David S. Casey Jr.

As a young child, Casey sat with his father- esteemed trial lawyer, David Casey Sr. - on Sundays and listened to him tell inspiring stories about people facing adversity. David Casey Jr. did not know until he was older that his father was reciting his opening statement for his next trial.

David Casey Jr. proceeded to take over the firm his father founded in 1947. Before that, he was a prosecutor for the San Diego City Attorney's Office. This experience gave him the confidence to go into the civil trial bar, as he learned a great deal about evidence and examination of witnesses.

David Casey has fostered a family-like atmosphere at his firm; many of the employees have been working with him for more than 30 years. He was vice-president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (now the AAJ) on Sept. 11, 2001. After being approached by several airlines affected by the terrorist attacks, the association's executive committee came up with the idea of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. The federal legislation was enacted and signed less than two weeks later.

"It was the quickest legislation enacted in history," he said.

Casey's firm represented the families affected. He was instrumental in ensuring all the victims' families be represented pro bono. The firm proceeded to recover several billion dollars for the victims' families. It was the largest pro bono program in the nation's history.

Another effort he's proud of was representing WWII POW's forced to participate in the Bataan Death March. Then, these POW's were forced to work as slaves in coal mines for the profit of Mitsui & Co and Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., He attempted to sue these companies, bringing 13 actions in state and federal courts, but was thwarted by the U.S. government's intervention, by its filing of a statement of interest based on the 1951 peace treaty with Japan. The U.S. sided with the Japanese companies, against the POW's.

He later became president of the ATLA, and, in 1996, the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego named an annual award in his honor, the "David S. Casey Jr. Consumer Advocate Award."

- DEIRDRE NEWMAN