Moral Compass of the American Lawyer

Description

It begins with a harrowing true case that haunts a small, close-knit community to this day: A brutal killer commits a grisly murder. After he is captured in a sweeping manhunt, he tells his lawyers where to find other bodies, from still more murders. The attorneys actually photograph the victims — but they refuse to tell the police what they’ve discovered. A classic case of legal malpractice? In this eye-opening, brilliantly written book, Richard Zitrin and Carol Langford say the answer is no. Practicing lawyers and distinguished law professors, Zitrin and Langford agree that the legal profession has broken down — but not in the ways the public thinks. Criminal-defense lawyers, the authors write, must fight ferociously for their clients; their zealous advocacy buttresses the civil liberties we all enjoy. But in civil cases, the win-at-all-costs philosophy has wrongly pushed ethical considerations aside. Large corporations use prolonged “discovery wars” to win cases before they ever come to trial practice and trial advocacy … lawsuits over dangerous products are often settled quietly, leaving the public ignorant … and lawyers often use their clients’ ignorance to inflate fees. Zitrin and Langford outline a concrete, workable program for changing the way law is practiced in America. Absolutely mesmerizing, this book is essential reading for anyone who cares about justice in our society.