Mission Statement
It has become evident in the past many years in the United States - a country founded on principles of Freedom and Justice, and bound by our oft ignored "Constitution", which outlines, describes and ensures the Rights of our Citizens - that whether within a Civil or Criminal arena, a person has Rights if they are able to pay for them. Those who can not, do not.
Going back 20 or more years and well into the past century, Attorneys routinely told their Clients: "It doesn’t matter what the facts are or what really happened. All that matters is what we can prove."
But today, unfortunately, it no longer matters what one can prove.
Whomever has the most money wins: pure and simple. If you have enough, or your university alumni are willing to pay many millions of dollars for your team of attorneys, for example, in order to manipulate the system, bribe police and other officials, and to corrupt your jury, you can get away with murder, literally.
When a person is arrested and accused of a crime, they have the right to counsel, whether they can afford to pay for an attorney or not. But when forced to deal with a county appointed Public Defender, most often they end up vastly underrepresented, as their counsel simply has too many such cases to provide proper direction and advice. Even when the Public Defender is an honest and Honorable Attorney - which quite often is not at all the case - still they must handle an overwhelming case load and are forced to make "Deals" with the lives of the accused, with DA's who most often have an entirely different agenda that opposes and ignores the Rights of the Individual.
As is also the case, we see Judges and Commissioners also ignoring those Rights and allowing the mass, rapid handling of those accused of crimes, merely in order to also expedite their case load(s) and appease their local order.
Also in Civil Law and Court, a Plaintiff doesn’t stand a chance going it alone without a Lawyer. But depending on the opposition, they may still not gain their due, if the opposing counsel is large and/ or has far greater resources.
We therefore hope the following information and opportunity will be helpful.
According to the American Bar Association, attorneys have between a 4% to 17% chance of being sued for malpractice. But it can also be a difficult proposition, as many state bars do everything they can to actually prevent any punishment at all. There are also few attorneys who handle such cases. Legal malpractice consists of negligence that is so egregious that it causes a client significant and provable harm. The attorney you hired may not be committing malpractice, but that does not mean they are good at their job. When you need to hire an attorney, whether it is to help settle a divorce, address a dispute with your landlord or employer, or to defend you against a criminal charge, you need to feel confident that you hired a good lawyer.
The Current Conversation
Judge Richard A. Posner, a legendary judicial figure, retired abruptly in 2023 to make a point: People without lawyers are mistreated in the American legal system. In one of his final opinions as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, he expressed frustration at the dismissal of one self-represented litigant’s lawsuit, writing that the prisoner, “needs help – needs it bad – needs a lawyer desperately.” Unfortunately, that person's circumstances are far from unique. Many lower-income people have no lawyer to help them navigate the legal system, either in civil or criminal cases. Eighty percent of criminal defendants cannot afford to pay for a lawyer, and only those who are actually incarcerated are constitutionally entitled to appointed counsel. Many people facing misdemeanor charges can, if convicted, be subjected to significant fines and fees, or face the loss of benefits like housing, or deportation. Yet, they have no right to an attorney, and those who cannot afford a lawyer will go without one.
Unrepresented
In some states, as many as 80 to 90 percent of litigants are unrepresented, even though their
opponent has a lawyer. The number of these “pro se litigants” has risen substantially in recent
years, due in part to the economic downturn(s) and the relationship
between poor economic
conditions and issues like housing and domestic relations.
In some types of cases, not having counsel can make a dramatic difference. Take the example of
low-income tenants facing eviction. Across the county, roughly 90 percent of landlords are
represented by counsel, while 90 percent of tenants are not. Simply having a lawyer increases
the odds of being able to stay in one’s home. When tenants represent themselves in New York
City, they are evicted in nearly 50 percent of cases. With a lawyer, they win 90 percent of the time.
We welcome any contact, opinions, observations, suggestions and any related matter and will respond where and when able and appropriate.
If you wish to provide your history and experiences involving Attorney Misconduct/ Dishonor and to have the Lousy Lawyer's Name(s) placed herein, please Submit Review and provide the $10 fee. (You can also choose to remain anonymous.)