Philip K. Howard is the founder of Common Good, a drive to overhaul the US legal system.

Why you should listen

We love to laugh at America's warning-label culture (the bag of airline peanuts that says Caution: Contains Nuts). But more troubling are the everyday acts of silence and loss promoted by the fear of being sued. Your doctor might not speak to you frankly; your kids' principal might not feel he has the right to remove bad teachers.

Attorney Philip K. Howard founded the nonpartisan group Common Good to combat this culture and reform several key areas of our legal system. Among Common Good’s suggestions: specialized health care courts, which would give lower but smarter awards, and a project with the NYC Board of Ed and the Teachers Union to overhaul the disciplinary system in New York public schools. He is the author of Try Common Sense: Replacing the Failed Ideologies of Right and Left and Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Employee Unions.

Philip K. Howard’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Philip K. Howard

Live from TED

Four ways to fix a broken legal system: Philip K. Howard on TED.com

February 22, 2010

The land of the free has become a legal minefield, says Philip K. Howard — especially for teachers and doctors, whose work has been paralyzed by fear of suits. What’s the answer? A lawyer himself, Howard has four propositions for simplifying US law. (Recorded at TED2010, February 2010, in Long Beach, CA. Duration: 18:22) Watch […]

Continue reading