By Rene’e Beasley Jones

We’re coming up on a general election. It’s time to look at who’s feeling generous.

So far in the 2004 election cycle, attorneys, law groups and firms rank No. 1 — out of about 80 industries — in giving to federal campaigns, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan, nonprofit group tracks money and its effects on elections and public policy.

Not only do legal groups and professionals rank No. 1 for the 2004 election cycle, according to the center’s data, that industry has ranked first in contributions since 1990.

To date, attorneys and law groups have given nearly $39 million to 2004 campaigns.

Nearly 70 percent of that has gone to Democrats. Republicans received the rest.

The Association of Trial Lawyers of America ranked as the legal industry’s No. 1 giver for the 2004 cycle. The association gave $737,999, the Center for Responsive Politics reports. Ninety percent of that went to Democrats and 10 percent to Republicans.

“An oft-spoken priority of GOP lawmakers — the reduction of lawsuits related to everything from product liability to HMOs — can be seen as a major reason the majority of campaign money from legal professionals goes to Democrats,” the center’s Web site reads.

“Lawyers, law firms and legal profession associations often top the list of contributors to federal campaigns and generally give the bulk of their money to Democrats,” the site reads.

As a quick comparison with other industries for the 2004 election, the Center for Responsive Politics reports: Defense gave $4 million; construction gave $15 million; Internet/computers gave $5 million; education gave $5 million; energy gave $11 million; and labor gave $14 million.

David Casey, an attorney at Casey Gerry Reed & Schenk LLP and president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, said he has visited Web sites and found the numbers were misleading. Yes, the trial bar provides significant support to candidates, but it gets a lot of credit for money given by corporate counsel, Casey said.

An increasing number of trial lawyers support Republican candidates, he said. “The legal industry, as a whole, is very bipartisan.”

The trial lawyers association has not taken a position on campaign finance reform, Casey said.

But Casey, who was one of many lawyers across the nation to take on the tobacco industry, said the role of special interests should be curtailed. “At the end of the day, large corporations that can give hundreds of millions of dollars have an undue influence,” he said.

San Diego keeps a $250 limit on individual campaign contributions to candidates. Casey likes that system.

“There’s too much money in politics today,” he said.