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Legal Ethics and Reform

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Is it better to fix that which is broken or is it better to complain and joke about the problem ?

Are lawyer jokes solving our lawyer problem?

If you are interested in finding a solution to the perplexing problems being caused by America's lawyers and legal system, you should find this Web Site useful.

If you are into political humor instead of serious reading, check out the Legal Ethics and Reform Cartoon of the Month. If you already understand the lawyer problem and just need something to take to your next political meeting, try these lapel stickers. If you like interesting statistics or thoughts that have survived over time, check out these provocative quotes and alarming statistics about lawyers, judges, and the legal system.

Table of Contents -

+ Legal Systems & Dissimulation...
+ Legal Education & The Proliferation of Sin
+ Perjury : a Crime but not a Tort ... Why?
+ Lawyers in other Occupations & in Government
+ The Inquiry System & The British System
+ The Lawyer's Place in society ... then and now
+ Barriers to Change & The Path to Reform
+ The Cost of Civil Litigation Here and Abroad
+ Specific Reforms to Help the U S Legal System
+ Warnings about Political Organizing & Election Reporting
+ Why Lawyers are so Attracted to Politics
+ Of Lincoln, Lawyers, & the Proliferation of Parties
+ Steps the Individual might take Toward Reform
+ Should Priests (or Lawyers) Serve as Political Leaders?
+ Proper Appellate Court Procedures Check Trial Court Errors
+ The Adversary System Makes Perjury Somewhat More Likely
+ Clinton's Polling Numbers Reveal a Troubled Legal System
+ The Lawyer's Mentality Shapes America's Regulatory Approach
+ Will Lawyers Gain Admittance to Heaven?
+ Are Lawyers and Judges America's Aristocracy? True or False?... a long essay
+ Legalistic, Multicultural Societies v. Religious, Traditional Societies
+ Why so many laws - Changing so often and In Conflict with each other?
+ Missouri v. Jenkins and Bush v. Gore violate traditional American values
+ "Loser Pay" is a Partial Solution to the Frivolous Lawsuit Problem
+ Lawyers Play Major Role in Corporate Accounting Scandals
+ Traficant Case Points Up Corrupt Legal Process
+ Why Does America's Criminal Justice System Get Bad Results So Often?
+ Beware! Your own lawyer may put the "settlement squeeze play" on you!
+ The Well Structured, Frivolous Lawsuit is Awesome
+ Information Systems Specialists Might Re-Design the Legal System
+ Of Settlements, Confidentiality Agreements, and Informal Societal Controls
+ The Indirect Cost of Civil Litigation to the U.S. Economy
+ Is It Time for Legal Reform? - a long essay
+ Thomas Jefferson and Robert Bork Register Deep Concern about Appallate Court Decisions
+ Is a Minimally Acceptable "Rule of Law" Found in the U.S.?- a long essay
+ Martha Stewart ... a Victim of Selective Prosecutorial Outrage
+ NASD Considers Ground Breaking Reforms in Dispute Resolution - a long essay
+ Of Thane Rosenbaum and Legal Arrogance
+ Medical Malpractice Shoves US Tort Processes Toward the European Model
+ Lawyer Lincoln was the Most Successful (or Least Successful) American President? - a long essay
+ Draft Letter to Supreme Court on Improved Criminal Procedures - a long essay
+ About John Roberts Remember - "If it's too Good to be True, It Probably Isn't True"
+ Economic Change Will Force The Adoption of a Civil Law Model for Most of America’s Disputes
+ Will an Archbishop Blessed with Great Fortitude Take on Missouri's Legal Reform Problem
+ The Memory of Witnesses Fads Waiting for the Adversary System to Get to Trial
+ Steven Pinker Says Language Works Poorly in the Adversary Legal System
+ The False Idea that All Injuries Must be Compensated
+ Sonia Sotomayor Lacks a Judicial Temperament
+ Smothering Regulation Will be the Death of the Small, Low Pressure Broker Dealer
+ Great Britain Implements a Bad American Idea
+ CATO Institute Hears Silverglate Speak about His Book
+ The Lawyer Heading FINRA Has an Idea that Would Benefit Bar Associations
+ Do Democratic Republics Need Unelected Decision Makers to Check their Elected Officials?
+ An Open Letter to Pres. Obama Concerning His Next Supreme Court Appointment
+ An Open Letter to Elizabeth Warren about her Next Job
+ Two Important Groups Have Overlapping Dysfunctional Characteristics
+ Wood, Dean, and Napolitano note Needed Flexibility in Judicial Thinking
+ Regulatory Excess is All to Common - Monitoring and Control Systems are Needed
+ Open Letter to Supreme Court Justices on Civil Procedure and the Rise in Immorality
+ You Just Want to Weep for America
+ Can a settlement between Contending Parties always be Called “Just”?
+ A Proposal for Handling Mid-sized Civil Cases in State Courts?
+ A Brief Compare and Contrast of the Civil Law System to the Common Law System (a three page pdf file)
+ Guest Articles
+ Should lawyers be legislators, too? ......by: John Stoeffler
+ Supreme Court decision Kennedy v. Louisiana made me ill ...... by: John Stoeffler
+ What It Means If You Believe That GOD Exists? ...... by: Joseph Flood
+ America 2013: Land of the "Free" and Sequestered ...... by: Alan Hendrix, a pen name
+ Retired Architect and Lecturer Raises Concerns about Current Trends - ..... by John Schulte
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+

+ About the Author, Related Links, E-Mail, and Suggested Readings
Several Short Entries about Possible Future Essays - your inputs are invited
Guest Submissions
Comments by Others Interested in These Issues

To The Next Page

A single page where most of the above eassys are available at one place (longer eassys are not included here)
+ Comments on Society, Religion, Economics, and Government in General ..
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For thoughtful comments on today's issues go to:

For a great book of poems about the most important things read...

.... by John Stoeffler
Available from Barnes + Noble on-line for 12.95