Personal injury lawyer says Record on his 'Favorites' list

Belleville attorney Tom Keefe, a champion for personal injury victims, is a big fan of the Madison/St. Clair Record newspaper.

Even though the newspaper's editorial page has been critical of perceived abuses by the plaintiff's bar, Keefe said the paper is doing "a great job" in covering local courts.

"What the Record is doing is important," Keefe said in an interview Monday.

Over the course of his law career that began in 1978, Keefe has won 150 verdicts or settlements that were worth more than $1 million. Of those, 10-15 of the claims were valued in excess of $10 million, Keefe said.

He said that, on one hand, many of his brethren in the plaintiff bar might disavow the Record because of philosophical differences. But, he said, they are still avid readers.

"You think that they (plaintiff lawyers) don't have your website on their Favorites list?" Keefe said as he turned toward his PC in his Belleville office. He pulled up his "Favorites" list and clicked on www.madisonrecord.com.

The lead story at the time was "Cooper no longer partner at SimmonsCooper."

"See," Keefe said, "I didn't know that until I read it here. You guys are great."