Book Review: Civil Justice Reconsidered: Toward a Less Costly, More Accessible Litigation System

Abstract

A book review of Steven P. Croley's book Civil Justice Reconsidered: Toward a Less Costly, More Accessible, Litigation System (NYU Press, 2017).

In this review, I evaluate Professor Croley's engaging book and highlight the various contributions to the public discussion of tort reform and other critical issues affecting our system of civil justice. The review then illuminates one large area of civil litigation that is under-discussed in the book and elsewhere, which is debt contracts litigation. In this area, there exists a strong pro-plaintiff bias and solving it is a pressing issue. The Review also offers critical reflections on proposals, such as Croley's, to expand public and private subsidies to civil litigation ("Civil Gideon" rights).

Keywords: civil gideon, debt contracts, pro se, plaintiff bias, tort reform, effective altruism