Locks Law Partner Marc P. Weingarten was recently awarded the most prestigious international award given by the American Association of Justice (AAJ), the national organization of plaintiff trial lawyers. At the Annual Convention of AAJ in San Francisco in July, Marc received the 2009 Jackass Penguin Award from the International Relations Committee and the International Practice Section of AAJ. Although the name sounds odd, the history of this award is quite honored. About 15 years ago, a delegation of AAJ officers visited South Africa to help launch an association of plaintiff lawyers in that country, called the South African Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (SAAPIL). While there, the lawyers visited the beach in their spare time and were quite taken by the delightful little birds indigenous to the area known as jackass penguins. They decided to name the annual international award from AAJ after these little creatures.
The award is give annually to the member of AAJ who has done the most during the year to promote international relationships and communications between the trial bar of the United States and other plaintiff lawyers around the world. Marc shares this significant honor with past presidents of the AAJ and other esteemed lawyers. He is most proud to have received it from his peers.
