Byte of Prevention Blog

by Jay Reeves |

The Roots of Lawyers Mutual Go Back to the Debut of Roots

40th anniversary logoLawyers Mutual traces its roots back to 1977 – the same year the miniseries Roots captivated the nation’s attention.

The television blockbuster, based on the novel by Alex Haley, debuted on ABC in January 1977. Ratings rose with each episode, and the series finale remains one of the most-watched television events in history.

Meanwhile, as television sets across the country were tuned into the amazing life of Kunta Kinte, a group of lawyers were criss-crossing North Carolina planting seeds for the first lawyer-owned professional liability insurance company in the country.

Those seeds blossomed into Lawyers Mutual Liability Insurance Company.

This year Lawyers Mutual is celebrating its 40th birthday. Over those four decades, it has been the only carrier to provide continuous coverage for North Carolina lawyers.

The roots of that legacy date back to 1977, when the world was a different place and a handful of lawyers had a vision of doing something that had never been done before.

Television Emmy Award Winners Since 1977

1977 The Mary Tyler Moore Show (comedy) Upstairs, Downstairs (drama)

1978 All in the Family (comedy) The Rockford Files (drama)

1979 Taxi (comedy) Lou Grant (drama)

1980 Taxi (comedy) Lou Grant (drama)

1981 Taxi (comedy) Hill Street Blues (drama)

1982 Barney Miller (comedy) Hill Street Blues (drama)

1983 Cheers (comedy) Hill Street Blues (drama)

1984 Cheers (comedy) Hill Street Blues (drama)

1985 The Cosby Show (comedy) Cagney & Lacey (drama)

1986 Golden Girls (comedy) Cagney & Lacey (drama)

1987 Golden Girls (comedy) L.A. Law (drama)

1988 The Wonder Years (comedy) thirtysomething (drama)

1989 Cheers (comedy) L.A. Law (drama)

1990 Murphy Brown (comedy) L.A. Law (drama)

1991 Cheers (comedy) L.A. Law (drama)

1992 Murphy Brown (comedy) Northern Exposure (drama)

1993 Seinfeld (comedy) Picket Fences (drama)

1994 Frasier (comedy) Picket Fences (drama)

1995 Frasier (comedy) NYPD Blue (drama)

1996 Frasier (comedy) ER (drama)

1997 Frasier (comedy) Law & Order (drama)

1998 Frasier (comedy) The Practice (drama)

1999 Ally McBeal (comedy) The Practice (drama)

2000 Will & Grace (comedy) The West Wing (drama)

2001 Sex & the City (comedy) The West Wing (drama)

2002 Friends (comedy) The West Wing (drama)

2003 Everybody Loves Raymond (comedy) The West Wing (drama)

2004 Arrested Development (comedy) The Sopranos (drama)

2005 Everybody Loves Raymond (comedy) Lost (drama)

2006 The Office (comedy) 24 (drama)

2007 30 Rock (comedy) The Sopranos (drama)

2008 30 Rock (comedy) Mad Men (drama)

2009 30 Rock (comedy) Mad Men (drama)

2010 Modern Family (comedy) Mad Men (drama)

2011 Modern Family (comedy) Mad Men (drama)

2012 Modern Family (comedy) Homeland (drama)

2013 Modern Family (comedy) Breaking Bad (drama)

2014 Modern Family (comedy) Breaking Bad (drama)

2015 Veep (comedy) Game of Thrones (drama)

2016 Veep (comedy) Game of Thrones (drama)

Sources:

· Primetime Emmy Award Winners https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Primetime_Emmy_Award_winners

· Wikipedia – Roots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roots_(1977_miniseries)

About the Author

Jay Reeves

Jay Reeves practiced law in North Carolina and South Carolina. He was Legal Editor at Lawyers Weekly and Risk Manager at Lawyers Mutual. He is the author of The Most Powerful Attorney in the World, a collection of short stories from a law life well-lived, which as the seasons pass becomes less about law and liability and more about loss, love, longing, laughter and life's lasting luminescence.

Read More by Jay >

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