Statement of Certification (Required)

By payment of these dues, I hereby CERTIFY I am an attorney and a member in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia. I do hereby certify that on an annual basis, I have devoted within the past year and am presently devoting significantly more of my practice (measured by the number of active client files, the amount of time expended, the character of professional services provided, and the amount of revenues received) to representation of injured victims and wronged consumers than was devoted and is presently being devoted to the defense of or other opposition to such claims; and agree that to the extent I am either in a firm or in any other practice arrangement with other attorneys who may, on an annual basis, devote more of their practice (measured by the number of active client files, the amount of time expended, the character of professional services provided, and the amount of revenues received) to the defense of or other opposition representation of the claims of injured victims and wronged consumers, the same will be voluntarily disclosed and may serve as a basis for discretionary decisions to decline to accept me as a member or to place restrictions on my membership. I further certify that that I am not a member nor am I eligible for membership in either Defense Research Institute (DRI), the Georgia Association of Defense Lawyers (GDLA ) or similar organizations. I further agree that in the event that the nature of my practice or my firm or other practice arrangement changes such that I may no longer meet the membership criteria set forth herein, I will immediately and voluntarily notify GTLA and will either voluntarily withdraw from my membership in GTLA or, on request, provide the Executive Committee or any committee appointed regarding membership eligibility with sufficient details regarding such matters to allow verification that the interests of GTLA and its members are being and will be adequately protected. I further agree that if other attorneys in my firm or other practice arrangement are not eligible for general membership in GTLA pursuant to the above-stated criteria, I will make all reasonable and necessary efforts to implement specific institutional mechanisms (e.g., "Chinese Walls") to effectively prevent any flow of confidential or sensitive information generated by GTLA or its members to such attorneys in my firm or other practice arrangement (See, Cromley v. Board of Education, 17 F.3d 1059, 1064- 1065 (7th Cir. 1994)); and will, on request, provide the Executive Committee or any committee appointed regarding membership eligibility with sufficient details regarding such institutional mechanisms to verify that the interests of GTLA and its members are being and will be adequately protected. I further agree to not use information obtained from GTLA or its members, whether the same is disseminated or made available by means of the GTLA’s litigation groups, website, listserves, seminars, or otherwise, to advance interests opposed to those of GTLA, its members, or any injured victim or wronged consumer; and acknowledge my understanding that such information would include, but not limited to, information about experts, insurers, defense attorneys, corporate defendants, or judges, or about political goals or strategies of the organization. Finally, I do hereby swear or affirm that I shall fully and faithfully abide by the Constitution, the By-Laws, and all rules or policies of GTLA which are now or which may hereinafter be in effect; acknowledge that by signing this application, I represent, as an attorney and member of State Bar of Georgia that the certifications, agreements, and statements herein are truthful and correct; and acknowledge my understanding that any false or misleading certifications, statements, or agreements made as part of a Membership application may serve as grounds for ethical sanctions, expulsion, suspension, censure, or restrictions. Your dues payment to GTLA is not tax deductible as a charitable contribution for federal income tax purposes. However, dues may be tax deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses subject to restrictions imposed as a result of association lobbying activities. GTLA estimates that 60% of your dues will not be deductible.