Lawyers and civil justice take a beating from propaganda put out by the Chamber of Commerce, insurers and huge businesses. They advertise atypical verdicts, e.g. McDonald's case, and play down cases where Courts rule in their favor. They also want you to think trial lawyers control the system, but they really do. Cases in point:
2004: Chamber & Co. dump MILLIONS into the campaign for Illinois Supreme Court. Its candidate, Lloyd Karmeier wins, and the Chamber touts victory.
2005: Chamber & Co.'s investments pay off! Today, in the "Lights" case, Karmeier gets Philip Morris off the hook of a $10.1B judge's verdict (note: not a jury). Earlier this year, Karmeier helped out friends at State Farm getting State Farm off the hook of $1B.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer