Latest Legal Insights

Contracts permeate our lives. If we rent an apartment or agree to buy a home, we enter into a contract.When we have electricity, gas and water furnished to that apartment or home, we have a contractual relationship with each utility provider for the service.

A tort is the violation of a legal responsibility when that violation directly causes injury to a person’s body, property or rights. Both the law of torts and criminal law deal with socially unacceptable conduct; however, torts and crimes are brought to court for different purposes, by different people, and they are handled by the courts using different rules.

“To those who are engaged in commercial dealings, justice is indispensable for the conduct of business.” - Cicero

During the Cold War, the United States Air Force’s Strategic Air Command (SAC) was charged with keeping the United State’s vast nuclear armament at a constant state of readiness. Brigadier General Edward O.Martin is credited with the creation of SAC’s motto, “Peace is our profession.”

Many readers of this column experience the tremendous religious freedom that we have in America. In addition to worshiping where and how we like, many also enjoy exemptions from civic duties such as mandatory school attendance after 8th grade, jury service, worker’s compensation and other government requirements. Although we all do have to pay taxes!

This article is the second in a series discussing other ways of resolving disputes as alternatives to litigation. Last month, we discussed arbitration. This month, we deal with mediation.

I remember attending a speech by the late Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, Tom Moyer, during which he discussed the basic function of lawyers and judges. He said, "We resolve disputes."