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Only 25% of Americans Have a Positive Image of Lawyers

Posted Aug 21, 2009 7:44 AM CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

Do Americans have a better image of lawyers, bankers or real estate brokers?

Lawyers may take little comfort in the answer.

Only 25 percent of Americans have a positive view of the legal field, according to a new Gallup survey. Only three industries got lower ratings—real estate, automobiles, and oil and gas. Bankers bested lawyers by three percentage points.

The survey asked respondents to indicate whether they held positive or negative views of 25 different industries. The five industries with the worst images, starting with the very worst, were:

• Oil and gas industry, viewed positively by 21 percent, compared to 15 percent last year.

• Automobile industry, viewed positively by 24 percent, compared to 29 percent last year.

• Real estate industry, viewed positively by 24 percent, compared to 16 percent last year.

• The legal field, viewed positively by 25 percent, compared to 26 percent last year.

• Banking, viewed positively by 28 percent, compared to 36 percent last year. The one-year decline was the largest of the industries surveyed.

The computer industry had the best image, with a positive rating by 62 percent of those surveyed. Second was the restaurant industry, followed by farming and agriculture, the Internet industry, and the grocery industry.

Comments

1.

Dan the Man
Aug 21, 2009 8:29 AM CST

What do you expect from Hater Nation?

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2.

Casey
Aug 21, 2009 8:47 AM CST

I can’t believe it’s that high!

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3.

G.
Aug 21, 2009 8:50 AM CST

We are one of the few professions that take an ethics oath. I don’t think most people realize how seriously we take that oath very serious.

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4.

Diane
Aug 21, 2009 9:06 AM CST

After working for attorneys for over 20 years, color me not surprised. From the moment they slither out of the law school doors, most attorneys are in it for the almighty dollar and the unending need to be right and the center of attention. They treat their employees like servants and their clients like unending bank accounts. They lie on their hourly billings and they lie on their costs expended.  Worst of all, they lie to their clients without batting an eyelash. They use their knowledge of the law to browbeat everyone in their lives and believe that the rules do not apply to them.  I watched attorneys bill clients for double, triple and quadruple the actual time spent on the case, listened to drunk attorneys give legal advice to paying clients and became nauseous after lying to judges on the telephone for the umpteenth time about the whereabouts of an attorney who should have been in the court just that minute. The highlight of my career was telling a U.S. District Court Judge that an attorney had a family emergency while that very attorney was recording an appearance on a local radio station—for fun. Working for an attorney is like being in an abusive marriage. The similarities are scary. They have tantrums like small children and manipulate as well as any grifter. They expect perfection without reward and reward ass kissing with raises and favortism.

I left the profession with my health in ruins and my sanity barely intact. Do I sound bitter and cynical?  You bet.  Twenty years of working for bullies will do that to you. Twenty-five percent?  That high, huh?

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5.

W Kruse
Aug 21, 2009 9:22 AM CST

It sounds like the previous poster didn’t work for a very good firm.  I, for one, am proud to be an attorney.  I take my ethical duties very seriously, and strive to treat others with dignity and respect.  All firms are not bastions of lies and unethical behavior.  As a matter of fact, our firm was rated one of the “best places to work” by the St. Louis Business Journal twice in the last five years.
We treat our assistants with respect, our clients with respect, and opposing counsel with respect.
We, as a profession, are in a unique position to truly make a difference in peoples’ lives every day.  Don’t ever forget that.

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6.

Michael Moebes, Esq.
Aug 21, 2009 9:35 AM CST

Bankers?  Viewed more favorably than lawyers?  I’m appalled.  Our country has a negative savings rate and, on average, nearly $10k in credit card debt because of the marketing and peddling of debt by bankers.  Our profession is way better than the banking industry.

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7.

robert
Aug 21, 2009 9:43 AM CST

This statistic, which I think is probably accurate, raises the question of why 51% of the Senate and 33% of the House are lawyers.

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8.

Joe H. Baldelomar
Aug 21, 2009 9:51 AM CST

This is not a surprise; the public opinion about lawyers in its majority is deplorable.  One of the key issues about lawyer’s public perception is due to all those pick-a-penny lawyers offering services for just about everything. In order to maintain a high level of acceptance lawyers across the nation should remain ethically conscious, as some tend to disregard what ethics means.
Respectful lawyers are becoming a casualty of the acts of those whom under the banner of the almighty dollar will even file a suit against their mothers.

