Our pledge for the future.

   In the little world in which children have their existence, whosoever
   brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt as
   injustice.

--Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

I have three beautiful children, Rachel (14), Zack (13), and Ben (11). As I look back, it's hard to think of a time when they weren't in my life. I can picture and relive many great memories--riding our sport vehicles and horses in the mountains of Vermont, practicing baseball, going to Little League games, visiting Disney and the Disney Institute, and so many others. These memories bring a welcome meaning to my life.

Through years of hard work and long hours, I have always tried to find time for my kids. I have tried diligently to educate them, to listen to and learn from them, and just to be with them and enjoy their company. Their safety, development, and well-being are important to me.

I believe it is because of the priority my own children have in my life that I have dedicated so much of my personal and professional time to representing the interests of children. It is our job as trial lawyers to help make the world a place where a child's positive outlook can survive even the harsh blows that the years may deliver. I believe that how we are to be judged over time will be determined by how we raise our children today. I agree with Dr. Jonas Salk that our "children are a message we send to a future that we will never see."

To accomplish all of our goals effectively, we need to recognize the importance that our system of justice has for all of us and for our children. We need to defend it from the attacks of tort "reform" and from those who would deprive our judges of their independence.

With this in mind, this year we have launched an important new program to ensure that civil justice is preserved for the 21st century: The ATLA Endowment.

The mission of the Endowment is to preserve and protect our system of justice and the individual rights of all Americans. The Endowment's priorities will include providing consistent and continuous public education to promote an informed appreciation of both the work we do and the right to a jury trial, sponsoring education programs and publications for judges and law professors, and funding scholarship and research on the civil justice system and individual rights.

The Endowment's goal will be to provide funding for programs that will counteract the campaign of misinformation being waged by interest groups that would sacrifice justice for dollars. Our donations to the Endowment will support long-term efforts to reach out to the public, the judiciary, and legal academia to promote the civil justice system.

These critical priorities will be addressed through four new institutes to be funded by the Endowment.

The Public Education Institute will promote a national campaign to renew appreciation of our civil justice system among citizens who for years have been assaulted with insurance industry and corporate propaganda. The institute will create a strong, quick-response system so that ATLA's message will be heard when news stories paint a distorted picture of civil justice. It will also work with state trial lawyer associations to spread our message to local opinion leaders and news media. And to teach students from an early age about their precious rights under the civil justice system, the institute will develop educational materials for use in schools at all grade levels.

The Judicial Institute will provide continued support to the highly regarded Roscoe Pound Foundation annual forum for state appellate judges and will fund new education forums and conferences for both federal and state trial court judges. It will be a primary resource for our efforts at protecting the independence of our judiciary.

The Law School Institute will focus on building ties with the academic community to ensure that consumer-oriented scholarship is no longer neglected in legal education. Law professor forums will highlight the historic strengths of the civil justice system and invite participants to challenge current myths about civil justice.

The Research Institute will support studies on key issues such as punitive damages, contingent fees, mandatory arbitration, and expert testimony. Our goal is to develop compelling research that will help shape policy on these issues for years to come.

The greatest reward for each of us in supporting the Endowment will be knowing that our contribution will help preserve a system of justice that we love and respect and wish to see thriving for us and for every generation of Americans yet to come. Our best protection for our children is the preservation of their access to justice. This is the goal of the ATLA Endowment. It is a goal each one of us should share as our own.

Finally, I want to thank you for allowing me the honor of being your president. I have tried to walk with dignity whenever I have traveled on your behalf all year. For your friendship and support, I will forever be grateful.

In friendship,

Mark S. Mandell3