Lawyer jokes....

Heh... Lawyer jokes... As a law student, I sort of cringe anytime I hear lawyer jokes on TV or elsewhere. It reminds me that my future profession is not one that is regarded very fondly. In a way, I can't blame people. After all, there are the guys out there who totally smear the profession with their conduct.

And then there are the politicians... heh... Let's not go there.

I do have to say though that we live in a system where we are granted certain rights and privileges. And if those privileges are violated, whether by ourselves or by others, we have a right to defend those privileges or be punished for violating them. Therefore, as much as people dislike it, lawyers are a necessity. After all, you need someone to defend your rights. As an adversarial system, this means that you need someone who's going to "put up the dukes" for you. Sometimes this means that you have to enter areas of gray.

Not that I think this is right. I wonder sometimes how I'm going to do in the profession. After all, am I willing to do all I can for my client? What if that "all" means that I have to do something that goes against my beliefs?

If you've looked at my previous post about my personality, you'll know one of my characteristics is that I have strong ethical beliefs and will uphold them.

Anyway, enough of the seriousness and the soap box rant... Here's a joke a law school friend sent me:

The United Way realized that it had never received a donation from the city's most successful lawyer.

So a United Way volunteer paid the lawyer a visit in his lavish office.

The volunteer opened the meeting by saying, "Our research shows that even though your annual income is over two million dollars, you don't give a penny to charity. Wouldn't you like to give something back to your community through the United Way?"

The lawyer thinks for a minute and says, "First, did your research also show you that my mother is dying after a long, painful illness and she has huge medical bills that are far beyond her ability to pay?"

Embarrassed, the United Way rep mumbles, "Uh... no, I didn't know that."

"Secondly," says the lawyer, "my brother, a disabled veteran, is blind and confined to a wheelchair and is unable to support his wife and six children."

The stricken United Way rep begins to stammer an apology, but is cut off again.

"Thirdly, did your research also show you that my sister's husband died in a dreadful car accident, leaving her penniless with a mortgage and three children one of whom is disabled and another has learning disabilities requiring an array of private tutors?! "

The humiliated United Way rep, completely beaten, says, "I'm sorry, I had no idea."

And the lawyer says, So... if I didn't give any money to them, what in the hell makes you think I'd ever give any to you?"

Ha ha... =)

Feel free to post some favorite lawyer jokes in the comments box. It'll remind me to keep myself humble at the very least.