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9.

T.R.
Aug 21, 2009 9:58 AM CST

Given the glut of shameless advertising that some attorneys run in various television markets around the country, I am certainly not surprised.  It’s embarrassing.

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10.

B. McLeod
Aug 21, 2009 11:04 AM CST

I agree with Casey.  That 25% number is remarkably good when you consider that the public mostly sees lawyer ads, lawyer misconduct articles, and usually unflattering TV portrayals.  Maybe the 25% is due (we can hope) to that percentage of respondents actually having known or having been helped by a professional and decent lawyer.  At the end of the day, that is really the only means any of us have to counter the many sources of negative lawyer images.

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11.

Larry
Aug 21, 2009 11:29 AM CST

Comment removed by moderator.

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12.

Lawyer's Mom
Aug 21, 2009 11:43 AM CST

Diane:  I understand why you take such a negative view of lawyers.  What I don’t understand is why you stayed in the “abusive marriage” for 20 years.  If things were that bad, why didn’t you get out earlier?

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13.

Diane
Aug 21, 2009 12:03 PM CST

Lawyer’s Mom:  More than one reason.  I actually did like helping people and I was very good at my job.  Over time, like any other partner in an abusive relationship, I began to believe that I couldn’t do any better. Also, single mother with two kids to support who needed medical insurance.

After health fell apart, doctor insisted I get out. So I did.

Lawyer’s Mom, I am a lawyer’s sister so I understand your need to believe that it couldn’t be that bad.  It was and as any good counselor will caution you, don’t blame the victim.

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14.

Adrian Baron
Aug 21, 2009 12:28 PM CST

And yet when you ask a parent what type of career they envision for their child, it is usually doctor or lawyer.  It’s not the lawyers.  It’s the clients. LOL

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15.

Mikey
Aug 21, 2009 1:04 PM CST

I too am surprised our “approval rating” is even this high.  Of course, given that 20% of the population are now lawyers, that means only 5% of “real people” approve.

I’m exaggerating of course, and I’m proud of being a lawyer, but it seems pretty obvious that one of the reasons people despise lawyers so is that there are just way too many of us.  Way too many scrounging around at the bottom of the barrel who will take any ridiculous case, which otherwise would go unlitigated.

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16.

James
Aug 21, 2009 1:13 PM CST

I’m not surprised by the number but I think it would go up if the question were phrased “what do you think of your lawyer?” 

We’re in a profession that’s not really understood by the public at all.  We play by different rules and often get the unpleasant encounters with members of the public.  Think about it, if you’re accused of a crime, it’s a lawyer trying to put you in jail.  If you’re sued, it’s a lawyer trying to take your money.  If you’re in business lawyers are the ones who constantly point out the negatives of new ideas.  Our profession demands near absolute loyalty to the person who utilizes our services often at the expense of other people, the public, or anything else.  Our results are often intangible so when we bill for our services the client often has nothing to hold in his hand to remind him of the work we did.  Finally, the judicial system is fickle and changes on a daily basis.  In each case there’s often a winner and a loser.  Clients have trouble being the loser and often have convinced themselves that their stupid case is a sure bet.  Who do they blame when it’s over… the lawyers.  Keep in mind, that on an individual basis, lawyers generally do make their client’s lives better.  Even the personal injury plaintiff’s attorney wins justice for the injured person in a way they wouldn’t be able to get on their own.  Quite frankly I don’t think a public opinion on the “legal profession” is a fair question.  Rather survey a lawyer’s clients and ask if they are satisfied.  If the answer is yes, than that lawyer is doing a good job.

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17.

tim
Aug 21, 2009 2:18 PM CST

I am tired of the i like helping people

who cares?  Every profession helps people.  helping people doesn’t make a lawyer special.  If that is all you do, you are no different that the barrista who helps me with my java fix every morning.

One hooks me up with java you hook me up with a contract.

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18.

solo atty
Aug 21, 2009 2:35 PM CST

part of this perception is because the public is getting the wrong idea about how much money lawyers make.

The law school cartel keeps putting out false and hugely inflated salary and employment stats for new grads.

