I've heard politicians talking about the need for more limits on lawyers but I havent heard anyone saying that there are fewer court cases. I wonder where this trend will lead.
Trial-less Lawyers
As More Cases Settle, Firms Seek Pro Bono Work to Hone Associates' Courtroom Skills
December 1, 2005
The trend worries some judges. "There is so much settlement and arbitration that we are losing sight of the basic right to trial by jury," says U.S. District Judge David Hittner of Houston.
Junior lawyers have long complained about the fact that they rarely see the inside of a courtroom during the course of their daily work. What has changed, as evidenced by Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw's arrangement to represent prisoners, is that many law firms are coming up with creative ways to score trial work -- reaching out to judges, government agencies and legal-aid organizations, offering to donate associate time in exchange for referrals of cases that seem particularly likely to go to trial. Typically, once a firm gets such a referral, it handles every aspect of the case.
