All around us are warnings and legal risks. The modern credo is not "Yes We Can" but "No You Can't." Our sense of powerlessness is pervasive. Those who deal with the public are the most discouraged. Most doctors say they wouldn't advise their children to go into medicine. Government service is seen as a bureaucratic morass, not a noble calling. Make a difference? You can't even show basic human kindness for fear of legal action. Teachers across America are instructed never to put an arm around a crying child.
Read all of Philip K. Howard's article on how modern law makes us powerless.
2 comments:
Michael,
Ouch! Actually, I don't disagree with much of what Howard says. In a way, what we've witnessed in the financial sector and on Wall Street over a lengthy period of time (not just the few months we've begun to realize it) has been similarly witnessed in modern law. By the way, a lot of lawyers today would never advise their children to become lawyers.
John
John,
I don't think that you are the type of lawyer that Howard has in mind. Part of the problem is not just the lawyers, but also the management that caves in or overreacts. School administrators come quickly to mind.
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