The cost of pursuing litigation influences the culture of each legal system in terms of what society perceives as the net benefit gained from the court and the profession. To litigate similar cases in England and the United States would cost approximately the same; however English courts are not as generous as their American counterparts in awarding damages, especially punitive damages. Therefore the net expected benefit of litigation being greater in the United States encourages a legal culture that is more litigious in nature than England.