Don Foreman wrote:

How different are we in the US? I think it's more a matter of
generation than of nationality.

Frivolous tort lawsuits, like the McDonald's hot coffee fiasco, don't
fly in the UK.

We get a few. I can't bring one as frivolous as the hot coffee affair to
mind, though.

I spent part of a day as an observer in the Law Court in London, just
for the hell of it.

This is something I recommend to foreign visitors. Go to the Old Bailey
on Newgate Street. Hardly any tourists go, but it's a criminal court
which looks and operates much as it did in the 19th century. Only
serious cases are heard there, so you get to see top barristers versus
top criminals. If there's someone arrogant and indignant in the dock it
can be very engaging. No laughing allowed, though!

Chris