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Levin Papantonio Thomas Mitchell Rafferty Proctor is an American law firm founded in 1955 by David Levin, Reubin Askew and Fred Levin, originally under the name (Levin & Askew ). The law firm received national recognition in 1980 after receiving an $18 million jury verdict against Louisville & Nashville Railroad after one of its trains derailed in Pensacola, Florida, killing a young doctor and his wife, and leaving their two young children orphaned. The jury verdict was the largest compensatory damage verdict in U.S. history at the time. Because of the size of the verdict, the firm was featured in the national periodical ''US'' magazine. The law firm again made national news in 1989 with its creation of the first live, prime time talk show to air lawyers providing free legal advice. The show became a lightning rod for potential legal ethics issues, with critics stating: "It's obviously advertising for that law firm that is slanted at having the public believe in higher verdicts, more rights of the injury party and anti-doctor." The show resulted in two separate Florida Bar investigations, and one prosecution, when a law firm attorney admitted on-air: "I used to enjoy betting on the football games, and now they've arrested my bookie." Another time, a lawyer ranted about the medical profession and accused doctors of having a "God-complex - they think they are above the law." The law firm's most controversial act occurred in 1993 when it rewrote a Florida statute that allowed the state of Florida to sue the Tobacco Industry, and then orchestrated its clandestine passing through the state legislature. After the law was upheld by the United States Supreme Court, the Tobacco Industry settled with Florida for an unprecedented $13 billion. It was this secretive legal maneuvering, which many believed to be immoral, that helped frame the national debate on whether personal injury law was negatively impacting the American business environment, culminating in a July 17, 2000, article in ''Time'' magazine titled: "Are Lawyers Running America?". Inside, there was a picture of Fred Levin, one of the law firm's attorneys, wearing a red blazer and sunglasses and leaning on a vintage Rolls-Royce. The success and controversy of Levin Papantonio is covered extensively in a recent book discussing the pros and cons of personal injury litigation, written by five-time ''New York Times'' bestseller (Josh Young ) and published by BenBella Books. Mr. Young ends by stating: "After spending a year researching and writing this book, I have a mixed perception of trial lawyers . . . . They can be heroes, yet vulgar. Their actions often are motivated by immense financial incentive, but also often result in colossal societal health benefits that could not be attained without them. They can be self-absorbed and egomaniacal, but at the same time unusually empathetic. Without question, they have been historically needed to preserve and protect individual liberties and freedom, and to promote universal safety improvements in all facets of commercial life." In the same book, Mr. Young states the following about Levin Papantonio: "It's rare that any major mass tort in the country does not present itself to Levin Papantonio. The firm clearly is considered one of the very few 800-pound gorillas in the field. It has earned that reputation over many decades . . . ." A similar statement was made in the magazine ''Action Report''. “As the legislative victories and million dollar verdicts mounted, so did the barrage of corporate backlash against the civil justice system, trial lawyers, and their clients that continues in earnest today. The restrictions on the rights and recoveries of victims of "single injury" cases ultimately moved many firms into mass torts, with the Levin Papantonio firm leading the way in Florida.” The four most notable members of the firm have been Reubin Askew, Fred Levin, Mike Papantonio, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. & Joe Scarborough. ==Reubin Askew== Askew became the 37th Governor of Florida from 1971 - 1979, and was the first governor in Florida history to be elected to successive terms. He is widely recognized as one of Florida's greatest governors, promoting racial equality and ethics overhauls. He named African Americans to state commissions and boards, and supported proposals to bus children to desegregate public schools. He appointed the first black justice to the Florida Supreme Court and the first African American since the Reconstruction Era to head a state agency. In one campaign event, a heckler shouted he was a "nigger lover", to which he responded: "The trouble is, I don't love them enough. The difference between you and me is I'm trying to overcome my prejudices and you're not." Askew instituted corporate taxes in Florida, and open government (known as Sunshine) where politicians had to reveal their financial interests. He was a teetotaler who banned liquor form the Governor's Mansion during the eight years he lived there. In 2014 the ''Tampa Bay Times'' ranked Askew the second best governor in Florida history, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University rated him one of the country's top ten best state leaders of the 20th century, along with Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt. In 1972, Askew delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, and in 1983 announced his candidacy for President of the United States, running as a Democrat. However, his candidacy never gained traction within the Democratic party because of many of his conservative ideologies. For example, he was pro-life on abortion, against the nuclear freeze, for the death penalty, and against the right of homosexuals to work as teachers. Askew withdrew his bid on March 1, 1984, after he finished last in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary. Askew died at the age of 85 on March 13, 2014, after suffering a stroke. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Levin Papantonio Law Firm」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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