How Attorney Kenneth McCallion Is Changing The World One Case At A Time

Most people would say that it's unrealistic to think that one person can change the world. There are so many problems in the world - from poverty, discrimination, lack of economic opportunity to attacks on our democracy and basic freedoms – that the efforts of one person to achieve a fundamental change seem to pale into insignificance. But as Kenneth F. McCallion shows us, it only takes one person to start a movement and – when the forces for good in the world combine work in unison, they can truly make a huge difference.

McCallion is a world-renowned attorney and former federal prosecutor who is changing the world one case at a time. He is bringing justice to the underprivileged and ordinary citizens who have for too long had their voices drowned out by the uber-rich and the powerful. Over his long career, McCallion has handled some of the most notable human rights and environmental cases in this country and around the world. He began his law career as a prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice's legendary Brooklyn Organized Crime Strike force, which handled the Abscam political corruption cases and the Lufthansa heist at JFK Airport, which became the basis for the iconic film Goodfellas.

Since entering private practice, McCallion has represented Native Alaskan corporations whose lands were damaged by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. He also represented Holocaust victims and their families in cases that let to settlements with Germany and the French Banks. He also represented the victims of the Bhopal India gas disaster, and many of the victims' families after the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. He has also successfully handled a host of other lesser-known cases fought on behalf of ordinary people with claims against multinational corporations and banks who are willing to spend millions on high-priced lawyers and law firms in order to dodge responsibility for their transgressions.

McCallion also played a key role in supporting the pro-democracy forces in Ukraine by bringing human rights cases in the U.S. court on behalf of the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, and other pro-democracy opposition leaders who were jailed on trumped-up charges during the pro-Russian reign of terror of the Viktor Yanukovich Regime. McCallion coordinated with the pro-democracy forces who successfully toppled the pro-Russian government in Ukraine in February and March of 2014, known as the Maiden Revolution. McCallion continues to be in contact with the Ukrainian nationalist and pro-democracy forces on a near-daily basis and is one of the most active voices countering the active Russian disinformation campaign on a worldwide scale.

McCallion believes the best way to even the scales of justice and to ensure that every victim gets his or her day in court is to strengthen and eliminate any abuses of the contingent fee system, whereby plaintiff lawyers receive a percentage of any settlement or judgment against the defendants if the case is successful. He has worked hard to improve the quality of legal services provided to ordinary people who are looking to their local bar associations to help guide them through the treacherous waters of civil litigation.

"There is no question that the scales of justice are unevenly unbalanced," said McCallion. "Large corporations and wealthy individuals have the resources to hire top lawyers to represent them, unlike ordinary citizens who don't have that ability. As a result, most Americans are denied access to civil justice."

According to McCallion, one of the counterweights available to prevent the almost inevitable drift towards totalitarianism and a rigid caste economic system is through contingency fee arrangements, as well as better training for the intrepid plaintiff lawyers who are trying to survive – if not thrive – under the contingent fee system. He has devoted countless hours on the improvement of bar association screening procedures for the citizens who call in and desperately want to talk to a qualified and experienced lawyer about their legal problems and find out whether they have a winnable case. With these screening procedures, lawyers and legal assistants will be better equipped to carefully evaluate each case before deciding to take it on (or not).

McCallion also believes teaching people more about the law and their rights will help stop the country's drift into growing economic disparities. Kenneth F. McCallion has written several books on this, including his most recent publication, a legal autobiography titled Saving the World One Case At A Time. In the book, he explains how certain legal cases can change the world. McCallion has also written books on the shameful history of the Trump presidency, including The Essential Guide to Donald Trump, Profiles in Courage (and Profiles In Cowardice) in the Trump Era and Treason and Betrayal – The Rise and Fall of Individual One.