In praise of litigation alexandra lahav takes the counterintuitive argument that lawsuits are good for society and needed in a democracy argues that most critiques of the state of litigiousness in america today are based not on facts but on anecdotes and that most tort reform proposals will simply make it harder for citizens to fight for their rights. In praise of litigation offers a level headed and law based assessment of the state of litigation in america as well as a number of practical steps that can be taken to ensure citizens have the right to defend themselves against wrongs while not odiously infringing on the rights of others. Lahav divides the societal benefits of litigation into four categories the core democratic values of enforcement of the law transparency through litigation participation in self government and. In praise of litigation offers a level headed and law based assessment of the state of litigation in america as well as a number of practical steps that can be taken to ensure citizens have the right to defend themselves against wrongs while not odiously infringing on the rights of others