Former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson will be lobbying the Tennessee General Assembly on behalf of the Tennessee Association for Justice – aka the trial lawyers – this legislative session according to NashvillePost.com sources.

Thompson, a popular former Tennessee U.S. Senator and onetime presidential candidate, will join his son, Tony Thompson, and other lobbyists for the organization to ensure that their concerns are heard by the overwhelmingly Republican-controlled legislature.

Going into this legislative session, it was widely believed that trial lawyers and the teachers union would be most affected by the dramatic power shift and dominance by the GOP. With Thompson and his bonafide Republican credentials now on board with the trial lawyers, the debate over tort reform and other issues related to the legal community will be markedly different than expected.

Thompson represented Tennessee in the U.S. Senate from 1994 to 2003. He ran for the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2008, before dropping out and endorsing U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona. A well known actor, he also serves as a columnist and radio host.