A lawyer walks into a pub...

[traveller]

My son-in-law is an attorney and I love him. Besides, I know how hard he works for his clients. He is a good man, and certainly not a shark.

[apothanein kerdos]

Okay, I think this was intended as a serious discussion. Let's please treat the OP with some respect here.

I have worked for and with attorneys for the past 6 years of my career, and I have to say that most attorneys that I have met are respectable persons, and not at all like some people have made them out to be. I think that we should remember that many of our most respected statemen and Presidents have been attorneys.

Most attorneys that I have met have a sincere respect, and even a reverence, for the laws of our country and of our state. I personally think that that is something to be regarded highly in our society - especially given the increasing irreverence and disrespect for our laws.

I think that the predominant disrespectful and demeaning attitude toward certain professions is largely fueled and propagated by those who have had negative experiences with a minority of those professionals. However, given the fact that we have all had negativ experiences with professionals in other fields, I wonder why it is that we find lawyer jokes particularly compelling.

Maybe it's jealousy.

Think about it: We've all have bad experiences with mechanics, with some mechanics that try to rip us off for parts that we didn't need or repairs that don't exist. So where are all the "mechanic jokes"? Well, it doesn't take a great number of years to become a mechanic, and it's not really a prestigious profession. So we cut the mechanics a break. After all, they're all blue collar workers anyway. They're "one o us."

It takes a lot of years and a lot of hard studying to become a lawyer - a good lawyer - and it takes a lot of years of hard work as a lawyer to make a really good wage. Believe it or not, in a lot of states the starting salary for an attorney is not that much better than the starting wage of a public school teacher. In fact, a construction worker or a good mechanic can make more in a year than an attorney fresh out of school.

An attorney fresh out of school also has loans that he has to start paying off, and those loans are usually upward of $150 thousand, or more. So the popular concept of the "rich lawyer" is vastly overstated. It takes many years and a lot of really hard work for an attorney to make the kind of "upper-scale" wage that most people attribute to them.

Also, most people that hate lawyers - that really hate lawyers - do so because they have been on the receiving end of a negative lawsuit. In other words, someone sued them, they lost, and they had to pay 2x the attorney fees and costs in addition to the judgment. And of course, when something like a lawsuit doesn't go your way the fist thing you're going to do is blame everyone else: the judge, the lawyers, the other guy, etc.

The attorneys that really give the profession a bad name are those "ambulance chaser" types that only work personal injury cases. Those are the ones that we see on the television all the time, or in the back of our phone books. There's a dozen of these types in every town. For the most part, the respectable attorneys that handle real estate affairs, civil litigation, personal estates, etc., really look down on those guys. Personal injury lawyers are strictly in the profession for the money. They care little for the law or for someone's pain. They equate pain with dollar signs. Some of the things that those guys say and do in the courtroom are honestly pretty darn shameful. It's for that reason that most attorneys I've met would punch you dead in the face if you ever called them an "ambulance chaser."

I think that being associated with the upholding of the laws of the land - whether you are a police officer, an attorney, or a judge - a person deserves automatic respect. They don't deserve ridicule at all - especially from Christians who shouldn't be ridiculing anyone. I would challenge any believer who reads this to go out and befriend someone in this profession. Ask them about their careers. I think that you might be surprised at just how seriously and how passionately some of these folks feel about the laws of our country.

[nebula]

I state all of this because, honestly, I'm kind of tired of seeing it. Some of the greatest men this nation has ever known have also been lawyers. Don't bash them all because a few of them are dirty. If this was a justified practise, then I think it would be okay for me to bash all preachers.

Not to hijack the thread . . .

but will anyone here defend politicians and government officials and government employees in charge of security the same?

[apothanein kerdos]

I state all of this because, honestly, I'm kind of tired of seeing it. Some of the greatest men this nation has ever known have also been lawyers. Don't bash them all because a few of them are dirty. If this was a justified practise, then I think it would be okay for me to bash all preachers.

Not to hijack the thread . . .

but will anyone here defend politicians and government officials and government employees in charge of security the same?

Of course. There are some good politicians out there. The thing is, we often enjoy criticizing those who we can't become.

[Gerioke]

The good politicians never get elected because they are honest.

[nebula]

Of course. There are some good politicians out there. The thing is, we often enjoy criticizing those who we can't become.

Maybe . . . but is that truly the basis for criticism, you think?

[darkest_red]

I used to work for a legal department (and hope to do so again asap) and the lawyers who worked there (with the exception of one who had a Jekyl and Hyde thing going on!) were all really nice, decent people.

People are all too willing to generalise and tar all lawyers with the same brush.

[Kabowd]

Of course. There are some good politicians out there. The thing is, we often enjoy criticizing those who we can't become.

Maybe . . . but is that truly the basis for criticism, you think?

Usually it amounts to fear. People are afraid of what they don't understand, and are often most critical (and vocal) about things they can't explain or define. I think it's jealousy, misinformation, and pride at it's core. Certainly there are lawyers who are corrupt. Just as there are dentists who are corrupt and pastors who are corrupt. But lumping an entire profession into a pile and disgracing them all in one sweeping motion is as vile as any sleazy lawyer out there.

[other one]

I have several relatives and a couple of friends that are lawyers....... and they tell the best lawyer jokes I know.

Do we joke about lawyers because we really don't like them, or do we joke about them because we don't like to need them.

I think lawyer jokes are so good, because we hate to need them, but need them we do, to live in a land of Laws.

I'd disagree with Leonard and say that 90% of the ones I know personally are good people.... unfortunaltly you really only hear about the other 10%.

[Kabowd]

I have several relatives and a couple of friends that are lawyers....... and they tell the best lawyer jokes I know.

Do we joke about lawyers because we really don't like them, or do we joke about them because we don't like to need them.

I think lawyer jokes are so good, because we hate to need them, but need them we do, to live in a land of Laws.

I'd disagree with Leonard and say that 90% of the ones I know personally are good people.... unfortunaltly you really only hear about the other 10%.

My brother shares lawyer jokes with his friends who are lawyers, also. They can laugh at themselves, recognize the corruption in certain areas of their field, and still not be offensive (unless they are intending to be). The difference is in the spirit (and company) that it is done. On a public forum such as this, I think it's insensitive and offensive to broad sweep any group and use them as the butt of a joke. You never know who might read it and be hurt or offended and you never know the intention of the person sharing the joke. Therefore, I'm in agreement with the original post. We need to be cauteous when we share any kind of joke that puts a group of people in a bad light. A good chuckle is never worth misrepresenting someone or hurting someone.