The court of public opinion has always played a major role in litigation.  Major court battles, whether between corporates or families, make great headlines.

But for smaller business faced with the threat of legal action and without the deep pockets there is often no real option but to acquiesce.

This paper from the MIT Sloan Management Review raises some interesting points on how the small entrepreneur is fighting back, using social media to raise a war chest and garner public support.  It calls it lawsourcing. 

It is, the paper acknowledges, not particularly new, but is on the rise.  A really interesting read.