Regarding the issue of trust, it's a simple matter. Who'd you rather have decide the fate of MtGox and your missing funds? Karpeles, crypto-clueless Japanese lawyers, or Bitcoin entrepreneurs with a record of experience in the crumbling financial world? Hmmm, tough choice.
I have yet to know a "bitcoin entrepreneur" to whom I would lend a pen without removing the cap first. For one thing, Karpelès was one of the top board members of the Bitcoin Foundation.
Lawyers can and will hire experts to handle the technicalities, in bitcoin or any other field.
The thief (or embezzler, or fraudster) responsible for the missing MtGOX coins must be found by teh police and punished by law. The issue is not just return the coint to his victims, but deterrence of future crimes. If he walks away with his loot, why should not every exchange owner do the same?