Given that lawyers are routinely portrayed on TV as deceitful, dishonest chancers, it is hardly a surprise to see public trust in the profession dip this year. According to the Ipsos Veracity Index, just 57% of respondents said they trust lawyers – down from 59% since last year.

Interestingly, judges also lost two percentage points and are now trusted by 80% of respondents. The prospect of one-fifth of the population not trusting the judiciary is a sobering thought.

Men (61%) were more likely than women (55%) to say they trust lawyers. Less than half (48%) of people earning under £25,000 a year trust lawyers, compared with 70% of those earning more than £50,000. Trust in lawyers is also marginally lower among Conservative than Labour supporters (‘Enemies of the People’?).

But the legal profession’s 57% approval rate was better than the likes of civil servants, clergy/priests and estate agents. Politicians, doctors and local councillors all dropped by six percentage points.

Intriguingly, pollsters were trusted by only 49% of respondents, so maybe we shouldn’t take much notice of these findings anyway.

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