In a world where top lawyers routinely charge upwards of $1,500 an hour, it's increasingly hard for the little guy to get equal access to justice.  The nascent field of litigation funding has grown up to help level the playing field.  At a stage of its growth when it should be not just protected but encouraged, it has come under attack from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, an erstwhile defender of small business.

The Chamber has launched a campaign to hinder aggrieved parties, especially small businesses, from suing large companies like Chamber members. During a Gilded Age when industries succumb to titans rather than benefit from a multitude of entrepreneurial firms, this should alarm us. Competition stirs innovation and drives down prices.