial lawyers association denied the request of Andrew Simpson, the publisher of Insurance Journal, to cover the convention of litigators in Boston last month.

Insurance Journal has published an exchange of e-mails between Carlton Carl, Vice President of Media Relations for ATLA and IJ Publisher Simpson. They make for entertaining reading. Here's a sample:

Carl to Simpson:  "Yours is a publication with a point of view which clearly serves an audience in opposition to free and open access to the courts and the independent authority of citizen juries and whose interests are too frequently the polar opposite of people injured through no fault of their own, whom our members represent. I am sure you understand."

Simpson to Carl:  "No, I don't understand. I'm curious how you came to that conclusion about Insurance Journal or me. That's quite a sweeping indictment…By the way, I am a reporter/editor, not a mouthpiece for the insurance industry, and Insurance Journal carries opinions of all kinds, not just those favored by insurers. Our target audience is in fact independent insurance agents, not insurance companies. Your press credentials on your web site say nothing about "mainstream media and legitimate legal press" only. While I respect your right as a private organization to control access to your meeting, do you think we might do some good in helping insurance agents get to better understand trial lawyers and their concerns?

Full Article (Insurance Journal 7/26/04)

August 4, 2004