Reference no: EM132205416

Background information:

According to the American Bar Association, there are currently 1.2 million lawyers practicing in The United States, which is about 281 lawyers/100,000 persons (1 lawyer for every 300 people) compared to Japan's 11 lawyers/100,000 people. It may surprise you to learn that the law departments at Japanese universities graduate more students, each year, than all U.S. law schools, combined and, Japan's population is slightly more than the half the population of the U.S. Yet, the U.S. is, clearly more litigious, than Japan. it appears, the average Japanse person knows about the law but chooses not to practice.

While it's true that the U.S. has a large number of lawsuits, overwhelming the courts each year, it is not the most litigious country in the world. ("Death-row prisoners in the U.S. typically spend more than a decade awaiting execution. Some prisoners have been on death row for well over 20 years.") When the constitution was written, the time between sentencing and execution could be measured in days or weeks. There are atleast 5 countires considered more litigious than the U.S.

When considering the business environment, 42% of companies, in the UK, report zero law suits. This compares to 36% in Australia. Only 18%, of U.S. compamnies report no lawsuits. Clearly, U.S. companies doing business in other countries must have solid legal representation and an understanding of host countries laws. (There is liability insurance available to all who want it)

Question:

Based on what you know, and any additional research, is it better for a country (society) to be a more litigious or less litigious? Why? Would you say the same, looking at it, from a business perspective? Why. Provide whatever information, facts, opinions, ideas, thoughts, wise cracks, examples, data, statistics,  to support your response.