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'Life Without Lawyers' author says judges need to reclaim authority Ann Knef
Southeast Texas Record, February 12, 2009 Reviewing Common Good Chair Philip Howard's latest book, Life Without Lawyers, the author specifically notes Howard's proposal to allow judges more freedom in throwing out frivolous lawsuits and speeding the claims process. He notes the "over-lawyered" system brings about some outrageous cases and huge settlements, while leaving some deserving patients out in the cold. For medical liability in particular, few injured patients ever seek compensation, and those that do are forced to engage in a lengthy and expensive process. Howard says that tort reform alone, such as caps on non-economic damages, will not solve all the problems in the legal system. "Tort reformers have spent years trying to herd lawsuits into corrals that limit crazy verdicts, with success in some states," he wrote. "But tort reformers haven't even attempted to deal with lawsuits as manifestations of public policy, or to question how lawsuits get argued and decided." ยป article
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