Re: Lawyers

[Bill Lear <rael@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thursday, July 17, 2003 at 07:23:46 (-0700) andie nachgeborenen writes:
>I should preface this by saying that I do not think
>that David's and my profession is parasitical,a nd
>that we do "add value." ...

Haven't been following this too closely, but (though my wife is an
attorney) it appears that there is also an argument that lawyers add a
great deal of cost.  Lawyers on both sides have very strong incentives
to move the solution to polar ends of the "solution space", not where
it "belongs" (i.e., the "point of justice").  Doug Henwood has made
some remarks (perhaps more than that) about the problems with such a
model.  It seems to me that inevitably there is a great deal of cost
associated with the movement to polar ends of the solution space and
that only by examining this can you appreciate the true cost (as well
as value).


Bill