PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF ATTORNEYS
does eventually reflect that some or many of the Courts ’ goals are attained . The rationale often relied upon for this unwavering negative stance against ABS tends to be premised upon “ professionalism ” or the “ core values ” of the profession . . . or rather that non-attorneys ( i . e . investors ) can ’ t be trusted to put the client ’ s needs first and will only think of the bottom line . relationship between Managing Attorney and Compliance Lawyer that allows for the essential oversight to ensure that the clients are protected and served to the highest standard , just as all attorneys are tasked to achieve .
If anything , the mere fact that attorneys are willingly involved in an ABS should speak volumes as to the character of and trust for the non-lawyers they work with . After all , each and every attorney in an ABS is essentially staking their own bar licensure on their ability to trust and control the non-lawyers they are doing business with .
PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF ATTORNEYS
Why do attorneys cling to the “ professionalism ” argument – as if the only reason attorneys do the right thing is out of fear of losing their licenses ? Why do so many attorneys assume that non-lawyers are somehow inherently bad or more prone to take advantage of clients ? The reality of being an Arizona attorney in an ABS is that your bar license is on the line for any misstep taken by any non-lawyer owner . Let that sink in . The authors can use ourselves as examples here . Nic , as Managing Attorney / CEO , and Laura , as Compliance Lawyer , are both Arizona-licensed attorneys employed by the ABS Big Auto . Both Nic ’ s and Laura ’ s bar licenses are potentially “ on the hook ” should any of a number of things go awry . One of Laura ’ s roles / obligations as Compliance Lawyer is to establish rules and procedures to ensure that only the attorneys licensed in Arizona have authority to influence day-to-day operations and how cases are handled – from accepting them at intake through to settlement and / or trial – thereby ensuring that the Arizona licensed attorneys maintain their professional independence . One of Nic ’ s roles / obligations as Managing Attorney is to communicate with the Board of Managers ( BOM ), all of which are considered “ non-lawyers ” under the ABS rules , regardless of the fact that a few of them are actually attorneys licensed in other states . The purpose of having Nic communicate with the BOM ’ s is to keep them “ in the loop ” because they can ’ t have direct access to the client data / case files due to confidentiality . It is this crucial , symbiotic
Why are attorneys so distrusting of other professions ? Would it surprise you to learn that the public is distrustful of attorneys ? In fact , attorneys have one of the lowest trustworthiness rankings of all professions . The 2023 Gallup poll on Honesty / Ethics of professions revealed that only 16 % of the public ranked lawyers above average , compared to 30 % that ranked lawyers below average . 12 Lawyers ’ credibility overall ranked lower than all of the following professions : nurses , veterinarians , engineers , dentists , doctors , pharmacists , police officers , college teachers , psychiatrists , chiropractors , clergy , labor union officials , bankers and journalists . 13
On a global level , IPSOS tracks perceived trustworthiness of 18 professions across 31 countries . 14 The 2023 IPSOS study revealed that only 22 % of U . S . citizens trusted lawyers ( 39 % found lawyers untrustworthy ). 15 Globally , citizens in 25 out of 31 countries polled trusted their lawyers more than the U . S . citizens trusted theirs . 16
In view of such public mistrust of attorneys , an argument
12
GALLUP Honesty / Ethics in Professions https :// news . gallup . com / poll / 1654 / honesty-ethics-professions . aspx .
13
Id ., See also Ethics Ratings of Nearly All Professions Down in U . S . ( Jan 22 , 2024 ) https :// news . gallup . com / poll / 608903 / ethics-ratings-nearly-professions-down . aspx ? version = print .
14
IPSOS Global Trustworthiness Index 2023 ( Oct . 2023 ) https :// www . ipsos . com / sites / default / files / ct / news / documents / 2023-10 / Ipsos-global-trustworthiness-index-2023 . pdf .
15
Id . at 22 .
16
Id .