The American Bar Association published a study in April 2002 on how the public views lawyers. You can download it in its entirely (free of charge) at the ABA’s website. The study is worth downloading as it clearly demonstrates that the public has a negative view of attorneys, even though many are satisfied with their lawyer’s services. Some interesting findings include:

Positive Perceptions

» 58% of clients were ‘very satisfied’ and 18% were ’somewhat satisfied’ with their lawyer’s services - only 9% were ‘very dissatisfied’

» 59% say most lawyers are interested in serving their clients and are knowledgeable about the law - only 34% say lawyers deserve the bad reputation they have

» Americans believe the law is a good/respectable career.

Negative Perceptions

» Americans believe lawyers do a poor job of policing themselves (only 26% agreed with the statement ‘the legal profession does a good job of disciplining lawyers’)

» Lawyers have a reputation for winning at all costs

» Lawyers seen as being driven by profit and self interest rather than client interest

» Americans believe lawyers manipulate both the system and the truth

» Americans believe some lawyers’ tactics border on unethical

» 19% of consumers say they are ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ confident in the legal profession or lawyers (compared with 50% for doctors, 46% for the US Supreme Court, 33% for Judges, and 22% for Federal Congress - only the media was lower at 16%)

On Buying Legal Services

» Prospects find it difficult to tell a good lawyer from a bad one

» Prospects are often unclear about what a lawyer will do for them and how much they will charge

Negative Perceptions of Services

» Consumers complain most about lawyers’ fees - saying they charge too much, are often not upfront about fees, or are unwilling to account for charges or hours

» Consumers complain that lawyers drag out cases unnecessarily (some believe to inflate expenses) - this can be especially true for divorce lawyers who exacerbate an already difficult situation

» Perception that lawyers take cases they aren’t equipped to handle or fail to competently represent their client

Many Consumers Don’t Use Lawyers

» Nearly 7 in 10 households had some reason to seek legal counsel during the past year (2001) - the most common events are real estate transaction, mortgage refinancing, damage to property or automobile, creation of wills or estate plans, inadequate health care, moving traffic violations, and trouble with creditors

» 55% who had an event in the last 12 months that a lawyer could have helped them with say they don’t plan to hire one

» 1/3 of all US households say they considered hiring a lawyer but did not. Common reasons were that lawyers are too expensive, they took care of it by themselves, and it wasn’t worth it/wouldn’t do any good.

Problem/Opportunity

» Make lawyers more accessible and less threatening to consumers

Public Perception of Advertising

» Consumers believe lawyer advertising in yellow pages and on television is unprofessional, overpromising, overly dramatic, and targeted to vulnerable people

» Consumers believe it is more important for lawyers to change the way they advertise rather than to stop altogether

Consumer Recommendations (% of respondants rating it as important)

» Educate the public about how to handle common legal problems (81%)

» Do a better job of communicating with clients (80%)

» Do a better job of policing and regulating themselves (78%)

» Do a better job of explaining their fees to clients (69%)

» Change the way they advertise (45%)

Recommendations

» Improve client communications

» Explain fee structure

» Educate firm lawyers about good lawyer/client relationships

» Advertise responsibly

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Categories: Market Research