CHICAGO, May 14, 2012 — The American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) is honoring The Honorable Diane Schafer Goodstein with its Pursuit of Justice Award, which recognizes lawyers and judges who have shown outstanding merit and who excel in providing access to justice for all.

“Judge Goodstein is not only viewed by the bar as fair and highly competent, she also works with and informs jurors about the importance of their role in our civil justice system. For these reasons and many others, TIPS is honored to present Judge Goodstein with its Pursuit of Justice Award,” said Section Chair Randy Aliment of Seattle.

The award will be presented to Judge Goodstein during the TIPS Spring Leadership Meeting in Charleston, S.C., May 17.

Judge Goodstein is a trial court Judge with the South Carolina Circuit Court, First Judicial Circuit.

Judge Goodstein received her Bachelors degree in 1978 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She went on to obtain her juris doctorate from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1981.

She began her professional career as an associate in the firm of Goodstein, Bowling, Douglas & Phillips from 1981 to 1983. In 1983, she became a partner/vice president in the Summerville firm of Goodstein & Goodstein, P.A., the practice she shared with her husband, Arnold S. Goodstein until 1998. She served as the county attorney for Dorchester County from 1986 to 1988. She is a former board member of the Greater Summerville Chamber of Commerce, Hospice of Charleston and My Sister’s House. She was also a member of the South Carolina Bar Professional Responsibility Committee and a member of the Dorchester County Centennial Committee.

Judge Goodstein was elected by the South Carolina General Assembly to the position of Resident Circuit Judge for the First Judicial Circuit in May 1998. She has since been appointed to the Circuit Court Judges Advisory Committee and is a member of the Commission on Judicial Conduct.

As a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, Judge Goodstein has been a featured speaker at several seminars. She devotes her spare time to preparing area high school students for the South Carolina Mock Trial Competition. She is also a member of the Dorchester County Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

The ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section unites plaintiff, defense, insurance, and corporate counsel to advance the civil justice system. TIPS is a national source of expertise in tort, trial and insurance practice and brings lawyers together to share information and speak out on issues of importance. The section has about 25,000 members and over 30 general committees that focus on substantive and procedural matters in areas across the broad spectrum of civil law and practice. For more information about the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section visit the TIPS website, www.americanbar.org/tips.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.