“NO AMOUNT OF MONEY WILL BRING YOUR CHILD BACK TO LIFE”: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF A LAWYER’S ROLE IN NAVIGATING WRONGFUL DEATH SUITS OF CHILDREN

Abstract

How does a lawyer navigate putting a price on a priceless life? This thesis applies the sociological concepts of brokerage and relational work to understand how a lawyer facilitates the exchange of monetary compensation for the wrongful death of an “economically useless, but emotionally priceless” child. Using data collected through twenty-five interviews with plaintiff and defense attorneys, I present qualitative findings on the strategies and practices employed by lawyers to obtain monetary compensation where a human life is being evaluated. Relational work between lawyers and clients, cemented in rhetoric and practices, frames the value and purpose of the monetary compensation for bereaved families. My findings embed the role of a wrongful death attorney in a relational infrastructure and furthers the understanding of how lawyers manage the sentimentality of these cases.