Scalia's myopia has earned him many fans who cling to the simplicity of his absolutist statements because they are easily digestible and don't upset the orthodox stomach. But enough of this "kill all the lawyers" crap. Justice Scalia, if you have such a dim view of your profession and such a high view of your acuity, please resign your post as Supreme Court justice and go invent something of value. Go back to the impotent (non-producing) outposts of academia from which you came as you obviously have little experience in the real world of lawyering beyond the asphyxiating cloister you operate in. Litigators and transactional lawyers add value to our society every day.
Litigators facilitate the non-violent resolution of the innumerable conflicts that arise in our society every day. Don't take that for granted. One does not have to look too far in the world to find examples where violence is used to resolve a disagreement over a transaction, or where the government executes an innocent person as a convenient scapegoat. Adversarial proceedings in court are a form of ritualized fighting that resolves conflict without bloodshed. On more than one occasion I have put an end to an abusive husband's reign over his wife by using the tools that the law provides me. Don't tell me that has no value. By so doing perhaps I've even freed a "great mind" to go and invent something useful. And litigators have often served as a bulwark against the tyranny of a government run amok. As such litigators play a crucial role in our civilization.
As for transactional lawyers, how is the purported "great mind" going to actually produce their society changing commodity without the legal structures necessary to raise the capital necessary to produce the commodity on a scale large enough to impact society? Corporations, partnerships, limited liability partnerships, limited liability companies, subscription commitment facilities and other legal entities facilitate the raising and free flow of capital necessary to the production of any commodity on a large scale. And it is transactional lawyers who create these entities, as well as securing the rights of the "great mind" via the private law of contract that allows the commodity producer to profit from their invention. Without a contractual guarantee of remuneration for your invention there is little incentive to create one. Why waste your time on something that won't put food on your table?
I could go on and on by the point is made. Grade school Marxist economics that fetishizes commodities over service is misguided and unworthy of a "great mind." Another day in my love/hate relationship with Justice Scalia.
