ABSTRACT
It may be some consolation to PR people today, when the reputation of their work comes up in conversation, to remember that lawyers were unpopular in the 1640s and still are today. They will reflect that such unpopularity has not held back the growth, the status or the salaries of lawyers. Indeed, a private disregard for outside opinion and a determined focus on the task in professional hand is intuitively a sound survival strategy for any work group. Thus, many PR people react to the reputation matter with the slight irritation of 'not that again; stop navel gazing; let's get on with the job'. These colleagues can further reflect that politicians, journalists1 and estate agents also have poor reputations but still they prosper.
