Posted by
pbylsma on Thursday, April 17, 2008 12:56:00 PM
I don't want to use this space to promote those who might be abusing the system for their personal gain, but a new on line legal service has been brought to my attention that so clearly exemplifies the drive by the greedy attorneys to endorse anything that creates new revenue streams -- even at the expense of further lowering their credibility among the public -- I have to mention it.
The new service is called SueEasy. Oh great. It runs through an Internet site that touts itself as a
platform to "simplify the lawsuit process" and is drawing criticism from
legal reformers who say the site is seeking to make the nation even more
litigious than it is already. The portal allows users to browse pending court actions online and join other
consumers' cases. The site says it helps consumers get the "best in legal
help with the least amount of hassles." For users, the ultimate goal is to get the attention of a big-time lawyer to
take their case. The
site, registered to Webtronaut Innovations, is essentially a reverse
directory
for lawyers. Attorneys
are charged a monthly fee to
view potential cases in a variety of categories, including animal and
dog
bites, medical malpractice and slip and fall accidents.
Let the feeding frenzy continue!!
Walter Olson, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute Center for Legal
Policy and editor of the great site Overlawyered.com, said "If this were a dating service, you'd have to wonder -
whichever side of the dating you were on - what kind of dunce are they going to
bring me?"
Walter is right. There can be no doubt that this site is likely to attract potential litigants with weak cases.
Darren McKinney of the American Tort Reform Association, said the
site embodies an attitude promulgated by the
nation's trial lawyers "that runs against personal responsibility and seems to
promote the notion that whatever negative happens in your life somebody else
can be blamed and thus sued."
It is discouraging to those us to who promote Americans taking responsibility for their lives, including the good and
the bad. We also long for a time when the legal system was seen as something to nuture and respect, not exploit with the widest trawling net possible for profit at the expense of everyone but lawyers.