In the S&D Spring 1999 newsletter, Mike Slack predicted what the next five years would bring to plaintiff’s lawyers’ practices. How did he do?

Tort Reform - “I think we will continue to see attempts in Congress and in the legislatures around the country to eliminate the rights of individuals, particularly personal injury and wrongful death claimants.”

Texas Supreme Court - “I expect that we’ve seen the court swing back about as far to the middle as it will swing.”

Commercial Litigation - “Plaintiff’s lawyers will get involved in more litigation involving technology companies.”

The Defense Bar - “We’ll continue to see a decline in the numbers and quality of attorneys working for the insurance defense bar … an interesting side effect of tort reform ...”

The Plaintiff’s Bar - “The plaintiff’s bar will survive tort reform alive and kicking and stronger than ever.”

Juries - “I look forward to increasing acceptance and understanding by juries of the plight of the injured … the negativism injected into the jury pool by tort reform is wearing thin … [but] legitimate cases will get legitimate attention by juries – and that’s exactly as it should be.”

Technology & the Law - “Technology will continue to offer us tremendously positive new tools to screen and develop cases faster and better, more than compensating for what tort reform takes away.”