Let's not kill all the lawyers | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

Actually, he sometimes feels the same way.

How about the administrative law judge in Washington who sued his dry cleaner for $65 million over misplaced pants? Mr. Miller thinks the case is ridiculous - and he'll tell you all about it on his blog.

Mr. Miller, an energetic 38-year-old whose law practice is in Glen Burnie, has been running his site, www.marylandinjurylawyerblog.com, for a little over a year.

A lot of it is inside-baseball stuff, like news tips for other lawyers (hey, hear the latest on the Kugel mesh hernia patch recall?). But mixed in are some interesting insights, like the one about the pricey pants.

In an April posting about the case, Mr. Miller wrote: "Believe me, personal injury lawyers face the consequences of this kind of nonsense every single time we pick a jury. This makes jurors more skeptical of people bringing claims of any kind."

In an interview in his office, Mr. Miller was candid about his profession. He can't stand the lawyers who think every plaintiff is right, who are ready to sue before they've even analyzed the case to see whether there's a real harm and, if so, whether someone's negligence actually caused it. They're the laughingstock.

There are bad apples in any profession, but that doesn't explain why people hate lawyers so much.

Mr. Miller, an Ellicott City native who lives in Severna Park with his wife and kids, thinks it's because so few have positive experiences with attorneys. Most people think they don't need lawyers - until something happens to them, that is.

In his blog, Mr. Miller's not out to defend the lawyers everyone makes fun of. But he will stand up for the dignity of the profession, while being careful not to sound too full of himself, and sometimes he uses the platform to educate.

He's aggravated, for example, by the popular misconception about the legendary 1992 McDonald's hot coffee case.

The version you probably know goes something like this: Lady spills hot coffee (gee, who knew coffee was hot?) on her lap and blames McDonald's for her own stupidity. Another perfect illustration of an overly litigious society, right?

But the truth, according to a trial lawyers' Web site Mr. Miller links to, goes more like this: More than 700 people had complained of being burned by McDonald's coffee. The company knew the stuff was too hot and did nothing, a fact the jury found worthy of punishment. (In case you don't want to take the lawyers' word for it, their summary is backed by a Wall Street Journal story.)

"Nobody wants to get past the 15-second sound bite of a story," Mr. Miller said.

And there are plenty of politicians and interest groups for whom lawyers are an easy punching bag. Why let facts get in the way of a good talking point?

Against that backdrop, Mr. Miller has little hope that the public perception of lawyers will change, and he doesn't much care.

He knows what he does, knows what it means when he gets a seven-figure settlement for a client who suffered a crushed skull, a crushed ankle and other injuries when steel trusses fell on him.

That case was all the more satisfying given the company's initial offer - zip.

Mr. Miller started on the other side of the injury game, defending the pharmaceutical big boys Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline. But sitting across from the parents who would spread pictures of their dead loved ones on the table during deposition hearings got a little old.

"I was always the big guy vs. the little guy," he said. "It's very satisfying being on the side of the little guy."

Contact Eric Hartley at ehartley@capitalgazette.com or 410-280-5950.