Lawyers in the Rain Forest

How a dubious judgment against Chevron exposed the abuses of the plaintiffs’ bar

Many in the plaintiffs’ bar see themselves as modern-day gunslingers; their advocacy on behalf of the “injured” and “downtrodden” allows them to justify their extraordinary winnings. Further, with litigation often serving as a proxy for class warfare, plaintiffs’ lawyers regard suing deep-pocket defendants as a moral crusade. In their pursuit of corporate malefactors (and gargantuan contingent-fee recoveries), plaintiff’s attorneys often sacrifice ethics to the imperative of victory. Examples abound of trial lawyers who, seemingly at the top of their game, succumbed to venality and greed. As the monetary stakes rise, so does the temptation to cheat.

The widely publicized dispute between Chevron and trial lawyer Steven Donziger, played out in New York federal court in 2013 and chronicled in two recent books—Paul Barrett’s Law of the Jungle and Michael Goldhaber’s Crude Awakening—illustrates the extent of the corruption. The Chevron-Donziger saga has a Hollywood feel, but it turns the typical John Grisham plot line on its head: here, a corporate titan vindicates itself against a sleazy plaintiffs’ lawyer who masquerades as an idealistic environmental activist representing Ecuadoran peasants.

Read More at City Journal

  • “Mark Pulliam is one of the few truly fearless, devastatingly incisive, original and yet deeply learned commentators on the contemporary legal scene.  His new blog is a welcome addition and a splendid and provocative resource.”
    Professor Stephen B. Presser
    Raoul Berger Professor of Legal History Emeritus, Northwestern University School of Law
  • “Mark Pulliam is the Walt Longmire of legal conservatism. You don't want to be on the wrong end of his pen. His commentary on law, politics, and policy is not to be missed.”
    Richard Reinsch II
    Director of Law and Liberty, Liberty Fund, Inc.
  • “Mark's blistering criticism of the foibles of the lawyering class and crackpot judges is a worthy penance for a recovering attorney. And it is our gain.”
    Michael Thompson
    Shareholder, Wright & Greenhill, P.C.
  • “Maybe this man’s degree is written in crayon."
    StupidEvilBastard.com
    StupidEvilBastard.com
  • "Mark Pulliam fancies himself a Paul Revere of the right."
    Froma Harrop
    Syndicated columnist
  • "Mark Pulliam is a good fellow….99 percent of the time, I love his material."
    William J. Watkins
    Research Fellow at the Independent Institute
  • “With the flourish of a pen, Mark Pulliam makes bad guys rhetorically bleed and weak guys physically cringe. It's awesome.”
    Michael Quinn Sullivan
    President & CEO, Empower Texans
  • "Mark Pulliam, writer and thinker extraordinaire, has a new blog. Make sure to visit and register. Mark Pulliam's new blog is a thing of wit and intelligence."
    Bradley J. Birzer
    Professor of History, Hillsdale College, President of the American Ideas Institute, and editor at large of The Imaginative Conservative
Featured In

Sign up for updates

Get the latest updates, news, and alerts directly from the source.
We promise, we don't spam.

Featured Tweets