Role of a Lawyer in the Legal System

In a political climate where lawyers are constantly being criticized and ridiculed, we are proud to promote a fair and effective justice system.

Although we are living in a time of great prosperity and freedoms, American society is also experiencing a trend where the juries seem to be more conservative in awarding jury verdicts to injured persons. Some political leaders are proposing the passage of laws in our Congress and State Legislatures attempting to limit the ability of the injured persons to seek compensation for the wrongs they have experienced as a result of the negligence of another and to limit the time in which to bring a claim. Much of this effort has been made to protect big pharmaceutical companies from liability for promoting a drug that has not been adequately tested. Some are protecting Big Insurance Companies who keep trying to cast doubt on the role of trials and justice in order to protect their incredible profits. Insurance Industry Profits for 2006 up to 44.9 billion in first nine months.

In Minnesota, large jury verdicts are very rare. In fact, of the cases that are tried in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, approximately 80% of the jury verdicts are awarded in favor of the defendant. The concept of "personal responsibility" is often used against the injured party when in fact the evidence shows that the defendant is clearly the party that violated a driving law and was the cause of the injury.

In order to better understand the current conservative jury climate, one must understand the history of how the justice system has developed through the centuries, the difference between civil and criminal laws, and the recent jury decisions in high profile cases.

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