MIAMI – The American Association for Justice (AAJ) has elected Julie Braman Kane as the president of the organization.
Kane, a partner at the Coral Gables-based law firm Colson Hicks Eidson, is the 71st president of the AAJ. She also is the seventh woman to be elected to the position. Kane was sworn in as president in July at the AAJ annual convention in Los Angeles, California.
Kane has been a partner with Colson Hicks Eidson since 1999, but her work with the law firm started in 1993. She has been recognized as the driving force behind the firm's multi-million-dollar verdicts, as well as personal injury settlements including a verdict worth $38 million for drug negligence and medical malpractice.
Prior to being elected as president of the AAJ, Kane has been a member for more than 20 years. The organization aims to ensure that people are provided with an equal footing in the legal system particularly when it comes to the negligence and misconduct of others, sometimes leading the group to square off against large corporations.
“My beliefs about safety, justice and fairness align with everything the American Association for Justice stands for and I am deeply honored and committed to serve as president this year,” Kane said in a press release from Colson Hicks Eidson.
Kane also noted that her commitment in serving as president of the AAJ is an extension of the values inspired by Colson Hicks Eidson. She shared that the law firm is an organization that aims to put the needs of people first before they seek profits in their work. It also is the only national plaintiff lawyer association in the nation.
“I am equally honored to continue my law firm’s tradition of leading this incredible organization. As long as there are corporations that put profits over people, we need the American Association for Justice and its members to protect people’s rights and hold corporations accountable,” Kane said in the press release.
Kane also has been recognized as an advocate of civil justice. Her commitment to the protection of people's rights to a trial by jury and her support to trial lawyers seeking justice for their clients have been evident in her years as a member of the AAJ. Prior to being elected president, she served as the association’s president-elect, vice president, secretary, treasurer and parliamentarian. She also was a member of AAJ’s executive and budget committees. She served as the chairman of the organization’s national finance council, products liability section, women’s caucus and diversity task force.
Apart from the positions she held with AAJ, the association also awarded Kane with prestigious accolades including the distinguished service award, the Howard Twiggs commitment to justice award, the Marie Lambert award for leadership and the Joe Tonahill award for legal excellence.