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Introduction Are lawyers becoming casualties of their profession? Violence, threats, and abuse against practising lawyers have been investigated with little, if any, frequency in Canada. Although some research does exist [...], Society does not normally consider the practice of law a dangerous occupation, but a significant number of lawyers, particularly those practising in specialties such as criminal defence, government prosecutorial positions, and family/divorce law are encountering violence and threats. Although past research in the United States demonstrated that lawyers have been victimized by objectionable behaviour and threatening communications, there are no relevant Canadian studies on this topic. In the present study, survey data from 1,152 lawyers in Vancouver and surrounding suburbs in British Columbia, Canada, were examined to determine if British Columbia lawyers are being threatened, and if so, what are the types, quantity, and locations of such threats and/or violence. Results of this current study indicate that 59.2 percent of respondents, or 683 lawyers, reported varying degrees and numbers of threats. This article will discuss those findings. Regle generale, la pratique du droit n'est pas percue comme etant une activite dangereuse. Cependant, un nombre important d'avocats, et plus particulierement les avocats de la defense, les procureurs de la Couronne ou de l'Etat et les specialistes du droit de la famille et du droit en matiere de divorce, sont la cible d'actes de violence ou de menaces. Or, meme si des etudes menees aux Etats-Unis ont demontre que les avocats sont victimes de comportements reprehensibles et de communications vehiculant des menaces, aucune etude canadienne en la matiere n'a encore vu le jour. Dans la presente etude, on s'est donc penche sur les donnees d'une enquete menee aupres de 1152 avocats de Vancouver et des collectivites environnantes en Colombie-Britannique, et ce, dans le but de determiner si les avocats de cette province sont effectivement la cible de menaces et, dans l'affirmative, de cerner les types, le nombre et les lieux de ces menaces et de ces actes de violence. Enfin, selon les resultats de cette etude, 683 avocats, soit 59,2 % des repondants, auraient ete la cible de menaces dont le nombre et la severite varient. Les auteurs discutent des resultats de l'enquete.

The effects of threats and bluffs on perceptions of the threatener and on the outcome of negotiations over two negotiated transactions are discussed. Threats are described as communication tactics designed to intimidate the opponent while bluffs are threats whose substance is false. Also, the effects of the tactic of disclaimers when communicating a threat or a bluff are examined. Disclaimers are statements that mitigate an individual's responsibility for forthcoming actions that an individual anticipates will be disliked.