March 8, 2007

Searle Center conference looks at tort reform impact

Leading scholars, practitioners and judges will weigh in on the current state of litigation and tort reform — a rallying cry of the business community for more than 25 years — at a School of Law conference.

Sponsored by Northwestern’s Searle Center, the Litigation and Tort Reform Conference will take place Friday, March 30, at the School of Law.

The conference will present cutting-edge research of scholars from Northwestern and other major universities and explore important policy implications revealed by the studies.

The research will be critiqued by attorneys and protagonists in the public policy arena in a provocative discussion designed to sharpen understanding of the impact of tort reform on our justice system. 

Participants will offer an in-depth look at the consequences of the tug-of-war between the business community, which recently has been successful in limiting lawsuits, and trial lawyers, who have begun to push back by way of lobbying, communications efforts and public studies.

While the business community and trial lawyers have been involved in acrimonious political battles in almost every state capital, little is known about the impact of tort reforms. Are tort reforms achieving their goal of reducing the burden of litigation? Do tort reforms have unintended consequences?

Victor E. Schwartz, general counsel for the American Tort Reform Association, will present the keynote address.

The Searle Center at the School of Law was established in 2006 to research how government regulation and interpretation of laws and regulations by the courts affect business and economic growth.