The phrase 'trial lawyer' is not far from an insult in the US (or at least some parts of it), thanks - those who go by the moniker would claim - to a concerted campaign by the insurance lobby to poison their reputation. This has led to a startlingly daring rebranding by their representative group. The Association of Trial Lawyers of America is no more - in its place is the rather more impressive-sounding American Association for Justice. 'Our new name more accurately reflects our role as advocates for justice,' it said in a statement. 'It will further allow us to reframe the debate in the court of public opinion - just like we do every day in the courtroom.' How the association plans to translate this into action is as yet unknown, but it seems clear that plaintiff lawyers plan to go on the offensive. Of course, its opponents see the name change as nothing more than an admission of the unpopularity of the association's members, and just a cosmetic change. 'If a shark called itself a kitten fish,' said one, 'I still would not put my goddaughter in to play with it.' Happily things have not reached this pass in the UK as yet - far from looking to change its name, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers is still struggling with the perennial problem of convincing people not to pronounce APIL like 'apple' (it should be 'a pill').