ATTORNEY KIMMEL JOINS THE NONJUSTICE FOUNDATION IN CALLING FOR A "NATIONAL LEGAL CEASEFIRE" ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2005

The National Legal Ceasefire is a day when lawyers and judges around the country are encouraged to observe a voluntary cessation of legal hostilities and devote their efforts to resolving conflicts, uniting adversaries, and restoring peace, in conjunction with and in commemoration of the United Nations International Day of Peace observed on September 21 of each year as a day of global ceasefire and cessation of hostilities among all peoples.

1. More than 36 million lawsuits are filed and prosecuted in the United States each year, at a cost of over $342 billion.

2. The adversarial legal system in the United States is having the effect of escalating hostilities among adversaries, prolonging disputes, and forestalling the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

3. American society is becoming increasingly dissatisified with the way the adversarial legal system functions, the outcomes it produces, and its complexity, disparate access, and high cost. Recent calls to reform the tort system and restrain the judiciary, and recent cases of violence against lawyers and judges, are examples of this growing discontent.

4. Although lawyers and judges occupy a unique and privileged role within society of resolving conflicts and restoring peace, they are increasingly being seen as mercinaries who stand in the way of peace.

5. Recent studies indicate that lawyers are now experiencing clinical depression and substance abuse at rates higher than other professions, and double the rate of the general population. This is believed to be a symptom of the increasingly confrontational nature of our justice system.

6. "Seeking justice" is progressively becoming a phrase used to excuse acts of vengeance, retribution, and payback, creating a society that condones and encourages revenge-seeking by confusing the true meaning of justice, which is fundamental fairness and equity for all people.

7. A daylong cessation of legal hostilities would provide a much needed cooling off period for our litigious society and assist lawyers and judges in reestablishing their rightful role in society as peacemakers.

8. Declaring a National Legal Ceasefire on September 21 of each year is a particularly appropriate way to commemorate the United Nations International Day of Peace, which calls for a daylong global ceasefire and cessation of hostilities among all people.

• Cease prosecution of all adversarial proceedings and file no new lawsuits for the duration of the Day.


• For the judiciary, suspend all trials and adversarial proceedings for the duration of the Day and assist parties in resolving their conflicts without litigation.


• Aid opposing parties in resolving conflicts using non-adversarial methods of conflict resolution.


• Attend or teach a course on non-adversarial conflict resolution and peacemaking.


• Volunteer time during the Day to assist peoples and communities of insufficient means in peacefully resolving their conflicts.


• Organize or attend a National Legal Ceasefire gathering or march of attorneys and other legal professionals.


• Espouse the teaching and example of Mahatma Gandhi that "the true function of a lawyer [is] to unite parties riven asunder."


• Observe a moment of silence at noon to commemorate the United Nations International Day of Peace.


• Encourage bar associations, legal organizations, judicial departments, and law firms to adopt the "National Legal Ceasefire Resolution" below.

"I had learnt the true practice of law. I had learnt to find out the better side of human nature and to enter men's hearts. I realized that the true function of a lawyer was to unite parties riven asunder. The lesson was so indelibly burnt into me that a large part of my time during the twenty years of my practice as a lawyer was occupied in bringing about private compromises of hundreds of cases. I lost nothing thereby--not even money, certainly not my soul."