Dues assessment will help ATLA's 'war room' spread the truth.

Most ATLA members recently received a voluntary dues assessment. The assessment, equal to each member's annual dues, is needed to ramp up the activities of ATLA's new state-of-the-art "war room," equipped with rapid-response capabilities and an opposition-research operation.

Six new communications staff members were hired in recent months to help defend against attacks from our opponents and shape the debate over issues important to trial lawyers and their clients. ATLA has launched a national effort to help state trial lawyer associations implement communications campaigns, and it has created paid advertisements to affect debate on legislation in Congress.

With additional funds, ATLA can place stories in more newspapers and more radio and television news programs; use strategically targeted paid advertisements; enlist new messengers, including clients, to speak in concert with us; and create a Speakers Bureau of members to disseminate our message.

The assessment will also help fund an increase in ATLA's lobbying efforts. In recent weeks, President Bush has intensified his attack on trial lawyers, injury victims, and the civil justice system in an effort to distract attention from his own political trouble. ATLA needs to reinforce its lobbying to address these challenges.

An anticonsumer medical malpractice bill, sweeping products liability protection for the big drug companies, and federal auto no-fault may well be on our opponents' agenda in 2006. Your dues assessment will help ATLA stop this legislation.

"The dues assessment is voluntary, and no one will lose membership in ATLA if he or she declines to pay it," said ATLA President Ken Suggs. "But I hope our members will consider this payment essential to ATLA's comprehensive plan to save the civil justice system--because it is."

Members with questions about the dues assessment should call the ATLA Member Hotline at [phone] or e-mail [e-mail].