Insights & Events

On November 14, 2023, Kenneth R. Feinberg was honored for his lifetime achievement at Atlantic Legal Foundation’s Award Dinner in Washington, DC. Ken Feinberg is best known as Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and Administrator of the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund. Among many other achievements, he also served as Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation and the Administrator of the One Fund—the victim assistance fund established in the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. At the dinner, Mr. Feinberg delivered remarks on “Unconventional Responses to Unique Catastrophes: Tailoring the Law to Meet the Challenges.”

In his remarks, Mr. Feinberg praised Hollingsworth LLP Founder Joe Hollingsworth, who “took an idea about the law – the importance of assuring that sound science and research be required in our state and federal courts – and made it the law of the land.” He went on to note that Hollingsworth LLP is “without equal in mastering the complexities of Daubert evidentiary hearings. These hearings require our courts to consider only credible evidence linking drugs, chemicals, and medical devices to alleged individual injuries. Joe is a credit to our profession and our Nation.”

Mr. Feinberg also praised Atlantic Legal Foundation (ALF) for its history of advancing the rule of law in courts and before administrative agencies: “For many years the Foundation was a relatively lonely voice when it came to the subject of court reform. Its focus on the inefficiencies and runaway costs of our trial courts – along with the uncertain results of the litigation lottery – were often met with criticism or ignored as irrelevant.”

In conclusion, Mr. Feinberg said that “[t]he American people must have confidence in the rule of law and how our courts – federal, state and local – dispense justice every day. Our Nation is the envy of the world in many areas both domestic and foreign. But the idiosyncrasies and characteristics of our civil justice system – with its emphasis on adversarial combat, delay, duplicative costly trial practice, and uncertainty of result – are not looked upon as a system to be emulated elsewhere. There is much work to be done. And I’m sure this Foundation will continue to maintain its important role in advancing the challenging subject of justice reform.”

Atlantic Legal Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest law firm with a demonstratable history of advancing the rule of law in courts and before administrative agencies by advocating for limited and efficient government, free enterprise, individual liberty, sound science and effective education through school choice and parental rights. ALF provides effective and decisive legal representation, without fee, to parents, scientists, educators, and other individuals, corporations, and trade associations. Its cases in the past few years alone have resulted in the protection of the rights of thousands of school children, employees, independent businessmen, and entrepreneurs. In case after case, ALF brings about favorable resolutions for individuals and corporations who continue to be challenged by those who use the legal process to deny fundamental rights and liberties.