President’s Message
Where We Are, Where We Must Go - Together By Douglas Saeltzer
Past President (2012) Niall McCarthy , General Counsel Saveena Takhar , Political Director Lea-Ann Tratten , member Nick Rowley , Past President (2017) Greg Bentley , CEO Nancy Drabble , President (2026) Doug Saeltzer in Sacramento before the signing of SB 623.
Why did we choose this work? It wasn't for the easy cases, the guaranteed wins, or the clear-cut verdicts. We chose this work because we looked at a broken system and decided not on my watch, not today. That is who we are. That is what Consumer Attorneys of California has always stood for. Our theme this edition is justice without barriers. Those barriers are real. They come as forced arbitration clauses buried in fine print. As damage caps that tell a grieving family their loved one's life had a price ceiling. As billion-dollar corporations and the legislatures they lobby relentlessly. Our clients run into these barriers every day. The question is whether we are the ones who break them.
This year we answered that question. When Uber put an initiative on the path to the ballot that would have capped attorney fees in all automobile cases across California, we did not flinch. We organized, we raised the resources, we fought on every front, and we forced a company worth more than some nations to the table. The result is SB 623, now signed into law. Uber's statewide fee cap is gone. Common carrier liability stands. Injured people in this state will still have someone in their corner, still have access to care, and rideshare will be safer than it was. That is what barrier breaking looks like when it is done right.
Consumer Attorneys of California
08
FORUM July/August 2026
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