This has created a false perception that lawyers make a lot of money, while in truth most new lawyers eventually have to go work in another field because of the overcrowding.

If the DOJ were to prosecute some of the law schools for fraud for these fake stats, the public would find out the truth—that most lawyers barely make a living in the field because of the surplus.

Then the public would have more sympathy for lawyers.

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19.

Jack Marshall
Aug 21, 2009 3:09 PM CST

As one who teaches legal ethics at bar associations and law firms, I can say from long experience that attorneys think about, are concerned about, understand and care about ethics far more than most Americans. The ethical problems lawyers face are complex, and the public’s ethical analysis ability seldom goes beyond “everybody does it” and “they started it.” The low opinion of lawyers is the result of public ignorance regarding the law and ethical duties, plus the profession’s complete failure to educate the public about what legal ethics are and why they are important.

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20.

James
Aug 21, 2009 3:19 PM CST

Really tim (#17)... I’m tired of cynical and ignorant people like you.

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21.

B. McLeod
Aug 21, 2009 10:59 PM CST

I do not know that I can claim to be less cynical (perhaps not even less ignorant) than tim.  However, I do think that there is and should be an element to law practice that goes beyond the notion that we are selling clients something akin to a cup of coffee (or a used car).  I think that any lawyer who cannot find that something more, who cannot find that sense of being a fiduciary to the client, or of serving a higher duty, will never be happy as a lawyer, nor ever really understand the law as a profession.

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22.

fed up
Aug 22, 2009 12:34 AM CST

Thank you Diane for a thoughtful, personal account.  I believe you.  Lawyers can behave the way you describe with impunity because the rest of the profession generally allows it to happen.

I would like to know more about your story.  Drop me a line if you like at celticein@yahoo.com.

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23.

BR
Aug 23, 2009 1:52 PM CST

If you did nothing but read these posts, you would conclude that most lawyers are not only just in it for the money, but you would notice how they disdain the work of the people who actually are trying to help people.
The big guys ALL just carry water for the people in the other hated industries like oil and bankitng.
I personally think legal ethics in practice is vastly different from what they teach in school or in CLE.
If you get involved in discovery requests, you will see what I mean.
Lawyers lie for clients.
“If you have it, we have to produce it, Mr.client”.  “Oh well then,” says the client, I don’t have it”
Attorney’s affidavit “These documents do not exist.”
It is unfettered, it is ubiquitous and it is acceptedconduct. 
I have been around a long time.  I have seen lawyers suborn perjury.  It is not about the act it is about whether an accusation will ever be made and whether it will stick.
Lawyers are indeed very serious about ethics - they are extremely careful to avoid having anything to do with an ethics charge and tend to advise their clients NOT to file ethics complaints.  Its kind of a gentlemen’s agreement.

So don’t go blaming TV, because TV lawyers are not all that bad.
Whether you have first hand knowledge as I do or just read the papers, there’s a lot of money to be made in soul-selling.

Live with it, or try another profession.

Or, maybe do what the Ethics books and professors and rules say:
When you see an ethics breach report it.

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24.

EN Brvenik
Aug 23, 2009 9:14 PM CST

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25.

Rath
Aug 24, 2009 11:28 AM CST

#16 James,

Several years ago there was a survey polling impressions of lawyers that asked that very follow up question of what people thought of their own lawyers and the approval ratings for lawyers went up astronomically.  The gist of it was that while most people don’t have a high opinion of the law profession as a whole, the majority thought highly of or were satisfied with their lawyer.

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26.

associate
Aug 24, 2009 12:45 PM CST

1.  It’s popular to “hate lawyers” because they “ruined this country”, regardless of the fact that they founded it.

2.  It’s popular to “hate rich people” because “they’re evil people who exploited others to get their money”, regardless of how those “rich people” made their money.

3.  Lawyer’s are “rich” regardless of the mountains of debt, ridiculous work hours, and actual salaries lawyers can make.


I’m shocked that it’s as high as it is.


“Are you satisfied with your lawyer?” is a much more realistic question.  Everyone hates lawyers until they need one.  That always makes me laugh.  What’s really funny is when a client ignores what you tell them and then are shocked, I mean, SHOCKED that they’ve gotten into more trouble.  Who’s fault was that again?

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