The redesigned Web site of the American Tort Reform Assn. contains a wealth of easily accessible information.
Among the most impressive features of the site is a state-by-state archive of tort reform statutes, easily accessible through an interactive map of the country. A single click grants access to federal reforms as well.
The new, cleaner site also allows easy access to ATRA reports, including the annual "Judicial Hellholes" report on problem judicial jurisdictions. There's also a set of links to other pro-tort reform organizations, both at the state and national level. But there's a lighter side to the ATRA site as well. Anyone looking for examples of a civil justice system in disrepair need only click on "Looney Lawsuit" to find the evidence.
NEW:
cgood.org
Common Good
Common Good's Web site isn't a typical tort reform Web site. In fact, the bipartisan group attempts to distance itself from some tort reform efforts, such as capping damages. Perhaps that should be expected from an organization that counts among its advisory board members both Newt Gingrich and George McGovern. And, unlike many other civil justice Web sites, Common Good focuses on a handful of issues-notably health care and public education.
And it does a great job in its focusing. It's a graphically clean site, avoiding a lot of the clutter that infests all too many Web sites, regardless of subject. But clean doesn't mean that it's short on information-a click on one of the broad topics gives the visitor access to a menu of recommended reading on the subject from Common Good and other organizations, as well as links to related sites.
Not everyone will find Common Good's site to be of value because of its concentration on just a few areas. But for those with an interest in health care, education or volunteer protections, cgood.org is well worth a visit. Odds are it won't be your last.
NEW:
www.overlawyered.com
The Overlawyered Group
Veteran tort reform scholar and activist Walter Olson provides readers with up-to-the-minute accounts of a tort system gone wrong-and occasionally right-on his long-running Web site overlawyered.com.
The site features several new postings a day concerning the use and abuse of tort law. That immediacy of information is one of the most attractive features of the site but by no means the only one. Given the site's archives, which reach back to 1999, and a nearly unimaginable number of links, even the casual visitor will have a hard time putting down the mouse and getting on with business.
One other impressive feature of the site is its rigid adherence to a full documentation of its sources. This gives overlawyered.com an enviable degree of credibility in an area that sometimes relies on information that turns out to be little more than urban myth.
One last note: Visitor donations help support the site. There are certainly worse ways to spend in money in the battle for tort reform.
www.pointoflaw.com
Manhattan Institute
www.pointoflaw.com is a newcomer among civil justice reform Web sites, and a welcome one at that. Like www.overlawyered.com, which was recognized as one of the best in its class last year, Pointoflaw.com offers a wealth of information in a Web magazine format. That's hardly surprising, though, given that Walter Olson serves as editor for both sites. Mr. Olson, a senior fellow of the Manhattan Institute, a New York-based think tank, has written several books on tort issues.
Pointoflaw.com offers an almost unimaginable array of information, starting with straightforward postings dealing with broad areas of tort law, such as asbestos, loser pays and products liability. The site also features a discussion of some tort-related topic each month. This can involve experts reviewing other experts' papers or, as was the case before the election, a back and forth among supporters of the presidential candidates regarding their positions on tort reform.
The centerpiece is a forum, updated several times a day, containing tort-related news stories and commentary. The participants do an outstanding job of ferreting out stories oriented to civil justice concerns that a risk manager or benefits manager might lack both the time and resources to pursue.
Like any Web site worth its salt, Pointoflaw.com boasts an impressive array of links and access to Web blogs. The value of the blogs varies greatly-some are more amusing than informative and can leave a first-time visitor with the feeling that he or she is going deeper and deeper into Alice in Wonderland's rabbit hole.
But that's part of the beauty of a first-rate Web site-a chance to experience the unexpected-and Pointoflaw.com surely falls into the first-rate category.
Notable sites
Center for Legal Policy
www.manhattan-institute.org/html/clp.htm
Health Coalition on Liability and Access
www.hcla.org
Institute for Civil Justice
www.rand.org/icj
Institute for Legal Reform
www.legalreformnow.com
Junkscience.com
www.junkscience.com
National Assn. of Manufacturers
www.nam.org
U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform
www.legalreformnow.com
Washington Legal Foundation
www.wlf.org
Best of the Web: Civil Justice Reform
