Love Your Lawyer Day - yes this is a thing!
Out of all the professions, it is lawyers who end up the butt of many jokes. We lawyers don’t pull out teeth like dentists do, and we don’t jab needles into you like doctors do, so why is it that lawyer jokes are the most common?
I even heard one such #lawyerjoke just this week. It went like this - from my friend PB (you know who you are!):
🗣 When I was working at X Co, I was speaking with an in-house counsel who had been on a diving trip up to the Great Barrier Reef and I said to him,“how did it go Mike - were you concerned about sharks?” and he said “no, not in the least, (because of) professional courtesy”
Of course, if I had a dollar for everytime I have heard a lawyer joke, I’d be well on my way to millionaire status.
It’s precisely for this reason that “Lo❤️e Your Lawyer Day” was created.
It all started out when an American attorney in 2001 was sick & tired of low ball jokes being levelled at lawyers. His name was Nader Anise and he kicked off the “No Lawyer Bashing or Jokes for a day.” This day – commemorated every year on November 6th - is now called “Love your Lawyer Day.”
How to celebrate Love your Lawyer Day?
It’s easy. All you need to do is not crack any lawyer jokes! This in and of itself will show your love for your lawyer. After all, the majority of lawyers do spend the majority of their time fighting for the rights of you and others, as well as representing those in our community who are unable to defend themselves in mediations and court.
“Lawyer”, or “advocate”, comes from the Greek word “parakletos” which means “the one who stays by the side” That means, standing by the side of any person who is in need. In Japan a lawyer is “bengoshi” or 弁護士 a “professional who protects/safeguards you.”
If you want to do something more active on “Love your Lawyer Day” than simply refraining from telling a lawyer joke then how about contacting your lawyer and let them know how you appreciate something they did for you – how they stood by you. Maybe you never got round to saying thanks at the time, or even if you did, saying it again can make a world of difference to a lawyer. Tweet or post something fun about your lawyer or tell everyone why working with your lawyer was a great experience, whatever the outcome was, just because of the way that lawyer looked after you and stood by you. You can even use the hashtag #LoveYourLawyerDay so we can all see what you have written.
Thank you from me on behalf of all lawyers!
But I didn’t want to leave this note here. I did want to go a bit further.
Why is it that lawyers are associated with negativity?
Most of us agree that laws are the necessary building blocks of any civil society. But almost every time the law needs to be enforced, it is often unpleasant. When you get caught running an amber light or you “borrowed” someone’s bicycle to get home after a few drinks. Everyone knows that lawyers are hired to represent those who aren’t able to represent themselves. Everyone also knows that someone who is going through a divorce, a custody dispute, or a criminal case finds it emotionally and financially draining. The client needs a lawyer but doesn’t really want one. They are forced to engage one. That causes the client to associate lawyers with the negative things that are happening to them in their lives. Even when the saga is over, the negative memory is associated with the lawyer. So this I believe, contributes to the reputation that lawyers have.
Lawyers in business have it tough too
In business too, typically, people hire a lawyer only when things have gone sour for them. The other side has breached a contract term or hasn’t paid your fees. By the time most people get in touch with a lawyer, they have exhausted other ways to solve their troubles. That means that almost all of a lawyers’ clients in this situation are not going to be happy with their situation when they first meet their lawyer as they feel a compulsion to consult a lawyer, rather than it being a choice for them. Even if lawyers resolve a case for their client with a pretty good result, some clients remember it as a horrid time in their life when something went very wrong and they were unable to fix it themselves and it didn’t turn out as they expected.
Why don’t I hear doctor jokes and dentist jokes?
What is it that allows other professions like doctors and dentists to escape being the brunt of jokes like lawyers? Don’t we only go to the doctor as a last resort, say when the over the counter medicine doesn’t work or we put up with pain for a while, or isn’t it true that we take ourselves off to the dentist to remove a festering tooth or fill a cavity? I think a perceived difference is that in the case of medical and dental professionals, people generally opt for preventative annual check-ups, but they don’t think about seeing a lawyer in advance of trouble happening. That’s the difference. But you can also actually undergo annual legal heath check-ups for yourself and your business. Only most people don’t take the temperature on their business or personal affairs by way of a legal check-up each financial year or before they start up business. Inevitably people only tend to see a lawyer after things go wrong not in a preventative way beforehand.
So, my theory is that unlike medical and dental professions where it is drummed into us that “prevention is better than the cure” or “a stitch in time saves nine”, this kind of thinking around lawyers is not there, so lawyers become the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff – after a problem arises.
What can lawyers do to improve the impression the community has of them?
My friend who said the above joke said this “Love your Lawyer Day” should really be reframed and called “Be a Loveable Lawyer Day” and you know, I think there is something in that. Be a Loveable Lawyer Day provides a great opportunity for lawyers to shine a spotlight on how they “stay by the side of others.”
Lawyers can:
Volunteer in the local business community – join a Chamber of Commerce or school committee helping their cause without counting the cost. This kind of activity is totally possible in an online environment.
Host an “ask me anything” Webinar – use Instagram or Facebook live to visibly display your knowledge, personality and approachability.
Tap in to the power of satisfied clients – solicit (see what I did there?) a testimonial or endorsement on LinkedIn that tells their experience of you standing by them.
Make it a “Love other Lawyers Day” by reaching out to your circle of lawyers for a social catch up on line or in a safe in person environment to stand by then in these times.
There is a lot we can do to love our lawyers and be loveable lawyers.
Postscript
Thanks for reading this far. If you are a lawyer then good news for you – our friend Malcolm Kushner has come to the rescue with his authored book “Comebacks For Lawyer Jokes: The Restatement of Retorts”
“Lawyers who are sick of lawyer jokes finally have what they've been waiting for -- witty comebacks to close down the joke tellers. This book includes comebacks to over 100 common lawyer jokes. It also includes the world's first jokes that make lawyers look good! And that's no joke!”
Look out my friend PB, as I will have a comeback for the next lawyer joke you crack! "
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Produced by Catherine O’Connell
Why did I write this?
I wanted to write about how lawyers are not as bad as everyone makes them out to be and that the best of us truly believe in standing beside others to help them. Love your Lawyer Day provided the perfect canvas for me to express these thoughts.
About me:
I work with stand beside Corporate In-House legal teams, Solo General Counsel, SME business owners/CEOs, and Japanese law firms to provide them with flexible in-house legal secondments, reduce theirhiring needs and give them peace of mind. You can contact me at catherine@catherineoconnelllaw.com
#flexiblelawyer #secondmentlawyer #lawyeronloan #standingbesideyou
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