The focus on lawyers as *all* being plaintiff lawyers is way out of whack. Also, most of the attorneys I know wouldn't file a suit they wouldn't or couldn't take to trial and bet their expenses and time on winning. Its one way to get a very bad reputation among other attorneys and insurance adjusters. The legal profession does a pretty good job from my point of view of regulating itself in this way. It may not in other ways, I admit. Defense firms are no better when it comes to financial shinnanigans, keep in mind. Nonetheless, attorneys are out there doing all kinds of more valuable things, for example. There are whole segments of the profession that focusing on plaintiff suits/civil suits ignores, and if more people were aware of it the whole imnage of attorneys might freshen up a bit.

Also, the whole R. 11 thing. Some of the posters here might want to look it up. As well as some of the restatements on torts. It might be a real eye opener. Lawyers are often as amazed as non-lawyers by some lawsuits. Some of the "class actions" that take place in the securities world blow my mind, lots of money, real creative lawyering, and unfortunately, real creative injuries.