Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill D. 
On this side of the pond, a group of lawyers in the state of New York has recently decided to financially rape Amazon. I'm guessing the other lawyers in other states are watching closely how Amazon's lawsuit challenging this will play out. ... Mike, I'm not directing this at you personally, but this is why business-minded folks are distrustful of lawyers (especially those that are politicians). |
Bill,
Already wrote about the New York fiasco:
Internet Taxes Threaten Your Online Business
Although there are plenty of reasons to trash lawyers, in this instance it is a second-hander political mindset rather than the legal profession that is at fault. Here's why.
First, most state legislators who are attorneys have limited or no experience practicing law. They went to law school as a stepping stone to becoming a politician (Barack Obama is an example). In fact, many have an undergraduate degree in political science.
Second, the number of lawyers in state legislatures has decreased because there is more money to be made in the private sector than the public sector. In New York, for instance, the number of lawyer legislators dropped from 61% in 1969 to only 34% in 1999 (Source: April 1999 edition of the California Bar Journal).
Best wishes,
-Mike