Updated Feb. 26, 2021

Like many Americans, I have closely observed the recently completed Senate trial of former President Donald Trump, and his legal representation primarily by Michael van der Veen, a trial lawyer with his office in Philadelphia. At the time of the trial, van der Veen was the treasurer of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association (PTLA). As a past president of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, past governor of the American Association for Justice, past president of the Civil Justice Foundation, and as an individual who held several leadership positions in PTLA, I am acutely aware of the obligations and responsibilities of a trial lawyer association leader: First and foremost, to act ethically and convey responsible and legally cognizable positions publicly and privately, while representing the client to the best of my ability. This does not always mean taking positions that are popular, especially against corporate America.