Kenneth Abraham explores the development and interdependency of the tort liability regime and the insurance system in the United States during the twentieth century and beyond, including the events of September 11, 2001. From its beginning late in the nineteenth century, the availability of liability insurance led to the creation of new forms of liability, heavily influenced expansion of the liabilities that already existed, and continually promoted increases in the amount of money that was awarded in tort suits. A “liability-and-insurance spiral” emerged, in which the availability of liability insurance encouraged the imposition of more liability, and, in turn, the imposition of liability encouraged the further spread of insurance. Liability insurance was not merely a source of funding for ever-greater amounts of tort liability. Liability insurers came to dominate tort litigation. They defended lawsuits against their policyholders, and they decided which cases to settle, fight, or appeal. The very idea behind insurance––that spreading losses among large numbers of policyholders is desirable––came to influence the ideology of tort law. To serve the aim of loss spreading, liability had to expand. Today the tort liability and insurance systems constantly interact, and to reform one the role of the other must be fully understood.

STOP AND THINK! Do you know what legal steps you need to take to safeguard... Your family? Your business? Your money? Maybe you were caught in a car accident where you're not sure of your rights, or you're looking for a lifetime of legal protection for your company, your family or your wealth. Whatever the case, you need to know what it takes to protect your rights and defend you and your loved ones from unforeseen legal threats. Protect and Defend is the book that delivers that vital information by gathering together America's leading attorneys to bring you practical advice based on their years of top-level experience. In each chapter, you'll get exclusive access to their expertise, as they tackle some of today's most crucial legal issues-issues that affect us all every day. The law can be your best friend-or your worst enemy. And you absolutely need to know how to put it on your side whether you're facing an immediate emergency or looking for long-term solutions. Protect and Defend brings you proven strategies to help you do just that-before it's too late.

Personal Injury Practice, 5th edition, is a step-by-step guide to personal injury litigation practice written by a highly respected team of authors. This title provides everything needed to conduct efficient and successful PI litigation for claimants, and sets out authoritative guidance at every stage of proceeding from first interview with a client to the end of an appeal. This new edition also includes key precedents and specimen letters. This book is essential reading for every personal injury practitioner, the DIT claimant, or defendant, as well as students of practice and procedure.