VIRGINIA POSTREL warns Republicans:

“[T]rial lawyer” is not a bad thing to call someone in a campaign. There’s a reason successful trial lawyers are successful: They’re good at persuading voters (a.k.a. jurors) to join their side.

Yes, there are a lot of people in conservative circles with a visceral dislike of trial lawyers. And it’s shared by some voters. But it’s not shared by all that many, and if you only read conservative publications it’s easy to forget that. Think of trial lawyers as like constituent-service from an incumbent. Most voters know somebody who was helped by one. That establishes a certain reservoir of gratitude.