It is well known to even casual observers of the legal system that lawyers are often arguing over the meaning or interpretation of a particular law (statute). The legislative process (how a law is made) is affected by many factors, and it is not uncommon that a law has to be amended in order to clarify its meaning. Therapists and counselors sometimes (and justifiably) get frustrated over the fact that they are required to comply with the law but that the law may be ambiguous and subject to varying interpretations.

Some assert that it was Otto Von Bismarck (the Iron Chancellor of Germany) who observed in the mid to late1800s the following: “Those who love sausage and obey the law should not watch either being made.” Someone else stated it this way: “I have come to the conclusion that the making of laws is like the making of sausages – the less you know about the process the more you respect the result.”