Overlawyered.com explores an American
legal system that too often turns litigation into a weapon against guilty
and innocent alike, erodes individual responsibility, rewards sharp practice,
enriches its participants at the public's expense, and resists even modest
efforts at reform and accountability.
This site got its start in July 1999 after I decided that the Web had
gone for too long without an attempt to collect, annotate and present in
a (somewhat) systematic way the growing quantity of online material documenting
the need for reform of the American civil justice system. For some
time previously I'd built up a personal
website housing a large collection of my own writings on litigation
and other issues. At the same time, for my own research needs, I
was building an ever-growing library of pointers to links and resources,
authors and news sources on the state of the justice system. Why
not put that library online to help others interested in the same issues?
The growing traffic on the site since then has made it evident that
there is a wide audience in America and around the world for the site's
mix of serious and entertaining commentary on the frequently overreaching
consequences of American law. For a sampling of the many nice things
said about us, check our accolades page.
Overlawyered.com is not published by, and should not be seen
as reflecting the views of, any wider organization (including the Manhattan
Institute and American Enterprise Institute, with which I and Ted are respectively
affiliated). The site's modest hosting and operating expenses come out
of my own pocket, the outflow occasionally stanched by the generosity of
readers who shop at our Amazon bookstore or donate through the Amazon Honor
System.
-- Walter Olson, editor
(bio)(books)(other
writings)