TRIAL LAWYER ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY FROM THE OVAL OFFICE!

John Kerry's selection of John Edwards as his running mate was a bold and necessary choice. Edwards brings some needed vitality to the ticket as well as some appeal to Southern voters. Edwards is a talented, ambitious, intelligent man who will do a terrific job as vice president.

Of course right wing conservatives are red in the face, screaming and ranting about the fact that he is a "trial lawyer"(gasp!). The chicken hawk radio conservatives are simply apoplectic with the fact Edwards is a trial lawyer. The United States Chamber of Commerce has indicated it will dispense with its long-standing tradition of neutrality(ha!) in presidential politics and actively campaign against the ticket. What a bunch of hypocrites.

I'm a trial lawyer. I know a bunch of other trial lawyers. Almost to a man(or woman)most trial attorneys I know are intelligent, ambitious and hard-working. Yes, some trial attorneys can make enormous amounts of money. Particularly personal injury attorneys(like Edwards) who work on a contingent fee basis. In a contingent fee arrangement, no fees are paid to the attorney unless and until there is a settlement or verdict. When that occurs, the attorney will typically take approximately 33% of the recovery. Yes, when there is a 10 million dollar award or settlement, that's a lot of money. But bear in mind the lawyer carries that case for years, spending his own money to fund the litigation. If the case goes south, the attorney gets NOTHING! When that client signs the contract, he and the attorney are agreeing to share the risk on that case and hopefully it will pay off for both of them. Sound crass? Maybe it is. But that arrangement is the only way most Americans can get into Courthouses these days when they are victimized by irresponsible manufacturers or careless doctors. If you or a loved were injured due to the actions of another, could you afford to pay a lawyer a significant hourly rate, over the course of several years, to litigate a case? Factor in the written discovery, depositions, court appearances, legal research, even the phone calls. Injured plaintiffs can't litigate cases on an hourly basis - they be looking for bankruptcy lawyers before long. Trial attorneys give the working class of this country access to the legal system that they otherwise couldn't afford.

Yes, John Edwards made millions of dollars representing injured people. He stood up before juries in North Carolina and asked for millions of dollars to compensate people who had been injured or killed. And those juries, regular people from the communities, hell some of them were even Republicans, usually gave it to him. Because they heard the evidence and agreed that the injury justified a large award. Mr. Edwards in effect, was a very successful small business owner. His business didn't fail, that the oil business the president ran. He didn't make millions of dollars off a minor investment in an American league baseball franchise after being ushered into ownership through powerful connections. Nope, Mr. Edwards made his money the old-fashioned way - he earned it.

In just the last several years, trial attorneys have effectuated positive changes in a number of arenas, including the elimination of dangerous and defective products from the marketplace; the termination of predatory and discriminatory lending practices and the extrication of innocent men from death row. Here in Illinois, a trial lawyer was instrumental in uncovering the corrupt practices that ran rampant in the Secretary of State's Office when it was being run by former Governor Ryan. As a result of that very corruption, one low life was permitted to buy his CDL license. As he sped down an Illinois highway one day, a piece of equipment came off his truck and punctured the gas tank on a mini-van behind him. Seven young children were burned to death in the fire that erupted. Despite courageous efforts by their parents, the children couldn't be saved. One by one, members of Ryan's inner circle have pled guilty to corruption charges or were convicted by juries. George Ryan's trial starts in the fall. If not for the dogged efforts of Joe Power, a legend in the Illinois trial bar, the licenses for sale scandal may never have come to light.

John Edwards is a good and honorable man who made a good living as a trial attorney. I'm proud to see him on the Democratic ticket and anxious to see him sworn in this January.

Finally, the country has on occasion put a trial lawyer in the Oval Office. And he did pretty well. His name was Abraham Lincoln.