They’re the low-hanging fruit of water-cooler humor, and you probably have a few in your repertoire. One might go like this: A lawyer is a person that writes a 10,000 word document and calls it a “brief.”

Steven Spielberg, director of Jaws, named the mechanical shark used to film the movie Bruce, after a close business associate of his. Who was Bruce? His lawyer.

Lawyer jokes. Like many forms of humor, they are funny because they contain more than just a grain of truth. We at Hotz & Associates love lawyer jokes, and we have a page devoted to them.

Oldest Lawyer Joke

Perhaps the first known jab at the legal profession came from Diogenes the Cynic (412 BC to 323 BC), a philosopher of ancient Athens and Corinth. At a Greek festival, an argument arose over who should enter first: a lawyer or a physician. Diogenes pointed to the lawyer, saying, “Let the thief go first, then the executioner.”

Granted, the doctor bore the sharper brunt, but for some reason the lawyer jokes caught on while physicians get a pass.

Over the centuries, many learned and notable people have piled on the lawyers: Shakespeare, Swift, Bentham, Coleridge, Franklin, Jefferson, Kafka, Keats, Twain, Rogers. The substance of their complaints is familiar: lawyers are greedy, duplicitous, conniving, sneaky, selfish, heartless, and only in it for a buck.

Jokes Aside

While there have undoubtedly been legitimate reasons for people to question the scruples of specific lawyers over the years, there is a hard fact that bears tribute to the continued existence of the legal profession: When misfortune and suffering occur, aside from emergency medical personnel, attorneys are among the first people we seek for assistance.

And that’s a good thing. A skilled, conscientious, passionate lawyer can advocate for you, protect your rights, guide you through the complex intricacies of the justice system, and help restore you and your family to a sense of wholeness and normalcy.

Nothing funny about that, is there?

Give Us a Call

If something not funny has happened to you or someone you care about, call the personal injury attorneys of Hotz and Associates at 865-637-9000.

Feel free to send us any good lawyers jokes, too!