Jonah:
You are right that “Trial Lawyer” has a huge populist clout. They stand for
the little guy against heartless corporations, etc. etc. The downsides,
especially the facts that
—they often rake off more for themselves than the little guy gets
—they wreck commerce and destroy jobs for thier own enrichment
can surely be successfully explained to the general public, though. Walter
Olson’s book is a great source on the
social harm done by the trial lawyer culture.
And, for all the populist clout, there is a strong undercurrent of hostility
to lawyers. A lawyer joke can raise a laugh in practically any kind of
company. We can work this one.