ATRA NAMES NEW CHAIRMAN

Ed Murnane, of Illinois Civil Justice League, Seeks to Share Legislative Experience with Tort Reformers in Other States

Washington, DC, April 02, 2009 -- The American Tort Reform Association’s board of directors announced this week that Ed Murnane, president of the Illinois Civil Justice League (ICJL), has been named as the organization’s new chairman.

“The ICJL under Ed’s leadership has been a formidable advocate for civil justice in Illinois for many years,” said ATRA president Tiger Joyce, “and it’s been an integral ATRA member and ally, as well. The ATRA board of directors, our membership and staff look forward to and will undoubtedly benefit from Ed’s leadership as chairman.”

Murnane, a Chicago native, now lives in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

“Of course, Arlington Heights lies within Cook County, Illinois,” Murnane pointed out, “a perennial ‘judicial hellhole’ in which true civil justice can be hard to come by at times. The ICJL has worked with judges there and elsewhere around the state, and with lawmakers and governors at the state capitol, to improve fairness and predictably in our courts and to keep the aggressive personal injury bar from further eroding our state’s economy and the public’s respect for the rule of law.

“As ATRA chairman, I want to share with ATRA members and allies in the various states the lessons I’ve learned in working constructively, with all three branches of government, to improve our civil justice system,” Murnane explained.

“Ed’s experience as a leader in Illinois is invaluable,” Joyce observed. “With the current political climate favoring the influential litigation industry as much as it does in Congress, ATRA is focusing considerable energy on state legislatures where we’re working to defend against a new wave of ‘trial lawyer earmarks’ and ‘tort deform’ bills designed to expand liability and increase the number of lawsuits. No one’s better suited than Ed to advise and guide ATRA’s defensive efforts.”

Murnane has served as ICJL president since 1993, following four years in the Reagan and first Bush administrations, including three years as the Midwest Regional Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Prior to his experience in Washington, Murnane directed public affairs and government relations for Illinois’ Regional Transportation Authority, the second largest transportation system in the country. He also is a former journalist and political editor who was honored by the American Political Science Association for "distinguished reporting of public affairs" for his coverage of the 1970 Illinois constitutional convention.

Murnane has served on ATRA’s board of directors since 1997.

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The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to tort and liability reform through public education and the enactment of legislation. ATRA's membership includes non profits, small and large companies, as well as state and national trade, business, and professional associations.