Lawyers battling preemption can tap into member resources.

Preemption is a complete defense to liability on questions of law, and the importance of defeating federal preemption cannot be overstated. AAJ offers several resources to help plaintiff attorneys protect their clients' right to pursue state tort remedies.

The Exchange's recently updated litigation packet, "A Guide Through Preemption," includes an overview of federal preemption and strategies on avoiding it; briefs filed by plaintiff attorneys in a variety of cases arguing against defense motions for summary judgment on preemption grounds; orders from various jurisdictions denying federal preemption; statutes and case law from relevant practice areas; and a discussion of federal preemption in pharmaceutical, medical device, auto safety, and railroad cases.

The AAJ Preemption Law Litigation Group educates and assists lawyers dealing with preemption issues in their cases. The Preemption Document Library includes court documents and articles shared in a secure online collection. Litigation group members and members of any AAJ practice section who are AAJ Regular, Sustaining, Life, or President's Club members can access the library at no charge. For more information, visit www.justice.org/ exchange, or call the Exchange at [phone] or [phone], ext. 615.

For the first time, the Preemption Law Litigation Group will present a CLE program at AAJ's 2007 Annual Convention in Chicago on Wednesday, July 18.

The program will provide basic information about federal preemption law, with particular emphasis on preemption by federal regulatory agencies; an update on emerging issues in special-interest practice areas, such as automobile products liability, aviation, and pharmaceuticals; and information about actions taken to stop preemption of historically recognized state and federal causes of action. Visit www.justice.org/convention for a convention schedule.