DON'T KILL ALL THE LAWYERS
WE ARE THE LAWYERS
Yes, we really really Care for our client’s interest.
Yes, we take a real risk on our personal safety when we fight your case against the Police or another party. It takes guts to do so.
Yes, when you win your case, we really feel good (sometimes celebrate with our family, without you ever knowing)
Yes, when you lose your case (even if there’s a setback); food does not taste the same that day.
Yes, we spend countless hours immersed in the Black and White world of law books and judgements to find that one narrow window for you to get a favourable order.
Yes, our phones are never switched off, lest you need us in the middle of the night.
Yes, we argue at the top of our voice even with laryngitis.
Yes, when all of you go back home in the evening, our second shift starts-conferencing, preparing for the next day’s cases, drafting and so on.
Yes, we do.
……………
And then we see these 'jokes' all over.
'Joke':
A woman and her little girl were visiting the grave of the little girl's grandmother. On their way through the cemetery back to the car, the little girl asked, "Mummy, do they ever bury two people in the same grave?"
"Of course not, dear," replied the mother, "Why would you think that?"
"The tombstone back there said... 'Here lies a lawyer and an honest man.'"
'Joke':
Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, an honest lawyer and an old drunk are walking down the street together when they simultaneously spot a hundred dollar bill. Who gets it? The old drunk, of course, the other three are fantasy creatures.
'Joke':
A lawyer dies and goes to Heaven. "There must be some mistake," the lawyer argues. "I'm too young to die. I'm only 55." "Fifty-five?" says Saint Peter. "No, according to out calculations, you're 82." "How'd you get that?" the lawyer asks. Answers St. Peter, "We added up your time sheets."
..............
Good and funny in limited quantities far and wide, but then these ‘jokes’ start getting to you.These are not merely jokes. These double up as jabs on the integrity of our profession!
………….
It has gotten to a point, when an entire fraternity is being shown in a wrong light, whereas, I can vouch for most lawyers I know (and I know many!) who have not treated law as merely a profession, but as a way of life; those who have single-handedly destroyed their personal and social life for the profession.
And trust me, most us do more pro-bono (free) cases than most ‘charity celebrities’ the media is going gaga over!
Finally, let me remind you not to be influenced by, the oft quoted and much misunderstood quote of Shakespeare from Henry, the sixth.
FIRST THING WE DO IS KILL ALL THE LAWYERS.
Shakespeare meant it as a compliment to attorneys and judges who instill justice in society.
Yes, you read it right, we the lawyers are the WALL which stands between the Individual CITIZEN and the mighty STATE.
THE LAW DEFENDS YOU.
LAWYERS DEFEND THE LAW.
I am not looking for Salutes.
I demand Respect for my profession because if your lawyer gets miffed, the joke will be on you
Adv.Sidharth Arora
Advocate | Disruptor | Founder Director, Brand Protectors India Pvt Ltd | Keynote Speaker | Trainer
6 年The first step towards change for better is to accept there exists a problem. Pointless to be in denial and trying to defend which flies in the face of ground reality. Why be so touchy. Step out and see the reality in smaller towns far away from the metro cities though it is equally messy here albeit with sophistry and finesse. Why do we not respect the opinion of people vis a vis lawyers and start a change ourselves. Btw A global trust survey by gfk is pretty indicative of the mess. We lawyers do not figure in the first 16 when it comes to trust in professions. Chart below.
Advocate | Disruptor | Founder Director, Brand Protectors India Pvt Ltd | Keynote Speaker | Trainer
6 年Sumitra Choudhary that was a good read and felt nice but then exceptions do not make the rule. My two cents and the point is: Perceptions are formed on the basis of a reality which exists on larger landscape though we may choose to deny it. While I also understand, that the truth is often times blurred by lies and misinformation, perception becomes reality and all is lost. But here it is so very different when it comes to lawyers. Jokes have not shaped the reality rather it is the other way round. I am a lawyer and fiercely proud to be one and what I have stood for in my own little way. For me law is a path I chose and I pursue it relentlessly. By the way, I have irrefutable and incontrovertible evidence to establish what I have said in my posts. I do not feel too good when people at large consider police lawyers politicians to be the least trustworthy. I do not feel good when Lawyers are put in the same category by public. But that is the reality which exists on the ground.? An example : Look at criminal practice at district courts level and it would be quite an eye opener. The most successful criminal lawyers are the ones who are closely connected with the local cops. It is a quid pro quo. No offense please.
Advocate-on-Record, Supreme Court of India
6 年RV Iyer pls see this ! Dhirendra Singh, LL.B