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The lawyers at the Locks Law Firm are mindful of the importance of giving back to the communities where they live and work. Partner Marc P. Weingarten has shown his dedication to the community by teaching a class in high school civics. Marc participated this past academic year in a program called Advancing Civics Education. This unique program is a joint effort of the Philadelphia Bar Association and the School District of Philadelphia. It is designed to place attorneys and judges in Philadelphia public school classrooms to teach a civics course.

Partner Marc P. Weingarten has been extremely active in lecturing internationally to various groups of lawyers and asbestos victims. Last November, he lectured at the Occupational Disease Conference of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) in Manchester, England. Marc spoke to them about Lung Cancer Attribution Without Asbestosis. Marc went back to England in March of this year to give two lectures. One was in London at the Occupational Disease Conference of the APIL. His earlier presentation in Manchester was so well received that the organization asked Marc to come again and give the talk for the benefit of the lawyers in London. At the same time, Marc went to Leicester, England where he was asked to make a speech to an organization consisting not of lawyers, but rather of victims of mesothelioma, the Leicester Mesothelioma and Carer Support Group, where he spoke about Asbestos Claims in the United States.

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.

Marc P. Weingarten, a partner in the Philadelphia office of Locks Law and Joseph M. McGill, a senior associate in that office recently were successful in the jury trials in Philadelphia state court for two gentlemen who tragically died of mesothelioma. The cases were tried together, in a consolidated manner, before one jury. One man died of mesothelioma at the age of 93 and was awarded $492,000. The other gentleman died of mesothelioma at the age of 63 and was awarded $732,000.

These trials were unique because the only exposure they had to asbestos was in the installation and repair of automobile brakes and clutches. These so-called friction defendants have a scorched earth policy of never settling cases, although in these cases they offered each plaintiff $100,000 to settle before the trial began. The 93 year old victim was able to prove his case against Bendix and the other gentleman proved his case against Borg-Warner.

CNBC reports that the tough economic times have taken their toll on the Repo Man as well. The creditors who hire the repo men have been trying to cut costs, which has led to a decrease in revenue and jobs in the automobile repossession business. Even though delinquent auto loans are at a record high, creditors are desperate to keep present loans serviceable primarily because the values for repossessed cars (and used cars generally) have fallen, just like real estate prices have during this Great Recession.

Partner, Janet Walsh was recently honored by being included in the Irish Voices list of the "75 Most Influential Irish American Women." This honor was bestowed for her contributions to Irish American society and particularly because of her involvement with the Irish American Bar Association of New York and its role in the Irish American community. Janet is a past president of the Association and currently serves on the Board of Directors. Congratulations on this achievement, Janet!

The July 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) contains an article analyzing the 1999 to 2005 death rate from mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung caused by exposure to asbestos. The article is based on a report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 18,068 deaths attributed to mesothelioma were reported during that time period, with an increase from 2,482 deaths in 1999, to 2,704 in 2005. The JAMA article recommends that physicians should document the occupational history of all patients who are suspected to have and are confirmed to have mesothelioma.

Jonathan Miller and team have won a victory in the PA Supreme Court upholding strict liability in the case Bugosh v. I.U. North America, Inc..

What is Strict Liability?
In essence, strict liability holds a manufacturer or seller liable for harm done by his product, whether or not he knew or should have known that the product could cause that harm. Strict liability can attach for harm from a poorly designed product, a poorly manufactured product, or the failure to warn adequately of the hazard from the product.

Marc P. Weingarten, a Partner in Locks Law has been elected to a fellowship in the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA). LCA is a trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one half of one percent of all American lawyers. Fellowship in the LCA is based upon effectiveness and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation.

Marc P. Weingarten, a Locks Law Partner, has been reappointed to the International Relations Committee of the American Association for Justice (AAJ). The purpose of this committee is to review and strengthen the relationship between AAJ and trial lawyer organizations of other countries. In addition to being appointed to this committee, Marc is the education coordinator for the International Practice Section of AAJ. In that role, he has arranged for lawyers from England, Holland, Canada, California, and Ohio to make an educational presentation at this year's annual convention of AAJ, to be held in Philadelphia in July. In addition, Marc will be speaking at that program as well, and his topic of presentation will be international litigation concerning Vioxx.