The Legal System

I love the law. I love the system. The system works because each side gets a lawyer, and the system works because if the parties can't agree on a negotiated settlement, there's a way to resolve those differences in a courtroom. But I firmly believe that most cases can be resolved if people present a true statement of facts and circumstances regarding the case. And by seeing the other side's point of view, you're able to get below the line and develop the ability to predict with reasonable certainty what would happen to this case if it went to trial. If a jury were able to hear this case, what is their likely result?

And because of that ability that lawyers have through their experience and through the discovery process where almost all information is shared between the two sides, most lawyers are able to sit down and resolve cases fairly. Sometimes it takes a phone call, sometimes it takes a series of letters, sometimes it takes a face-to-face meeting, either in the context of an informal get-together or the formality of the mediation process where there is facilitated negotiations going back and forth through a neutral mediator who's been retained by both sides and try to help people see that common ground. So above all, we must respect the system.

Above all, we must respect that this is the best way that we can resolve disputes in America through the civil justice system, which requires people to be aggressive, but it also requires them to be respectful to each other; otherwise the system is entirely undermined.