A case for lawsuit reform

Someone recently commented on my last blog post and questioned what exactly can be done to reform our legal system here in Illinois.

One way to reform our legal system would be for lawmakers to enact some common sense guidelines for where a lawsuit can be filed. The idea of venue reform is to establish some simple guidelines to prevent lawsuits with little or no connection to Illinois from ending up in troublesome jurisdictions such as Cook County or Madison and St. Clair Counties.

Year after year this common-sense reform initiative is introduced and year after year – it never even is allowed to come up for a vote.

Another reform idea would be to improve the way judges are selected in Illinois. The current system of election and retention has essentially turned judicial elections into partisan contests that tell voters very little about the men and women seeking judicial office. An individual’s political party has no bearing on what kind of judge that person will be. Reforming the way judges are elected and retained in Illinois would be a significant step forward and what’s more it is a reform that civil justice reform advocates and personal injury lawyers alike can certainly find some common ground. But once again, there is nothing but talk coming from Springfield when it comes to reforming the way judges are selected in Illinois.

But the most basic, and perhaps most important reform, does not have anything to do with the Legislature at all. The most basic way to improve our court system is for citizens to exercise personal responsibility. Our legal system can and is often abused, but changing the laws will only go so far if we fail at changing the culture. It is time for citizens to stand together and take the issue of lawsuit abuse seriously and encourage their friends, family and co-workers to do the same.