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 The Rule of Lawyers: How the New Litigation Elite Threatens America's Rule of Law
Walter Olson
St. Martin's Griffin, June 2004
If you are interested in the history of mass tort litigation in America, this
is a must read. Click here to read CG chair Philip K. Howard's review.
Book Description:
Big-ticket litigation is becoming a way of life in this country. But something
new is afoot-something typified by the $246 billion tobacco settlement, and by
other courtroom assaults against companies producing guns, cars, breast implants,
asbestos, lead paint, and more. Each massive class-action suit seeks to invent
new law, to ban, tax, or regulate something that elected lawmakers had chosen
to leave alone. And each time the new attack process works as intended, the new
litigation elite reaps billions in fees-which they invest in fresh rounds of suits,
as well as political contributions.
The Rule of Lawyers asks: Who picks these lawyers, and who can fire them? Who protects the public's
interest when settlements are negotiated behind closed doors? Where are our elected
lawmakers in all this? The answers may determine whether we slip from the rule
of law to the rule of lawyers.
When you buy The Rule of Lawyers: How the New Litigation Elite Threatens America's Rule of
Law using the Amazon.com link above, a portion of the profits will go to support
Common Good. | |
