Lawers... and Money

2011

Friday, January 7

11:42:40 PM

Lawyers... and Money

Quite often, when I think of lawyers, I recall the Warren Zevon song - Lawyers, Guns, and Money.  I don't know about guns, so much, but lawyers and money certainly go together.  So much of our society revolves around contracts and litigation, little business goes on without them being involved at some level.  It's easy to hate on lawyers.  Law has always been a very exacting practice, and their skills are necessary, though I would argue over the last several generations the practice of law has been rather self-perpetuating; the practice of law, begets more law, requiring yet more lawyers, which begets more law, ad nauseum.

I wonder what percentage of our economy is consumed by the practice of law, retainers for law services, overly complex contracts, redundant laws, frivolous law suits, etc.  I often hear people talk about lawyers as a necessary evil (I know a couple of lawyers, they're definitely not evil).  While lawyers' services can be quite useful in estate planning, defending those wrongly accused, and protecting individuals against large corporations, how much beyond those few services is really required?  When corporations retain team of expensive lawyers, how much cost is added to products?  When individuals decide to sue companies because they got themselves into trouble and wanted someone else to blame, why must the corporation and their other customers be expected to pay for their stupidity?  Too many people don't take their lumps when they do something stupid; if you hit yourself with a hammer, it's going to hurt! Don't blame the hammer(or the company that made it), learn to wield it properly.

Law is not blind in our society, it is too often apathetic towards those without the means to retain services of the savvy and cunning.  This is all wrong.  Sadly, as long as money is involved, disproportionately, things won't improve.  Law needs to be simplified.  A sense of honesty and responsibility needs to be rekindled in our society - to reduce our reliance on lawyers.  

On the other hand, maybe there's nothing more productive for them to be doing...