[Perfectlap]

^minor point: most civil cases are not settled. Most are either dismissed or dropped by the plaintiff without a settlement offer--they simply cut their losses and move on. From what I've been told by corporate lawyers I know and deal with, probably less than a quarter (roughly speaking) of all cases filed result in the plaintiff getting any money and the number of plaintiffs who win at trial are probably in the single digits. and even then the plaintiff often has to settle with the defendant to avoid a long drawn out appeals process. You have to have a very strong case to stay alive. Probably why the average plaintiffs lawyer earns about what the average electrician makes.