Las Vegas Lawyer Neil G. Galatz to Receive ABA Award

CHICAGO, April 17, 2008 — The American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section will honor Neil G. Galatz with the Pursuit of Justice Award during its 2008 Spring Leadership Meeting on May 1 at 6 p.m. in the Cherry Club at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa, Las Vegas, Nev.  Galatz is a name partner in the Las Vegas firm of Galatz, Gillock & Associates.

The Pursuit of Justice Award recognizes lawyers and judges who have shown outstanding merit and excelled at ensuring access to justice. TIPS Chair Peter Bennett of Portland, Maine said, “TIPS is proud to present Neil with the Pursuit of Justice Award for his dedication to the ensuring access to justice for all.  He is a credit to the legal profession and is admired by his peers for his strong sense of community and desire to make a difference. His years of dedicated service and leadership in the American Association for Justice stand as an example for young lawyers who want to make a difference in the profession.”

Galatz has practiced law since 1957. He specializes in personal injury, medical malpractice and product liability. He received his Juris Doctor from Columbia University, New York, in 1956 and a Bachelor of Arts from Adelphi College, New York, in 1953.

Galatz’s accomplishments and awards include recognition as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” by Best Lawyers, every year since its inception. He has also been listed in Town & Country, as one of the “Best Lawyers in the U.S.A.”   In addition, he was listed in Who’s Who in the Law, World, U.S.A., West; and featured on 60 Minutes, “Medical Malpractice Crisis.”  Most notably, Galatz served as co-chairman for the Plaintiffs Lead Counsel Committee, MGM Multi-District Fire Litigation, 1980-1982; and the Hilton Fire Litigation, 1981-1986. In addition, he chaired the PEPCON Explosion Plaintiffs’ Committee, 1988-1992.

Galatz is a member of the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section.  He is certified as a civil trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.  Since 1997, Galatz has served as a Nevada Supreme Court settlement conference judge.

Galatz lectures for multiple organizations, including The American Association for Justice, National Judicial College, Hastings Law School, State Trial Lawyers Groups and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. In addition,  he is the author of: “Direct and Cross-Examination of Expert Witnesses,” ATLA's Litigation Tort Cases, Volume 4, Chapter 4, 2003; “Public Relations, Advertising and the Bar,” Nevada Lawyer, Volume 5, Number 7, Aug. 1997; “The Ethics of Contingency Fee Agreements,” Nevada Lawyer, Volume 5, Number 6, June 1997; “Staying on Your Feet in the Trip-or-Slip-and-Fall Case,” The Advocate, July 1997.

The ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section unites plaintiff, defense, insurance, and corporate counsel to advance the civil justice system.  TIPS is a national source of expertise in tort, trial and insurance practice and brings lawyers together to share information and speak out on issues of importance.  The section has more than 35,000 members and 34 general committees that focus on substantive and procedural matters in areas across the broad spectrum of civil law and practice.  For more information about the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section visit the TIPS Web site, www.abanet.org/tips

With more than 413,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.