
The Monopoly of Justice: Why the Legal System Demands Competition
Breaking the "Devil's Bargain" Between Law Societies and the State
It is time for a bit of competition in the legal space. For too long, Law Societies have held a rigid monopoly over our legal system, claiming total jurisdiction in every province and state. Under this structure, you are forbidden from practicing law unless you are signed up with them. History has proven that monopolies are never efficient and never hold people accountable; they only exist to protect their own brand from scrutiny and criticism.
Across the Western world, these Law Societies are proving to be more deeply corrupt than we ever believed. If you study the history of lawyers, you find a past that is dodgy at best and conspiratorial at its core. A specific group of people has positioned themselves as the sole arbiters of who is allowed to appear in court. They have crafted legislation, often called the "Law Society Act," to cement their legal claim over who can represent others.
This system creates what I call a "devil's bargain" between the government and the Law Society. They provide each other with mutual credibility, acting as partners in a great endeavor to maintain control. The government points to the Law Society’s statutorily created "codes of conduct" as a reason to trust lawyers implicitly. We are told we can rely on them to be honest to judges, clients, and the opposition alike.
This premise of honesty is what gives lawyers their "bona fides," but it is also a dangerous tool for manipulation. In court, judges often believe whatever a lawyer says simply because of their "duty of candor". This duty is not just a moral obligation but a statutorily enforced one. Because judges assume lawyers are acting upon this duty, they often accept lies as truth, making it an uphill battle for anyone to prove otherwise.
If you dare to suggest that a lawyer has misled the court, you often become the problem in the eyes of the judge. Judges will warn you that there are consequences for accusing a lawyer of misrepresentation or "fraud upon the court". This "full court press" serves to silence citizens and hide the dark underbelly of the system. Yet, sometimes proving fraud upon the court is the only way to actually secure justice when your back is against the wall.
The Law Society jealously guards its ability to make money above all else. While you might be allowed to help someone with documents for free, as soon as you charge money, they will label it "practicing law without a license". They will use legal injunctions and fines to stop anyone who attempts to provide document assistance or court procedures for compensation. It is a transparent control structure designed to ensure you only sell legal services if you are a member of their club.
If you have ever tried to file a complaint against a lawyer, you know how little the Law Society takes them seriously. Their first tactic is to exhaust you with usurious demands for information. Then, they take their sweet time, checking in every three months just to tell you to be patient. This process can drag on for years without any resolution because they have no legal obligation to actually resolve anything; they just wait for you to go away.
When they can no longer ignore a complaint, they find ways to excuse the lawyer’s behavior, no matter how abhorrent it was. It is incredibly rare for the Law Society to actually reprimand a member. When they do, the punishments are often ridiculous compared to the offense. A lawyer might be caught stealing millions of dollars, yet their "punishment" might only be a three-month ban or a temporary requirement for oversight.
It is actually quite shocking to realize that these disciplinary actions are not about protection, but about perception. The Law Society is engaged in a public relations campaign, using "virtue signaling" to make it seem like they are in control. They want the public to believe that lawyers are great people who only occasionally deviate from the script. These reports of reprimands are just tools to keep the brand in place.
This entire structure is focused on maintaining a position of power and preventing any other entity from displacing them. Because they have a "captured audience" in the public, they have no motivation to correct their own bad behavior. The public is currently allowed no other option than the local Law Society. Everything they do is driven by the motivation to protect the brand rather than the people they claim to serve.
Imagine if there were actually competition between two or three Law Societies. If the public had the option to choose between different organizations, these societies would be forced to act differently. They would have to actually sell themselves to the public based on their merits and accountability. Competition would break the cycle of corruption and force a standard of excellence that a monopoly simply cannot provide.
In conclusion, the legal system as we know it is built on a foundation of protected interests rather than genuine justice. Realizing that our beliefs about the legal system are often not based in fact is both shocking and relieving, because it points toward a better way. We must demand an end to this monopoly and introduce the competition necessary to hold the legal profession accountable to the people.