New Research: Lawyers Not Despised

Researchers from the University of Minnesota and Duke University law schools noticed that few legal malpractice suits result in jury verdicts. One explanation reflects the perception that lawyers are held in such low esteem that defendant lawyers consider it advisable to settle in lieu of facing a jury. The researchers devised a controlled experiment to test the validity of that perception, and they found it to be shaky. They conclude with an interesting speculation: It may be that years of bad press from the insurance industry and conservative commentators has made one particular group, plaintiffs, even more unpopular than lawyers – to the possible benefit of lawyer-defendants who are confronting a plaintiff in court.