This article takes a marketing analysis perspective of the distribution of legal services. A study of the demographic, personal, and life cycle characteristics of users and nonusers of legal services reveals that users are still primarily those with money and prestige. Some difference is found in the ways the two groups perceive important characteristics of lawyers for decision making purposes and in their perceptions of what potential legal needs are the most important. The problem of unevenness in the distribution system is seen as a marketing one. Suggestions as to how the delivery of services can be improved to present nonusers are made, based on market analysis.
BerkmanHarold and GilsonChristopher (1978), Consumer Behavior, Encino, CA: Dickinson Press.
3.
Bureau of Economic Analysis (1980), Survey of Current Business, Washington, DC: Department of Commerce, 60, 7:21.
4.
CarlinJerome E., HowardJan, and MessingerSheldon L. (1967), Civil Justice and the Poor, New York: Russell Sage.
5.
CheathamElliott E. (1963), “A Lawyer When Needed: Legal Services for the Middle Classes,” Columbia Law Review, 63, 6:973–986.
6.
ChristensenBarlow F. (1970), Lawyers for People of Moderate Means: Some Problems of Availability of Legal Services, Chicago: American Bar Foundation.
7.
CooleyWilliam W. and LohnesPaul R. (1971), Multivariate Data Analysis, New York: John Wiley and Sons, 129–168.
8.
CurranBarbara (1977), The Legal Needs of the Public: Final Report of a National Survey, Chicago: American Bar Foundation.
9.
DardenWilliam R., DardenDonna K., and MillerShirley J. (1980), “Socialization Factors in a Patronage Model of Consumer Behavior,” in Advances in Consumer Research, 9, MonroeK., ed., Washington, DC: Association for Consumer Research, 150–154.
10.
GalanterMarc (1976), “Why the ‘Haves’ Come Out Ahead: Speculations on the Limits of Legal Change,” Law and Society, 9 (Fall), 95–160.
11.
HallauerRobert Paul (1972), “Low Income Laborers as Legal Clients: Use Patterns and Attitudes Toward Lawyers,” Denver Law Journal, 49 (no. 1), 169–232.
12.
HodgeRobert, SiegelPaul, and RossiPeter (1964), “Occupational Prestige in the United States, 1925–63,” American Journal of Sociology, 60 (no. 3), 282–303.
13.
HollingsheadAugust B. and RedlichFredrick C. (1958), Social Class and Mental Illness: A Community Study, New York: John Wiley and Sons, 398–407.
14.
Industrial Research and Extension Center (1978), Population Projection for1979, Little Rock: University of Arkansas.
15.
KotlerPhilip (1979), “Strategies for Introducing Marketing into Nonprofit Organizations,” Journal of Marketing, 43 (January), 37–44.
16.
KotlerPhilip (1972), “What Consumerism Means for Marketers,” Harvard Business Review, 50 (May-June), 48–57.
17.
LadinskyJack (1976), “The Traffic in Legal Services: Lawyer-Seeking Behavior and the Channeling of Clients,” Law and Society, 11, no. 2, 207–223.
18.
MarksF. Raymond (1976), “A Lawyer's Duty to Take All Comers and Many Who Do Not Come,” University of Miami Law Review, 30 (Summer), 914–927.
19.
RobertsonIan (1977), Sociology, New York: Worth.
20.
RossidesDaniel W. (1976), The American Class System, Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.
21.
SarattAustin (1977), “Studying American Legal Culture: An Assessment of Survey Evidence,” Law and Society Review, 11 (Winter), 427–488.
22.
SmithRobert E. and MeyerTiffany S. (1980), “Attorney Advertising: A Consumer Perspective,” Journal of Marketing, 44 (Spring), 56–64.
23.
“Survey of Buying Power” (1973), Sales and Marketing Management, 1 (July 23), C-14.
24.
Time (1978a), “The Blue Van,” 112 (October 9), 117.
25.
Time (1978b), “Supermarketing Legal Services,” 112 (October 9), 116.
26.
U.S. Bureau of the Census (1972), Census of Population: 1970, Detailed Characteristics, Final Report PC (1)-D5, Arkansas, Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
WarnerW. Lloyd and LuntPaul (1941), The Social Life of a Modern Community, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
29.
WindYoram and DennyJoseph (1973), “Multivariate Analysis of Variance in Research on the Effectiveness of TV Commercials,” Journal of Marketing Research, 11 (May), 136–142.
