Sir, I read S. Edwards letter: Fear of litigation (BDJ 2006; 201: 133) with interest and a great deal of sympathy.

To comply with an ever increasing number of rules and regulations being imposed on us is difficult when one is compromising between professional life, social life and what little is left of family life. There are also the constraints of a shrinking income. Our American cousins started with the pressures of litigation in the 1960s and at that time went through the same feeling of fear as we feel currently. They are well and truly used to it by now. I feel that we have got to look at litigation like any other dispute for which a law court may act to judge and as one may well look at judgement as the result of debate between lawyers. To lose a case when one feels strongly about one's innocence is of course very upsetting but the sooner we accept it, the sooner we can get on with our lives. We should learn from the Americans in this matter and not give up working.