BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JANUARY 29, 2001 ISSUE
COVER STORY Tort Lawyers' Secret Weapon WHAT THE AIEG DOES The Attorneys' Information Exchange Group is a central warehouse storing internal corporate documents uncovered in product-liability litigation, among other things. Based in Birmingham, Ala., the nonprofit group is an arm of the American Trial Lawyers Assn. in Washington and has a staff of nine. HISTORY Founded in 1980, the AIEG began as an informal network of plaintiffs' attorneys with Ford Pinto cases. Fed up with the carmaker's hardball litigation tactics, they began sharing internal corporate documents and trading tactical tips. Since then, its scope has grown. It now has specialized units for everything about autos, from tires to airbags. Other groups are devoted to school buses, motorcycles, and boats. SECRECY The AIEG doesn't want corporate defendants to know what documents are in its databases. So the group has an elaborate set of rules to ensure that the contents of its library remain secret and protected by attorney-client privilege. Members of the group are forbidden from disclosing what paperwork the AIEG possesses. Nor are the documents posted online. Plaintiffs' attorneys usually have to travel to Birmingham to see them. COST Last year, the AIEG's 600 members paid a $1,000 initiation fee, plus annual dues of $500. Data: BusinessWeek _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS The Litigation Machine COVER IMAGE: The Litigation Machine TABLE: The Paint-by-Numbers Lawsuit TABLE: Tort Lawyers' Secret Weapon On the Prowl for Victims INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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