Follow up to Legal Reform Summit panelists

From: RDShatt@aol.com
To: ________
Sent: 10/26/2010 4:23:58 P.M. Central Daylight Time

Subj: To Legal Reform Summit Panelists: I hope you will be "fulsome" tomorrow

In follow up to my previous email to you, I wish to say that it seems to me there is a potential "conflict of interest" for panelists who are partners at large law firms which earn large legal fees from representing corporate defendants in class action lawsuits and that this may prevent them from being "fulsome" in speaking about the need for legal reform.

I wrote Mr. Nocera and Ms. O'Donnell this letter raising this question.

I hope you will be "fulsome" tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Rob Shattuck

"Conflict of interest" at Legal Reform Summit

Reporters Joe Nocera of The New York Times and Norah O'Donnell of NBC News are moderators at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Legal Reform Summit. I sent them the following letter about a "conflict of interest" at the conference:


From: RDShatt@aol.com
To: bizday@nytimes.com, nbcnews@msnbc.com
CC: lrickard@uschamber.com
Sent: 10/15/2010 7:33:47 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: "Conflict of interest" at US Chamber of Commerce Legal Reform Summit

October 15, 2010

VIA US MAIL AND EMAIL

Mr. Joe Nocera

The New York Times
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10018

Ms. Norah O'Donnell

NBC News

60 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, NY 10012

Re: "Conflict of interest" at US Chamber of Commerce Legal Reform Summit

Dear Mr. Nocera and Ms. O'Donnell,

This is in follow up to my previous email/letter to you.

Most of the panelists at the Legal Reform Summit are lawyers from large law firms. These law firms make tens of millions of dollars in legal fees from representing the corporations which are defendants in the class action lawsuits and other litigation that the US Chamber of Commerce and the Institute for Legal Reform find objectionable and regarding which they believe legal reform is badly needed.

Given the financial interest that these panelists and their law firms have in the objectionable litigation in question, and in its continuation, one can wonder about the extent to which this "conflict of interest" will color what the panelists are willing to say at the Legal Reform Summit.

I am sure there are reasons for the Chamber's selection of its panelists at the Legal Reform Summit. You, as reporters, however, might be skeptical about the fulsomeness of the presentations you hear at the conference. I hope you will think about this.

Sincerely,

Robert Shattuck
Birmingham, AL

cc. Ms. Lisa Rickard (via email)

Legal Reform Summit

The Institute for Legal Reform of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been having an annual Legal Reform Summit for several years ( www.legalreformsummit.com ). I have sent this year's panelists the following email:

From: RDShatt@aol.com
To: ______________
Sent: 10/13/2010 ________.M. Central Daylight Time

Subj: To Legal Reform Summit Panelists: re Business Ethics

I contend that plaintiffs' lawyers undermine business ethics. You may find my argumentation set forth in this article: Does the Civil Liability System Undermine Business Ethics?

I believe this contention provides a further reason for the need for legal reform, which reason has been little explored.

I hope you will read my article and tell me what you think.

Thank you.

Rob Shattuck

Birmingham, AL

AL AG candidates Strange and Anderson

I live in Alabama and am trying to get the candidates for Alabama attorney general, Luther Strange and James Anderson, to articulate their positions:

From: RDShatt@aol.com
To: james@AndersonforAG.com
CC: info@lutherstrange.com
Sent: 10/13/2010 6:55:43 A.M. Central Daylight Time

Subj: Economic recovery, ethics, plaintiffs' lawyers, and attorneys general

Dear Mr. Anderson,

I have previously emailed you and other Alabama AG candidates in July.

I continue to believe there are important questions related to the roles of plaintiff's' lawyers and the Alabama attorney general that have bearing on important public concerns of economic recovery and ethics. These are elucidated in entries I have made in my blog here and here.

I don't know the extent to which you or Luther Strange is prepared to state your views about these questions.

I am prepared to do volunteer campaigning on your behalf (and/or on behalf of Luther Strange- see below email to him) depending on the views you are prepared to enunciate on these issues.

Thank you.

Rob Shattuck

Birmingham, AL

From: RDShatt@aol.com
To: info@lutherstrange.com
Sent: 10/12/2010 7:53:44 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: I am possible volunteer re: your ethics campaign issue

Dear Mr. Strange,

Last November I sent you the below email. I continue to be interested. Please contact me if you would like me to do volunteer work for you on this matter.

Thank you.

Rob Shattuck

From: RDShatt
To: info@lutherstrange.com
Sent: 11/21/2009 5:57:34 A.M. Central Standard Time
Subj: I am possible volunteer re: your ethics campaign issue

Dear Mr. Strange,

I may like to volunteer as a campaign worker related to your campaign issue of ethics.

If you are interested, please go to this link: http://robertshattuck.blogspot.com/search/label/E1.%20State%20attorney%20generals and read my blog posts there, which will indicate certain views I have about ethics, plaintiffs' lawyers, and attorneys general.

If, after you read the posts, you think there is some correspondence between your thinking and my thinking about these subjects, and that I might be of assistance to you in your campaigning related to the same, please let me hear from you.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Rob Shattuck

3812 Spring Valley Circle

Birmingham, AL 35223

(205) 967-5586