Not all that is a part of the US is a reason for its success. Whilst the US does a lot of things well, there is always room for improvement, and some of the aspects of its legal framework is one of the areas that could benefit. The US spends 2-3 times as much on tort as other developed economies; this is clearly a problem, not an advantage.
Sure, there's room for improvement. But torts law reform is no the original point I was arguing. The root of this thread is a suggestion that lawyers deliberately complicate the law in order to maximise their bill.
I was explaining why lawyers spend so much time minutely examining every tiny bit of a case for their clients. They have to. A lawyer who doesn't could find themselves in breach of fiduciary duty.
Also, read what I've said again. Nowhere have I said that the USA is rich and powerful because of lawyering. But neither has it stopped the USA from being so.
For more examples, see: http://www.economist.com/node/21541423 - on attempts to reform tort law
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21571141-cheaper-legal... - on how US legal education can be reformed to reduce the cost of legal counsel
http://www.economist.com/node/18389167 - on problems with the US' patent laws