Respect for our courts is at a low point. People without experience in court often see this as the product of high-profile matters like the prosecutions of former president Donald Trump or the all-expenses-paid peregrinations of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. But to those who deal with courts in their own lives it’s something different.

Americans who have sued or been sued perceive a different problem. More often than not, they leave court with their worst stereotypes for legal matters confirmed. Lawsuits take too long, cost too much and almost never end with an answer to the question the lawsuit posed. Instead, cases are dismissed on some ground or more often settled. Too often they are settled because the lawsuit is too expensive to bring to trial. Too often, both sides leave dissatisfied.