Access To Justice

News development’s that we’re watching at Sokolove Law:

Infertility Treatments Linked to Autism: A new study finds that mothers who took infertility drugs such as Clomid were twice as likely to have autistic children as women who didn’t take these medications, reports Time Magazine.  The study, conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, also found that the longer a woman underwent treatment with Clomid or similar ovulation-inducing drugs, the greater the chance that her child had an autism spectrum disorder.  Time also reported on a second study, this one by Israeli researchers, that suggests a link between autism and IVF (in vitro fertilization).  Researchers cautioned that there are a number of factors associated with the risk of autism and that more data and study is needed.

Laxative Lawsuit Settlement Coming: C.B. Fleet Co., a maker of oral laxatives, is negotiating a settlement with lawyers for hundreds of plaintiffs who allege the company’s oral sodium phosphate (OSP) products damaged their kidneys, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Injuries claimed by plaintiffs in their Fleet lawsuit include chronic kidney disease, kidney failure and death, according to the article. Available over-the-counter, Fleet’s OSP products were used for bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy, radiographic procedures, and surgery. After the FDA issued a safety alert in 2008, the company pulled the products from the market.

$14M Awarded in Asbestos Case: A Florida man who developed a rare and deadly cancer was awarded more than $14 million after a jury ruled that his condition was caused by asbestos fibers he inhaled during work he did for his family’s construction firm, reports The Miami Herald. Chemical maker Union Carbide was found negligent for selling the fibers to other firms that used them to make joint compounds used in construction. The Herald reports that Georgia Pacific and four other compound makers were also found responsible in part for the plaintiff’s peritoneal mesothelioma.

Toyota Lexus Recall: In yet another Toyota recall, the Japanese automaker announced it will pull four models of its Lexus LS series sedans due to potential steering problems. Reuters reports the recall may reach 11,500 vehicles worldwide and will include 4,500 cars in Japan and 3,800 cars in the United States. The models recalled are the LS460 and LS460L, and hybrids LS600h and LS600hL.

If I were in a self-help group, I’d start my story by saying: “My Name is Jim Sokolove, and I’m an ambulance chaser.   What’s worse, I’m proud of it.”

We all know that lawyers are often the butt of jokes for being sleazy.  In fact, even in a profession that has some of the lowest approval numbers among the public, personal injury attorneys—so-called “ambulance chasers”—stand out as particularly worthy of scorn.

So  you might think it’s odd to be proud of being called an ambulance chaser.  But I mean it.  I’m proud of that moniker.  Let me explain.

I started a law firm that specializes in personal injury law, and we get our clients by advertising to people who may have been hurt as the result of someone else’s negligence.

For more than thirty years, my firm and our co-counsel have helped hundreds of thousands of people who have been harmed as a result of someone else’s negligence.  It’s amazingly rewarding work, and I consider myself lucky to have made it my business to help people.  Along the way, we’ve helped to bring about some changes for the better in society.

Cars have seatbelts, laws require bike helmets, and companies dispose of toxic waste properly all because we and our fellow ambulance chasers stood up to fight for people who had been injured.  You have ambulance chasers to thank for laws requiring truth in advertising for pharmaceuticals, for disclosing toxic chemicals like asbestos at job sites, and for exposing the dangers of using tobacco.

We’ve helped to bring people together who have been victims of the same kinds of injuries.  We run online web resource centers for victims of birth injuries, asbestos-related lung cancer, and medical malpractice, where those who have been injured can form a community, share their stories and support one another.

And we are constantly identifying areas where people are being injured, and may not know about their legal rights.  For example, in the past six months, we’ve launched consumer hotlines informing people about the potential dangers associated with denture creams, and toxic building materials imported from China.  We never stop looking for corporations who are looking to make a quick buck by skimping on the safety of consumers.

Last winter, we convened a meeting of the leading attorneys in the financial services space to consider how the legal rights of those on Main Street have been devastated by the fraud and abuse on Wall Street.  In addition, we’re taking lots of cases related to wage-and-hour abuses caused by companies who are tightening their belts on the back of their employees.

We do all of this at a time when the legal industry is under enormous pressure.  To be sure, there’s still unmet demand.  In fact, nearly 80 percent of the civil legal needs of the low-income individuals and 60 percent of middle-income households remain unmet.  In the most legally advanced country in the world, that’s simply unacceptable.

So I don’t shy away from the label ambulance chaser.  In fact, to paraphrase Shakespeare’s Henry V: “If it is a sin to be an ambulance chaser…I am the most offending soul alive.”  As I said in one of my first television ads: “I’m attorney Jim Sokolove, and I help people who’ve been injured get the money they deserve.”

I’ve been doing it for more than 30 years.  And I’m going to keep at it, so long as there are people who need my help.